Re: Pirates vs. the U.S. Navy
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Beldaran
We should be.
Umm......
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Terrorists
Those infidels don't understand anything except violence and power. We should hurt them, bleed them, be ruthless and inhumane, and terrify the shit out of them to the point where their god sending them to hell sounds like a welcome relief.
We should capture them and cut their testicles off on network television. We should kill their families. We should turn their banks into dust and teach them carefully and fully that if they choose to use violence as a currency, we have more "cash" than they do.
We must fight fire with fire and end their existence with brutal, unquestionable force.
Sound familiar?
Look, Beldaran. I KNOW that the only way to "negotiate" with those assholes is to use bullets. But that does NOT mean we should just outright nuke an entire country just because there happens to be a bunch of terrorists there. Do civilian casualties mean anything to you?
If you respond with such agression, not only is the UN gonna sanction your ass to all hell, every other country in the world is gonna freak and go on high alert, and point their nukes at the sky, waiting for you to so much as blink in their direction before launching all their nukes, and making Fallout 3 a reality. Now, as fun as using bottlecaps for currency SOUNDS...
Stooping to their level means their way of thinking has won out in the end. Terrorists will end up in charge of the world, except that instead of brandishing AKs and chanting tribal songs, they will be wearing suits and sitting behind desks, casually discussing who else gets the nuke. The US is supposed to be a "protector" (or at least, thats how most Americans see it). The US's job is NOT to act as judge, jury, and executioner for any country that doesn't fit their profile of a good, kind country. If that happens, then it's only amatter of time before someone says "Hey, those British guys were asses to us several hundred years back...let's pay em back!" or "Those Canadian guys are hogging all the maple syrup, and...uhh...NUKE EM ANYWAAAY!!"
Hell, if we follow YOUR way of thinking, maybe we should just nuke the US right now because they might destroy everyone else! Just like...oh my...the freakin terrorists. Grow up Bel. If you're still at the age where you think punching everyone in the face is the solution, then I await the day the cops pick you up for assault. Blowing the shit out of everyone who isn't as "pure" as you see fit makes you no better than a "Kira", a mass murderer deluded into thinking that they're saving the world.
@ Prr: ;) I know you're not a pacifist. But I was expecting more of a "I wish we could just open fire on that little ship and straighten them out" instead of "make it their casket". XD
*note to self: Prr can get ornery. Avoid stepping on her toes. XD*
Re: Pirates vs. the U.S. Navy
I'd agree with those terms... if we were in an honest-to-goodness war, the kind that Congress and the rest of the world backs. As it is, we're not even in open hostilities.
The stance that we should slaughter innocents in order to smoke out the pirates is not only absurd, it shows serious poor character and (once again) a complete lack of ability to comprehend the complexity of the issue.
First, the pirates aren't just thieves that decided they needed to hijack ships. Somalia is a failed state and the average citizen would stab their entire family with a pencil just to be as rich as the homeless people that beg the corners of Austin. They can't turn to traditional robbery because none of the stores or banks have any money either! These ships are low-hanging fruit to them, and they're hijacking them to survive. Slaughtering people won't deter the pirates because there will still be starving people with boats. Getting the UN to do something about Somalia is a smarter course of action: when the people aren't starving there will be less pirates and the ones that exist will respond to deterrent action.
Next, it will make things worse. If your view was that we should shoot the pirates on sight I'd be sympathetic. Instead, you believe we should kill the people on shore who are starving but won't become pirates. Good idea! When we're through killing them all that will be left is pirates and citizens with a grudge. I'm sure the Taliban or Al Qaeda would be glad to offer them an olive branch to help them rebuild and get us back. We are not a country of savage imperialists that consider everyone else expendable sub-humans. Those are the countries that are our enemies (unless they can sell us something.)
Finally, it'd make the rest of the world even more angry at us. I find it odd that we're so worried that other countries will attack us but we believe we should do precisely what they accuse us of doing. Plenty of terrorist groups hole up in residential regions so they can accuse us of killing the innocent when we make a strike. Why should we cut out the middleman and attack the innocent directly? "They should have moved if they knew they were harboring terrorists" is not applicable in this or any scenario. In this scenario, you're suggesting that people who don't even know a pirate and don't have enough money for a cup of rice should pack up and immigrate to another country. To which land of opportunity should they flee? Kenya? Ethiopia?
Seriously you've got problems.
Re: Pirates vs. the U.S. Navy
Apparently the Navy Seals killed all but one of the pirates and rescued the captain. A good outcome.
The problem is that these things like Atma said, are not real war. Conventional wars we were pretty good at and now we have very advanced traditional weapons. But issues like these are like law and order type issues. It's hard to solve these problems with bombs.
Re: Pirates vs. the U.S. Navy
Wait, we killed people? I guess we're terrorists now.
Re: Pirates vs. the U.S. Navy
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Beldaran
Wait, we killed people? I guess we're terrorists now.
Yup. That's exactly how it works. No more complex than that.
Re: Pirates vs. the U.S. Navy
Beldaran's just bitter because they didn't use his proposed solution of slaughtering thousands of innocent people simply for the sake of one friggin' hostage. That said I'm glad they were able to rescue him.
Re: Pirates vs. the U.S. Navy
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Dechipher
Yup. That's exactly how it works. No more complex than that.
Hey, it's your guys' logic I'm using. So if it seems stupid, well I guess the shoe fits.
Re: Pirates vs. the U.S. Navy
How the hell do you come to that conclusion? With you it seems there are only two options - murder thousands and thousands of people, or don't kill anyone at all. Why only those two?
Re: Pirates vs. the U.S. Navy
I bet you could trade a six-pack of beer for a rocket launcher in Somalia.
Re: Pirates vs. the U.S. Navy
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Beldaran
Hey, it's your guys' logic I'm using. So if it seems stupid, well I guess the shoe fits.
Yeah, killing 10000 innocent bystanders to get the release of 1 American is just as good as killing 3 three less innocent kidnappers for the release of that same American.
What the fuck is wrong with you?