Purple Hearts

[Cowperson]

Photo Essay, with commentary, in Time Magazine earlier this year on the roughly 7000 Americans - now - who have been injured in Iraq.

http://www.time.com/time/photoessays/purplehearts/#

Cowperson

[peter12]

So the casualties are around 1000 dead and 7000 wounded in Iraq? Quite a high price to pay for a year of making everything else worse off.

[Cowperson]

Coincidentally, I spotted this article at FOX News, bastion of the Republican Party:

Early studies of the emotional ravages of the Iraq war on combat soldiers have spurred some veterans' health advocates to question whether Americans and the U.S. government are truly prepared for the devastating and far-reaching mental health effects of war.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,133490,00.html

Cowperson

[Looger]

a muddy pullout would spurn on many iraqis that don't like america's presence but are afraid, so pulling out now would in my opinion create many thousands more american casualties, many to civilians.

the deed is 'done' more or less, and though i really don't like the fact that america went ahead, they had better not leave a mess behind when they go.

quite frankly america is starting to look quite beligerent, and any lingering distrust i had from MK-Ultra, war of 1812, etc. is spiking as we speak.

i'm not saying they're thinking of invading the great white north, just that their responses to canadian situations is something we should be looking at.

like, if there's another referendum that stirs the embers the last one did, and talk to any solder stationed in quebec at the time and you'll hear some stories, how could the united states respond to a socialist republic straddling its main seaway, charging exorbitant entrance fees, because quebec would be quite bankrupt on its own?

[Cowperson]

Originally posted by peter12@Sep 25 2004, 05:26 PM
So the casualties are around 1000 dead and 7000 wounded in Iraq? Quite a high price to pay for a year of making everything else worse off.

To clarify, the 7000 injured are actually about 3,500 "unable to return to duty within 48 hours." They would include accidents as well, as does a portion of the 1000 dead.

You decide if that clarification matters or not.

Cowperson

[kipperfan]

Originally posted by Looger@Sep 25 2004, 06:14 PM
a muddy pullout would spurn on many iraqis that don't like america's presence but are afraid, so pulling out now would in my opinion create many thousands more american casualties, many to civilians.

the deed is 'done' more or less, and though i really don't like the fact that america went ahead, they had better not leave a mess behind when they go.

quite frankly america is starting to look quite beligerent, and any lingering distrust i had from MK-Ultra, war of 1812, etc. is spiking as we speak.

i'm not saying they're thinking of invading the great white north, just that their responses to canadian situations is something we should be looking at.

like, if there's another referendum that stirs the embers the last one did, and talk to any solder stationed in quebec at the time and you'll hear some stories, how could the united states respond to a socialist republic straddling its main seaway, charging exorbitant entrance fees, because quebec would be quite bankrupt on its own?

Youve touched on something here for sure.

Over the past decade the American governement has badly mistreated canadians. Certinaly not treating us how youd think a country would interact with its #1 trading partner. Whether it be softwood lumber, cattle, fishing rights or fresh water rights, the Americans show little to no concern for the wants and needs of this government and civilian body.

It seems like were nothing more than a usefull resource to the US, to abuse and pilfer as they so choose. If America keeps its border closed to canadian beef for much longer id put taxes and levys on every major canadian export to the states. They only thing that registers down their is the wallet, the bottom line, they abuse us, cause were the nice neighborly canadians wont do or say anything about it.

[Cowperson]

Originally posted by kipperfan+Sep 25 2004, 06:47 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (kipperfan @ Sep 25 2004, 06:47 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Looger@Sep 25 2004, 06:14 PM
a muddy pullout would spurn on many iraqis that don't like america's presence but are afraid, so pulling out now would in my opinion create many thousands more american casualties, many to civilians.

the deed is 'done' more or less, and though i really don't like the fact that america went ahead, they had better not leave a mess behind when they go.

quite frankly america is starting to look quite beligerent, and any lingering distrust i had from MK-Ultra, war of 1812, etc. is spiking as we speak.

i'm not saying they're thinking of invading the great white north, just that their responses to canadian situations is something we should be looking at.

like, if there's another referendum that stirs the embers the last one did, and talk to any solder stationed in quebec at the time and you'll hear some stories, how could the united states respond to a socialist republic straddling its main seaway, charging exorbitant entrance fees, because quebec would be quite bankrupt on its own?

Youve touched on something here for sure.

Over the past decade the American governement has badly mistreated canadians. Certinaly not treating us how youd think a country would interact with its #1 trading partner. Whether it be softwood lumber, cattle, fishing rights or fresh water rights, the Americans show little to no concern for the wants and needs of this government and civilian body.

It seems like were nothing more than a usefull resource to the US, to abuse and pilfer as they so choose. If America keeps its border closed to canadian beef for much longer id put taxes and levys on every major canadian export to the states. They only thing that registers down their is the wallet, the bottom line, they abuse us, cause were the nice neighborly canadians wont do or say anything about it. [/b][/quote]
Talk to many Americans and they'll say NAFTA has been an appalling disaster with Canada sucking the USA dry on a free gravy train.

And they'll also note that Canadians hide under their mother's skirts while the USA military offers North American protection.

