This can't be true..

[jonny88]

A LOT of policy, training, and pretty much anything and everything to do with the military has changed since Vietnam.

What makes me think it's not going on? Oh, how about I happen to be a military officer with operational experience in Afghanistan, so I do know a BIT of what I speak. What you "hear" of on the interwebz or whatever is part of my job.

And for that matter, given the US military budget, spec ops organizations - once widely considered as the black sheep of the US military - have PLENTY of funding, and that's only increased in the last decade. They don't need to resort to such high-risk endeavours for a few extra bucks.

There are many people in the U.S. military scamming and looking for anyway to bring merchandise home from overseas, don't kid yourself. If they succeed you will not here about it of course.

There was a femal soldier l read about not too long ago coming back from Afghanistan, she and a partner smuggled one Million in cash in hollowed out VCR's from Afghanistan back to the States. Makes you wonder what is else is happening.

With all the rape cases, sexual harrasment and misconduct going on in the military, of course there are other activities going on such as smuggling.

The movie "American Gangster" with Denzel and Crow is a very good movie based on a tour story of Frank Lucas smuggling millions of dollars worth of heroin in the coffins of dead soldiers coming home from Vietnam. Of couse something like that probably couldn't be done now a days.

 

[ShadowX81]

I can't really say the war on drugs ever really worked. It sure didn't stop anything.

How did it not?

No crime has ever been eradicated completely. But if you want to address its main goal, which is severely curbing drug use and drug related crime, then the War on Drugs has been a huge success.

 

[Lejuan]

How did it not?

No crime has ever been eradicated completely. But if you want to address its main goal, which is severely curbing drug use and drug related crime, then the War on Drugs has been a huge success.

 

[devilof76]

Drug use in this country has not budged since the War on Drugs began. The only thing that has changed is the amount of violent crime.

 

[Pork Chop Express]

How did it not?

No crime has ever been eradicated completely. But if you want to address its main goal, which is severely curbing drug use and drug related crime, then the War on Drugs has been a huge success.

The real problems with "drugs" has a lot more to do with poverty and social equality. Solve those and your problems with drugs will evaporate.

 

[jonny88]

The real problems with "drugs" has a lot more to do with poverty and social equality. Solve those and your problems with drugs will evaporate.

Well maybe the U.S. should stop pissing away every dollar they have. Instead focus on their own people and communities, instead of giving every penny they have to other countries for the DUMBEST reasons.

 

[Pork Chop Express]

Well maybe the U.S. should stop pissing away every dollar they have. Instead focus on their own people and communities, instead of giving every penny they have to other countries for the DUMBEST reasons.

Do you think the rest of the work would like us if we did? Or even think that it was ok, or US citizens would want it that way?
There are still very many first time immigrants here.

Not that the US needs to really prove anything to anyone.

 

[ShadowX81]

Not to mention, the rest of the world has been very forgiving of the massive debt we owe them. Suddenly throwing up an iron wall and taking an isolationist policy towards the rest of the world might leave them in a sour mood next time we need to borrow few bucks.

 

[Pork Chop Express]

Not to mention, the rest of the world has been very forgiving of the massive debt we owe them. Suddenly throwing up an iron wall and taking an isolationist policy towards the rest of the world might leave them in a sour mood next time we need to borrow few bucks.

Great point.

 

[ZaCHw117]

Drug use in this country has not budged since the War on Drugs began. The only thing that has changed is the amount of violent crime.

 

[ShadowX81]

Drug use in this country has not budged since the War on Drugs began. The only thing that has changed is the amount of violent crime.

Actually studies suggest that the number of illicit drug users has declined up to 50% since the war on drugs began. How is that not a budge?

 

[jonny88]

Do you think the rest of the work would like us if we did? Or even think that it was ok, or US citizens would want it that way?
There are still very many first time immigrants here.

Not that the US needs to really prove anything to anyone.

Most of the world doesn't like the U.S. to start, sorry, but true. I'm pretty sure most Americans want the U.S. to stop spending money they don't have. Are you cool with food taken out of your families mouths and given to other people who don't even like the U.S.? Road ways, schools, and contruction all put on hold because the money is going out of country instead, that's cool with you? You condone those decisions?

It's time for the U.S. to stop their expensive wars that ruined America in every single way, come home and focus on their own people. Sorry, but giving packistan (an ememy) billions every year, sending millions to insurgents in syria, giving billions in foreign aid to the richest countries, then ask to borrow it back, spending billions on wars that are making things much worse, etc.

Actually l think the U.S. has plenty to prove. They need to prove they can change their ways, since they're supposed to be a country to be modeled after and have super power status and all. Not entering third world status.

 

[devilof76]

Actually, the U.S. has been behaving the way it has in the past ten years out of deference to the opinions of rest of the world. Were the U.S. to start acting as though it had nothing to prove to anyone, we wouldn't be in the position we're in now. Our current problems are a result of attempting to please all of the critics that have accumulated since we acquired superpower status in the first place.

Don't get me wrong. I don't think we should have listened to Europe whine about us, or the Middle East whine about us, or communists of every stripe from Russia to Asia to Africa to South America whine about us. To this day, the accusations levelled against us have been bull****, twisted by the envy and resentment of liars and idiots to make us out to be some kind of bully. When we are asked for help, we're accused of policing the world. When we don't help, we're accused of greed. We have tried to answer both sides of that for decades and what you see now is the end result.

So you know what? **** off. We haven't tried to conquer a goddamned thing and the rest of the world needs to stop blaming the boogeyman in the western hemisphere for their failures as nations and cultures. Even in the condition we're in now, we're still more awesome than you. It'll take more than half a century of socialism creeping through our schools and banks, or primitive, tribalist zealots throwing temper tantrums to make a third world country out of America.

