The Arrogance of Power

well, the you're carrying on - Iraq



other than that - Samoa

If Robert Louis Stevenson had clapped eyes on Samoa a little earlier he wouldn't have dickered around in the clammy highlands for so long. The islands are so idyllic they're almost a cartoon version of a writer's hideaway - palm-fringed beaches, booming white surf, and lush rainforests wreathed in a background mist of clouds. It's enough to make a Hollywood location scout's heart go ka-boom. Then there's the beachcomber lifestyle where time is a hazy concept and life is so laid-back it's only a heartbeat away from being comatose.

But the history of Samoa has not always been so relaxed. Over the years it's been visited by trading ships bringing disease, massacres and exploitation; it's been a bolt hole for the homeless riffraff of the seas - ex-whalers, escaped convicts, bawdy traders, dipsomaniac sailors, and pirates retiring from the business; it's been carved up by arrogant European powers seeking a political toehold in the Pacific arena; and it's suffered God's glory boys bringing Bibles and everlastin' perdition. That the sunny and easy-going nature of the Samoans should survive all this is a triumph of optimism over experience.

Yes, Samoans bled with joy when the first contacts with the Europeans took place. But they kicked their butts a little and gained a reputation of a hostile and violent nation. Then the misionaries came. All gentile, off course. Then Germans, Americans and British couldn't agree on which one of them would clame Samoa. The Samoans, off course, were just happy out of their minds to be colonized....

Let's think here... if US companies really had control over the oil fields and really owned the land as someone else remarked earlier in this section, do you think we'd be there fighting for oil that's already owned and/or controled by US interest????? so yeah explain that one

colonised*

and It was the first country that came to mind, mainly because there was a Rugby advert on tv

anyway you know what they say about Americans and geography

by the way, you are telling me not to generalise, yet all your arguments against this war seem to be coming from things that have occured in previous wars

hmm

Yeah it comes from our incompetent school teachers who take and teach us that Bloody Mary and Mary Queen of Scots were the same woman. I know that's a total insult to the US public school system but it's true. Thankfully there's the internet as long as you go to accredited website, instead of some other site where the info can be tainted.

it's all to do with globalization... the economic clutch extending over the whole world in a large commercial empire

I am from the ex - YU and I live in the USA now. I have citizenships of Republic of Croatia, Bosnia and Hercegovina and the USA. I was born and raised in the old Yugoslavia and later I also lived in Austria, Belgium and in Germany.

I love the USA very much, people are awesome, helpfull and cool and, like most other ppl I know here, I do NOT support this war at all. If anyone is to be bombed back to the stone age it's N. Korea. They have nukes and they have threatened the USA.

However, I do think that the French should NOT have to kiss Bush's behind when it comes to his politics, but they should kiss American people's behind from now to the end of the time because if there was no help from USA in WW1 and WW2, every single french man and woman would be speaking German today.

French president is just as bad as Bush is so they shouldn't even attempt to speak out about Bush's actions... Wasn't it Mr. Jaques Chirac who was dropping nukes in someone elses waters for "tests" back in the mid 90's??? And when the entire world shouted STOP he just ignored them??? Jaques is same arrogant piece of crap as Bush. So if anyone will bash American people for Bush's actions (Bush didn't even win more votes at the elections) than everyone should be bashing the French for Chirac's dumb actions as well.

BTW, you would think that the French would have some balls in their protests two days ago and stone the Embassy but no, they stone a freaking McDonald's. Geez, 99% of people in USA hate that place. Thank you French for destroying one out of 100 Paris' McDonald's locations. Couple of more wars and you just might kick them out of your country (sarcasm mode turned off now).

I am not an American by birth but I am an onlooker and my honest opinion is that USA should just bill France for saving their asses in both World Wars for free )
That money would help with financing this pointless war with Iraq and that way it will save me, an US tax payer, from getting blood on my hands. I wouldn't pay a Penny in taxes if I knew that we would be using that money to go to war to "liberate" the very same Iraqi people that danced in the streets when the Twin Towers went down and ALSO when shuttle Columbia exploded over Texas. They can all rot in hell with Bush for all I care....

I just hope my buddies come back safe!!!!

I have to agree that the French r as bad as the Americnas / British when it comes to government - despite having the guts to stand up for what thier ppl believe in against huge criticsim from America & Britain.... However all the gov'ts r being motivated by greed IMO.

However I've got to pick u up on the War point...

U say that the US saved France for free....

Well in fact the US didn't join the war until two years into it... after we had lost many of our men - France had been invaded & many of them had died defending it .... & only then it was when Hitler declared war on the US. If u had sat back & left the Germans to it.. then without our help.. u would also be speaking German. It was an allied effort not just a US one - although admittedly we wouldn't have won it without US support. It was great when it came... but when it did it was out of the US' interest - not saving us for 'free' as u put it. Hitler had an incredibly powerful army.

Also - ppl seem to forget the part Russia played. 350k US lost their lives on European soil. 2 Million Russians lost their lives defending their country & this was a huge turning point in the war!! Maybe we should all be ageeing with whatever they say

Mike

Interesting point about liberating the Iraqis though....