To many Americans, Canada gets off way to easy. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, John Kerry has a bit of a protectionist bent in some of his speeches, which wouldn't bode well for a country that sends 82% of its exports to the USA.

Cowperson

[Looger]

all i know is - a people that lets their government run as wild as the CIA has over the last few decades sure doesn't care a whit if canadian mental patients are brainwashed by some sick bas**rds in the name of freedom.

that is 'democracy', then...

we have got to start finding new markets for our goods.

if all those rumours are true, aboot iraq starting to sell oil for euros and not dollars being the main reason for invasion, then i say call america's bluff, switch our currency to the euro with a guarantee from europe that they'd open their markets to X number of our goods, and we'll see exaclty what america's all aboot.

if the iraq thing is true then they may go bankrupt if the US dollar slips out as the de facto world currency for oil. maybe enough debts will get called in to show the federal reserve for exactly what it is.

canada stands alone in the world as the one country that can really mess with america without fear of military reprisal, or non-protection by america (like saudi arabia for example).

[Cowperson]

Originally posted by Looger@Sep 25 2004, 06:55 PM
all i know is - a people that lets their government run as wild as the CIA has over the last few decades sure doesn't care a whit if canadian mental patients are brainwashed by some sick bas**rds in the name of freedom.

that is 'democracy', then...

we have got to start finding new markets for our goods.

if all those rumours are true, aboot iraq starting to sell oil for euros and not dollars being the main reason for invasion, then i say call america's bluff, switch our currency to the euro with a guarantee from europe that they'd open their markets to X number of our goods, and we'll see exaclty what america's all aboot.

if the iraq thing is true then they may go bankrupt if the US dollar slips out as the de facto world currency for oil. maybe enough debts will get called in to show the federal reserve for exactly what it is.

canada stands alone in the world as the one country that can really mess with america without fear of military reprisal, or non-protection by america (like saudi arabia for example).

If I remember correctly, it was a USA Commerce department official who, in roughly mid-March 2003, right around the time of the invasion of Iraq, who said the USA was no longer supporting a strong dollar policy.

The USA dollar immediately began a major slide against most global currencies.

Some were speculating the USA was ticked, for one thing, that China wouldn't float its currency, instead pegging it to a strong dollar. One reason, probably, among many. Most "experts," if I recall, had been calling for a dollar drop for several years, saying the currency was badly overvalued.

Who would care what currency Iraq was selling its primary export in?

Cowperson

[Looger]

well according to many conspiracy theorists, the very idea of the euro replacing the dollar as the worldwide oil-exchange currency had the americans and brits shaking in their boots.

like most conspiracy theories it establishes means, motive, and opportunity without anything but circumstantial evidence.

was a popular idea a few months ago, never found solid data on it anywhere (which must prove its truth!!!!!).

who knows...

[Cowperson]

Originally posted by Looger@Sep 25 2004, 10:53 PM
well according to many conspiracy theorists, the very idea of the euro replacing the dollar as the worldwide oil-exchange currency had the americans and brits shaking in their boots.

like most conspiracy theories it establishes means, motive, and opportunity without anything but circumstantial evidence.

was a popular idea a few months ago, never found solid data on it anywhere (which must prove its truth!!!!!).

who knows...

Like I said, the USA actually talked its own currency down from orbit.

In Canada, we're kind of used to a fairly steady relationship with the USA dollar but the truth is against many other important currencies it can have monumental fluctuations of more than 50%.

I've probably got the dates wrong on this but in roughly 1985, the USA dollar was sky high against the German mark and five years later, in roughly 1990, it was worth only half that against the same currency. There was also a large move against the Mark in roughly 1995 or so as well. And the Swiss Franc.

In about 1995, the Malaysian currency, I think, fell about 80% against the USA dollar.

The USA dollar/Japanese Yen relationship has also been extremely volatile - I think in one 18 month period in the late 1990's, there was an 80% movement.

I could be making all that up but I think its pretty close in spirit.

In this case, the USA, for whatever reason, walked away from the strong dollar policy that had kept their currency probably higher than it should have been.

Also, I think the USA was buying much of Iraq's oil in the scandalous Oil-For-Food program anyway.

Cowperson

[Looger]

Cowperson,

i refer not to the base manipulated 'price' of the dollar, but to its validity as a world currency - the blank checque theory, how it would all crumble down as soon as the old debts were called in, ones from the late forties/early fifties.

not my theory i should mention, i'd give you sources but it's one of those iffy things. just curious who else has heard this kind of stuff.

as to currency fluctuations, yes yes and yes. crazy stuff, the stock market is nuts but currency trading has pretty wild fluctuations too.

i remember the malaysian currencything, it was a big deal at the time.

and was it in 2002 or 2003 when a collapse of financial institutions in turkey months before finally took their toll on argentina?

world commerce, what a disaster.

this is the game canada has to learn to play, and soon.

edited for idiotik spelling errors

[Cowperson]

Originally posted by Looger@Sep 26 2004, 05:14 PM
world commerce, what a disaster.

Broadly speaking, the global economy has probably never been larger than it is today . . . or as broadly based in spite of the persistence of unremitting poverty in places.

That's just my observation.

This is a long way from where this thread started!!

Cowperson