 

[BadMoon]

Are you cool with food taken out of your families mouths and given to other people who don't even like the U.S.?

Devil's reply was spot on. However, I feel the need to address this section of your nonsensical post. The government isn't and will not be responsible for feeding my wife and kids. My wife and I take on that responsibility. So they can neither put in or take out food from our mouths. We are not lazy thumbsuckers that expect handouts. We work very hard to provide ourselves a good quality of life. THAT is the true American way.

 

[Adolfo]

In what state?

In most states there is implied consent laws that require you to take the test so you might get out of a DUI but you also lose you license for extended period if time.

yup.......

 

[Adolfo]

Actually, the U.S. has been behaving the way it has in the past ten years out of deference to the opinions of rest of the world. Were the U.S. to start acting as though it had nothing to prove to anyone, we wouldn't be in the position we're in now. Our current problems are a result of attempting to please all of the critics that have accumulated since we acquired superpower status in the first place.

Don't get me wrong. I don't think we should have listened to Europe whine about us, or the Middle East whine about us, or communists of every stripe from Russia to Asia to Africa to South America whine about us. To this day, the accusations levelled against us have been bull****, twisted by the envy and resentment of liars and idiots to make us out to be some kind of bully. When we are asked for help, we're accused of policing the world. When we don't help, we're accused of greed. We have tried to answer both sides of that for decades and what you see now is the end result.

So you know what? **** off. We haven't tried to conquer a goddamned thing and the rest of the world needs to stop blaming the boogeyman in the western hemisphere for their failures as nations and cultures. Even in the condition we're in now, we're still more awesome than you. It'll take more than half a century of socialism creeping through our schools and banks, or primitive, tribalist zealots throwing temper tantrums to make a third world country out of America.

The banks rule the world...Rothschild, Chase, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs etc rule the world

 

[karamazov80]

The real problems with "drugs" has a lot more to do with poverty and social equality. Solve those and your problems with drugs will evaporate.

Give this man a kewpie doll! You would also solve most problems related to crime, health, education, and general quality of life.

Actually studies suggest that the number of illicit drug users has declined up to 50% since the war on drugs began. How is that not a budge?

Reference?

 

[DPrime]

The U.S. is pissing everything away in Afghanistan right now and NOTHING good is coming from it.

Personally and professionally, I think that remains to be seen.

I've seen a LOT of good coming out of Afghanistan first hand. Problem is, that doesn't make for a good story so you don't hear about it.

All in all, their government is still in a difficult position, sure, but much better than they ever were since the Soviet invasion. Their army, in particular, is well trained and professional. Their police suffers from a severe lack of education, and corruption is still a way of life for most in that country, but that can be said for any number of third world countries.

Bottom line, while the future of Afghanistan is uncertain, mainly due in large part to Pakistan's proximity and interference and the continued division of "Pashtunistan" between southern Afghanistan and areas of Pakistan (which Pakistan will never give up), I do not believe the Taliban is likely to be able to retake the country ever again.

So why not make some goood come out of it, by Destroying the poppy fields? 90% of all the worlds heroin comes from there, that would be a good way to get rid of heroin, but then of course with all the ignorant people there, famers will declare jihad and fight troops, Taliban will become stronger, blah blah blah.

Simply destroying them doesn't solve anything. The farmers need to be provided sustainable, alternative crops and that takes a lot of time. For the most part, they are not doing it to support the Taliban (though the Taliban do demand a form of religious tax called zakat, and it's difficult to say no to them, I'm sure) but their families.

And yes, you would probably fight a foreign invader that destroyed your only means of income for your family, too. Most insurgents aren't hard-core Jihadist/AQ types or even Taliban, but people who have been negatively affected by NATO intervention or simply don't like the idea of foreign troops on their soil.

There are many people in the U.S. military scamming and looking for anyway to bring merchandise home from overseas, don't kid yourself. If they succeed you will not here about it of course.

Not talking about individuals, I'm talking about institutions.

I can pick and chose any number of psychos, sociopaths or just plain scumbags out of any job, profession, religion or any other kind of organization.

 

[DPrime]

Actually, the U.S. has been behaving the way it has in the past ten years out of deference to the opinions of rest of the world. Were the U.S. to start acting as though it had nothing to prove to anyone, we wouldn't be in the position we're in now. Our current problems are a result of attempting to please all of the critics that have accumulated since we acquired superpower status in the first place.

Don't get me wrong. I don't think we should have listened to Europe whine about us, or the Middle East whine about us, or communists of every stripe from Russia to Asia to Africa to South America whine about us. To this day, the accusations levelled against us have been bull****, twisted by the envy and resentment of liars and idiots to make us out to be some kind of bully. When we are asked for help, we're accused of policing the world. When we don't help, we're accused of greed. We have tried to answer both sides of that for decades and what you see now is the end result.

So you know what? **** off. We haven't tried to conquer a goddamned thing and the rest of the world needs to stop blaming the boogeyman in the western hemisphere for their failures as nations and cultures. Even in the condition we're in now, we're still more awesome than you. It'll take more than half a century of socialism creeping through our schools and banks, or primitive, tribalist zealots throwing temper tantrums to make a third world country out of America.

I just want to point out that jonny88 does not speak for the rest of Canadians, nor the rest of the world for that matter.

 

[karamazov80]

I can pick and chose any number of psychos, sociopaths or just plain scumbags out of any job, profession, religion or any other kind of organization.

Yeah, it's too bad that folks tend to pick out a handful of bad apples as indication that an entire institution (be it the military, or the police, or even social service agencies) is rotten. And you actually see this in the right and left wing news by pundits who unfortunately influence a great deal of people toward holding some half-formed and skewed opinion about things. Unless there is a fairly widespread, systemic problem then it's pretty meaningless considering the potential scope of any human's behavior.