Ask an american - here's your chance
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Between Bush and Kerry, who do you prefer?
If you ask me.... I don't support either. Bush has sent his nation into a senseless war with meaningless results and is bringing the US to sky-high national debt levels. Kerry seems to me to be a flip-flopper in his beliefs and policies.
In fact, Bush should never have been elected back in 2000..... Gore would have been a good president..... my two cents' worth.... what's yours? -
page you havent answered my questions"
my questions:
is it safe for a female to walk alone on the streets after 9pm without getting robbed and such?
how much does a double storey house cost in lets say L.A?
is it easy to get a job in the entertainment industry there?
have you seen anyone famous? -
aye mate. a pity kerry didn't win.Originally posted by pagemap:I agree, and I am very much opposed to Bush... -
agree that gore should have won.Originally posted by fudgester:Between Bush and Kerry, who do you prefer?
If you ask me.... I don't support either. Bush has sent his nation into a senseless war with meaningless results and is bringing the US to sky-high national debt levels. Kerry seems to me to be a flip-flopper in his beliefs and policies.
In fact, Bush should never have been elected back in 2000..... Gore would have been a good president..... my two cents' worth.... what's yours?
anyways, pagemap, nothing personally against americans. as for the ppl in the forums, they are saying what they feel, from their personal experiences, and u can't fault them for that. I know that among people of different race and nationalities, there will always be the good and the bad. the thing is, it is the essence of humans to generalise, and that what is potrayed in the media about the USA or personal experiences by many of the forumnits colour their opinions. pls do not get offended by any of them speaking their minds.
personally I've been there and I've found the USA a fascinating blend of cultures. Also, the blend of poverty and wealth is quite mind boogling. I've seen the street bums n winos in the streets of San Fran, I've also seen the glitter and glamour of Las Vegas and its streets full of Limos. I've seen small towns which are picturisque(if only i could remember the name. argh) and really cosy. I've experienced wonderful attitudes from service personal in restaurants and shops, I've also experienced a robber hijacking a bus n holding the driver at gunpoint just opposite the road where I ws, and causing a big police standoff, which then degenerated into a car chase. I've experience so much in the USA, and that all experiences, good or bad, are really eye openers. In fact, all societies have their ills, and while I did see the downside of your country and society, I've experienced much of the positive side as well, and I certainly wouldn't hesitate to return for another visit. cheers to ya mate! -
I was rooting for Gore too!Originally posted by fudgester:Between Bush and Kerry, who do you prefer?
If you ask me.... I don't support either. Bush has sent his nation into a senseless war with meaningless results and is bringing the US to sky-high national debt levels. Kerry seems to me to be a flip-flopper in his beliefs and policies.
In fact, Bush should never have been elected back in 2000..... Gore would have been a good president..... my two cents' worth.... what's yours?
I don't support Bush or Kerry.
Ok I'm being mean here but when I see their campaign pics, Bush reminds me of a chimp and Kerry a horse
Hah I remembered telling my friend when Bush won the election, " Just mark my words, there will be war in the Middle East again "
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you're not the only person who thinks that. www.bushorchimp.com
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Why can't USA leave China n Taiwan alone??
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ok are foreigners entitled to any study loans for college?
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Originally posted by cutepixie:
i think a non yank like myself could answer that too haha. ok it is safe to walk alone in some parts..like the more affluent neighbourhoods cause people there are well off..there's little tendency for crime to be commited. when i was at anaheim or even vegas i walked alone and nothing happened (im not yet 18 btw). LA should be pretty ex..depending on where ure talking about...downtown LA or LA city or LA county or the LA basin itself? entertainment..during my trip to LA i have yet to spot any celebrities so good luck to you. no its not easy to spot stars in LA..well unless u know where to look.
page you havent answered my questions"
[b]my questions:
is it safe for a female to walk alone on the streets after 9pm without getting robbed and such?
how much does a double storey house cost in lets say L.A?
is it easy to get a job in the entertainment industry there?
