Bush addresses the world- Pending War

[Aeryn]

Dunedain, he has full pardon. He is a funny pansy...

[jerseydevil]

Originally posted by Elven Archer
that reminds me of something. somebody sued because their neighbor's American flag was flapping too loud.

One person got mad because his neighbors flag was too high.

What bugs me is that people who come to America and plan to stay here for the rest of thier lives don't bother to learn English. There was an Army commericial for the US army in SPANISH!! that makes me mad.

That is ridiculous - if they can't speak Englsh how are they going to understand the drill seargent. The army isn't bilingual - we're an English speaking country. Even when a person goes to get their citizenship - they must show that they can understand, write and read english. The test is only given in english.

[Coney]

OMG! LOL!!! I love you SGH!! HAHA!! Good Game coney, now take a seat.....

LMAO

After you.....I said nothing but the truth

In everyone's best interest, I'm editing this one too. -- Khamûl

Thanks.....

[Insidious Rex]

Originally posted by Dúnedain
Speaking of spanish, the thing that bugs me is around here in DC all the ATM Machines have the option for language to use, English or Spanish. Now, last time I checked the adopted language is English here in the States, did I miss something?

yes the part about america not being a faciast state or a communist state where any wrong language according to the government isnt allowed. oh and also the part about a free and open capatilist market (your favorite kind remember) in which banks would be fools NOT to offer their service to spanish first speakers in a region where there are tens of thousands of them.

[jerseydevil]

Originally posted by Dúnedain
Speaking of spanish, the thing that bugs me is around here in DC all the ATM Machines have the option for language to use, English or Spanish. Now, last time I checked the adopted language is English here in the States, did I miss something?

That doesn't necessarily bother me - but I think people should make an effort to learn english. There was that big thing in California a while ago - on whether spanish speaking students should be taught in spanish or not. If I moved to France (like that'll happen ) I'd learn french. Of course I had taken French classes and had been trying to learn it on my own - as well as Russian, Spanish and Italian.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

I agree. I see nothing wrong with having them in Spanish. There are many, many Spanish speakers in America.

[Elvellyn]

yeah, I can just imagine some Spanish speaking people trying to join the US Military.
"Oh yes, I will die for this country- oh, by the way, I do not speak the language"
That would be a little odd, no?

[crickhollow]

I know this is a bit of a diversion from the topic at hand, but if anyone is interested, Al-Jazeera now has a website in english. the URL is english.aljazeera.net. it's interesting to read the other side's most blatant propaganda--since we already get so much of our own.


*I'm giving this info along with a content warning. They have posted the pictures of executed US forces (the ones that most western media outlets have refused to air), and they are pretty brutal.*

[jerseydevil]

Originally posted by crickhollow
I know this is a bit of a diversion from the topic at hand, but if anyone is interested, Al-Jazeera now has a website in english. the URL is english.aljazeera.net. it's interesting to read the other side's most blatant propaganda--since we already get so much of our own.


*I'm giving this info along with a content warning. They have posted the pictures of executed US forces (the ones that most western media outlets have refused to air), and they are pretty brutal.*

I had heard that they were going to be doing a website. But I had heard it wasn't supposed to go active until next week. After 9/11 I had tried looking for an A Jazeera website and was surprised to find that they didn't have one. I guess I just assumed all media outlets around the world have websites like they do here.

Thanks for the site.

[Artanis]

Originally posted by crickhollow
I know this is a bit of a diversion from the topic at hand, but if anyone is interested, Al-Jazeera now has a website in english. the URL is english.aljazeera.net. it's interesting to read the other side's most blatant propaganda--since we already get so much of our own.

Exactly. Read news from 'the other side' also, it's interesting. Put it together with what you hear from 'our side', and maybe you will find something resembling the truth in the middle.

[jerseydevil]

Crick - you sure weren't kidding about the slanted reporting.

I like how they quote "precision" in the artilce headline - "US 'precision' bomb destroys civilian bus" I guess they're implying that our precision bombs aren't that precise. They're not perfect and for anyone to think that technology or humans can be perfect must be living in another world. Also - the bombs were dropped before the bus was in view supposedly. The bridge was in the process of being bombed.

I don't seem to be able to see any of the articles. I may have to go into IE and see if I can open them there.

[Baby-K]

Speaking of spanish, the thing that bugs me is around here in DC all the ATM Machines have the option for language to use, English or Spanish. Now, last time I checked the adopted language is English here in the States, did I miss something?

