And then the wolf smiled and cried, "All the better to eat your with, my dear!"

[serai]

Here's a fun little bedtime story for all of you:


What Americans have sacrificed in the "war on terror"


I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that His justice cannot sleep forever. -- Thomas Jefferson

Comments

Re: Reply & Rant -- Part II

[serai1.livejournal.com]

Oh, them. They don't worry me. Kim-Yong Il is a blowhard, and the recent overtures NK has made towards China in the direction of stepping things down in exchange for more aid seems to indicate that their activities in this area are more about having a big stick to wave than any interest in actually attacking anybody. Besides, who the hell would they attack? Us? Why? We have very little to do with them, other than getting our panties in a bunch every time we get leery about their motives. Just because somebody has a nuke doesn't mean they're pointing it at the States. Not everything in life is about us, despite what the Repugs would have us think.

And Iran? Please. According to the folks who actually know about nuclear weapons (as opposed to the bloodthirsty warmongers in the White House), Iran is at least ten years away from building a viable nuclear weapon. They're just starting out in this area, and as things stand right now, there's no reason to be worried about them throwing bombs. The only thing that might exacerbate the situation is if WE get all gung ho and start making threats and pounding our shields. Which is, once again, exactly what we're doing.

Besides, what could these governments do? Throw a bomb, yes. But what do you think the chances are that it would actually get here? These governments are halfway across the world, for gods' sakes. It's not like they've got bombs stashed just over the border. People keep forgetting how physically isolated we are, thousands of miles away from most of the world, with either ocean or extreme climate between us and pretty much anybody who'd want to take us out, or has any capacity to do so. The only reason the NY attacks worked is their under-the-wire nature. But that wouldn't work with a nuke, because you can't sneak one of those on board an airplane, anymore than you can build a liquid explosive device in an airplane toilet.

These kinds of scenarios are fairy-tale crap pushed on us by the people who want us to stay scared, Cat. Our time is definitely short as the Leaders Of The Free World (*snort*), but it won't be a nuke that takes us out. It'll be our own arrogance and stupidity, goading the rest of the world to turn their backs on us, as many have already done. By the time the fall comes, we won't be the behemoth we are now, and I doubt very much that anyone will feel the need to risk the existence of the biosphere on the likes of us. And if we end up acting in such a way that somebody DOES pound us, well - maybe we as a nation deserve it. As a ruling entity, we only look good from this end; from the point of view of most of the world, we're no great shakes anymore, and it would probably be better if we weren't around.

In the end, I agree with T.S. Eliot - our world will end not with a bang, but a whimper. As with all empires, we'll fall and something else will rise. It's happened before and it'll happen again, over and over. *shrug* That's life.