An Agressive Nation?

[Duke]

Most of it being frozen under layers of perma frost in hard to access tundra. I think the only army that has a chance of flourishing in that environment is an army of penguins.

[Merika]

Phase 1 of Horizon, 100 per cent owned Canadian Natural, is scheduled to begin production mid-2008 with production capacity of 110,000 barrels of bitumen per day. It includes an open-pit mine and upgrader to turn sandy bitumen into synthetic crude oil.

Revised estimates now peg the cost at about $6.1 billion, with a "contingency estimated risk" boosting costs to $6.6 billion. That's up from earlier estimates of about $4.9 billion.

The three phases of the project are now expected to cost about $9.7 billion, with contingency risks boosting estimated costs to $10.5 billion - up from $8.5 billion. The two extra phases are expected to more than double production to 232,000 barrels a day.

Link: http://www.canada.com/businesscentre...a-e9eeef558e03

Not that this has anything to do with anything....I just thought it was interesting.

[Duke]

Nothing like an informative thread hijack, thats a first.

[Ayla]

Okay, if someone was occupying my country....I'd be seriously pissed. I'd move back to West Virginia and take up homestead in a shack in the middle of nowhere. I'd grow and kill my own food. If a foriegner so much as approached me I'd probably shoot him dead. I have plenty of guns and I most surely know how to use them.

I hesitate to dip my feet in the waters of Iraq...but here I go. For whatever reasons we went to Iraq, we went. We can't change that now. Arguing over why and whether or not it was right isn't going to help our soldiers or the people of Iraq.

Saddam did need to be gotten out of power. According to a dear friend I have over there, they did find more WMD than what we were told. I don't mean big bombs and things like that. Chemical weapons were found in abundance in more than a few places.

Personally I think we should pull out of Iraq lock, stock and barrell with the exception of the embassy. We've did our good deed, we gave the people of Iraq "freedom". It's time to get the heck out and let them run things themselves. Maybe so many people wouldn't be trying to kill our soldiers over there if they really felt like it was their country again. On the other hand, they may all blow themselves up. Either way our job is done. We aren't the world police force.

We have other things that need tended to. Other ways that those millions of dollars can be spent on OUR people.

Now...would you like fries with that?

[Duke]

affirmative

[Merika]

I've thought that as well.

But could you really pull out until most of the insurgents were killed and the Iraqi people had a trained police force to protect them? There would be a virtual blood bath. Our troops have made friends and even married girls from there....they couldn't walk out on that.

Iraq has to have their elections in January and get their crap together. Until then...there is nothing we can do but protect the good ones and help them get their lives back together after living under the brutality of Saddam for so long.

[Duke]

The US pulled out of Vietnam and look what happened afterword.

I think I actually agree with you Merika, for once. Even though I hate the idea of the states being there so long, it may be a big mistake to pull out atm.

[Merika]

Originally Posted by Duke

I think I actually agree with you Merika, for once.

Gee Thanks! HAHA! I'm not THAT big of a political sqirrel!

Yeah.... I was thinking about Vietnam also. However, that wasn't our war. We were only there to lend support....which is why it ended up being such a mess.

I can truly say I never understood how we got involved in all that until I read a whole magazine the American Legion (retired Vets) put out last year....and found there was some incredible history behind the thing.

There's always a thought on whether you should help your neighbor pluck out a bad vine which will choke the garden while it's still in HIS yard...or do you wait until the vine is almost too big.....and is now creeping into your own yard. It's a hard judgement call.

[Duke]

Agreed it wasn't exactly the states war, it was a war on communism. That said, the states was the biggest influence on that war and when they pulled out, many families were executed who fought alongside the US and against the communists.

[Merika]

Right....and I don't think we should have pulled out of the war until we made sure those people were protected.

Here's the deal though....in Iraq....just like Vietnam....instead of actually getting it over with....we have to play around. We have to figure out how to bomb an enemy building....but not touch the building next to it. That's ludicrous. All it does is drag crap on and on.

You gotta go in....get it done....and then you can leave. As long as everyone is playing politics and whining about being 'nice'....it's no longer a war. It's a friggin reality show for the news media.

Here's an example: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/3992623.stm ahh...the mean soldiers! Why didn't they put a few pics in there of the people who have had their heads sawed off with dull knives? Why didn't they add a few pics of what OUR side looks like after a battle? Because they want sympathy for a frigged up terrorist ridden city.

If it were up to me....I'd drop a nice little nuke on it and call it a day. Not on the whole country....but on the one city here where they are all bunched up. End of problem.

We can't do that though.

[Duke]

Originally Posted by Merika

You gotta go in....get it done....and then you can leave. As long as everyone is playing politics and whining about being 'nice'....it's no longer a war. It's a friggin reality show for the news media.

We can't do that though.

This is exactly the point I've been trying to make all along.

[Ayla]

"We can't do that though." - Mericka

Why? Why can't we?

I'm sorry...call me cruel. Call me inhumane...call me whatever you want. I say the hell with the bastards. Yes, yes...I know there are innocent women and children over there. Do you think they gave a damn when planes crashed into our World Trade Centers? Do you think they cared when they cut off Nick Berg's head? How about David Pearlman? How about all the countless other Americans and other people they've SLAUGHTERED? I doubt it.

We're over there trying to help those people and they don't want it. Little kids throw rocks at the soldiers! Terrorism in that area has went up and up since we invaded. We're pissing more and more of them off. I totally agree that it would be a blood bath if we pulled out today. I'll go ahead and agree that we should wait until after the elections in January. Any longer than that and we're going to go beyond wearing out our welcome.

Those freaking people are cutting of their noses to spite their faces. They blow up oil lines that are needed to fund and support their country so they can stand on their own two feet. It's only going to get worse over there. It's not going to get better, IMO.

I still say we need to get the heck out of Dodge.

[Merika]

One answer Ayla.....LIBERALS! HAHA!