Hey - you are lucky to only have two options, we have 11 official languages here. Can you imagine if we had to put all of them up on the ATM's? So we only use English, but it's a problem for the illiterate people which is causing a bit of a fracas.

If I moved to France (like that'll happen ) I'd learn french.

Reminds me of one of my fave Homer Simpson quotes (see the Favourite Simpson's Quotes thread in the Entertainment forum if you really want to)

[jerseydevil]

Originally posted by Baby-K
Reminds me of one of my fave Homer Simpson quotes (see the Favourite Simpson's Quotes thread in the Entertainment forum if you really want to)

Oh - now I'm being compared to Homer Simpson. That can't be good.

[jerseydevil]

Baby-K - I take it you mean this quote...

Barney: Hey, Homer, you're late for English!
Homer: Pffft, English. Who needs that. I'm never going to England

[crickhollow]

Originally posted by jerseydevil
Crick - you sure weren't kidding about the slanted reporting.

I like how they quote "precision" in the artilce headline - "US 'precision' bomb destroys civilian bus" I guess they're implying that our precision bombs aren't that precise. They're not perfect and for anyone to think that technology or humans can be perfect must be living in another world. Also - the bombs were dropped before the bus was in view supposedly. The bridge was in the process of being bombed.

I don't seem to be able to see any of the articles. I may have to go into IE and see if I can open them there.

Oh, just wait until you get a look at the actual articles, my friend. They're favorite statement is "analysts suggest"--without so much as a hint as to who these so-called analysts are. I got the link from that good ole renegade conservative, Matt Drudge (check out: www.drudgereport.com --they also have good updates--drudgereport supplied the link for the Times article that I posted in the Protest thread). If you remember, he was the one who was fired from foxnews after he aired the photo of the baby who was operated on while still in the womb. The baby reached up and grasped teh doctor's finger. This photo, was, of course, instantly seized as pro-life propaganda, and the rest of the media wouldn't touch it. I have a lot of respect for someone who will put his job on the line for something he believes in. Talk about putting your money where your mouth is (which is what we were discussing in the protest thread).

[Baby-K]

Originally posted by jerseydevil
Baby-K - I take it you mean this quote...

Yeah that's the one

Crick - that link is quite cool. Some of those articles & pics are absolutely horrible. Serves as a strong reminder to me why war is a bad idea

[crickhollow]

Originally posted by Baby-K
Yeah that's the one

Crick - that link is quite cool. Some of those articles & pics are absolutely horrible. Serves as a strong reminder to me why war is a bad idea

*shrugs* that's funny, it served to remind me why this war is absolutely necessary. But yes, war--any war-- is, indeed, a terrible thing.

[markedel]

If ti maeks you feel better that civilian bus was reported at debkafiles (it's biased, but usually its facts check out-it has access to Israeli military sources) to have been a bus of palestinian suicide fighters coming from Syria. That's why the missile hit. Not inaccurate at all.

[Elvellon]

You will notice however that throughout the points - it says VOLUNTEER. Many of those people have been forced to fight. Hussein has gone so far as to send Republican Guards and other people who he trusts to threaten them to fight - or risk torture and death.

Does that still mean they are POW? Or actually being protected from the atrocities of Hussein??? One person said he drove all the way from Baghdad to southern Iraq just to give him self up.

You are not reading it right, look:

“Prisoners of war, in the sense of the present Convention, are persons belonging to one of the following categories, who have fallen into the power of the enemy: “

“Members of the armed forces of a Party to the conflict as well as members of militias or volunteer corps forming part of such armed forces. “

Meaning that, under the Convention, there are three categories to whom the Convention applies, including volunteer corps, but not exclusively to them. This is obviously necessary since a substantial part of the armed forces of many countries are composed by "conscripts" (I mean persons that are doing their military obligation to their country, some of which may be doing so reluctantly).

It may also be interesting that I read in another site (in Portuguese) that it is understood that among the responsibilities of the captor it is included that of protecting the PoWs from retaliation from their own country, obviously an attempt to guarantee the safety of captured troops belonging to countries under tyrannical governments.

I would like to point my perplexity by your desire of denying the status of PoWs to those troops, why do you wish to do so? As I pointed out, while it does constitute a minor violation, from it results greater good (saving lives and assuaging the Arabs).

Fortunately, as far as I know, nor your government nor the British government is trying to defend something like your theory. Imagine what would be the consequences of that among the public opinion of the Arab World.

[Insidious Rex]

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