have you seen anyone famous?[/b] -
haha i saw a black group fight in san fran at market street...near my hotel..lol ya vegas rocks man..i was stunned when i saw the number of stretch limos and like super long hummers..and the super posh hotels like belagio and cesars palace.Originally posted by HENG@:agree that gore should have won.
anyways, pagemap, nothing personally against americans. as for the ppl in the forums, they are saying what they feel, from their personal experiences, and u can't fault them for that. I know that among people of different race and nationalities, there will always be the good and the bad. the thing is, it is the essence of humans to generalise, and that what is potrayed in the media about the USA or personal experiences by many of the forumnits colour their opinions. pls do not get offended by any of them speaking their minds.
personally I've been there and I've found the USA a fascinating blend of cultures. Also, the blend of poverty and wealth is quite mind boogling. I've seen the street bums n winos in the streets of San Fran, I've also seen the glitter and glamour of Las Vegas and its streets full of Limos. I've seen small towns which are picturisque(if only i could remember the name. argh) and really cosy. I've experienced wonderful attitudes from service personal in restaurants and shops, I've also experienced a robber hijacking a bus n holding the driver at gunpoint just opposite the road where I ws, and causing a big police standoff, which then degenerated into a car chase. I've experience so much in the USA, and that all experiences, good or bad, are really eye openers. In fact, all societies have their ills, and while I did see the downside of your country and society, I've experienced much of the positive side as well, and I certainly wouldn't hesitate to return for another visit. cheers to ya mate! -
The US won battles in Vietnam, but gave up that war.
Thats because the politicians interfeared too much.
And thats because the hippie movement, Jane Fonda and John Kerry protested too much.
But Iraq is different.
There are no hippies and Jane Fondas.
And the politicians are fighting the war with the generals.
Yet the military seems not to be making any headway.
Whats with the US military?
All brawn and no brains?
The British did an excelent job in Malaya, fighting the Communist terrorist.
Perhaps the US Army should let British officers command American troops.
They'll get the situation under control. -
It seems many questions here to pagemap are accusations and sweeping generalization. I applaud him for offering his insight and his ability to withstand the on slaughter, with pretty good answers too.
I grew up in Singapore and have immigrated to the US for several years. perhaps I too can offer some insight to the American culture from an immigrant's point of view. I can do without the sweeping generalization and accusations; please try not to attack me personally.
The question you are asking is a complicated one; to sum it up, it was due to poor planning. To really understand, I think the best source is here:
The failure to secure Iraq.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/pentagon/themes/secure.html
The TV program was better, but I think this one long page of interviews also offers the best explanation to why the war is still going on.
I donÂ’t support the war and definitely do not support Bush and his administration, but I do believe he has to finish what he started. -
Hi.
Do you think my hair looks good? Answer with your most honest opinion please. -
I'm not taking anything personally. You all are entitled to your opinions as I am entitled to mine.Originally posted by HENG@:anyways, pagemap, nothing personally against americans.
Why can't USA leave China n Taiwan alone??
Ask Bush. I'm just a citizen here, I can do my part by writing my representatives in congress, but it's up to the elected representative to choose to listen to me. I think Taiwan should be independant, but honestly I really don't know a lot about the whole situation. If Taiwan wants to be independant I say let them. But I think China is handling the situation very poorly by saying they will "crush" any Taiwan independance movement.
The US won battles in Vietnam, but gave up that war.
Thats because the politicians interfeared too much.
And thats because the hippie movement, Jane Fonda and John Kerry protested too much.
What's wrong with protesting? I protested the current war in Iraq with a bunch of other anti-war people. So be it.
But Iraq is different.
There are no hippies and Jane Fondas.
And the politicians are fighting the war with the generals.
Yet the military seems not to be making any headway.
You make the situation seem all too simple. It's hard to fight an enemy who doesn't wear a uniform, who one day is shooting an RPG at you and the next he looks like an ordinary civilian. Or a 9 year old kids who are shooting our troops. The situation is very complex, give it the credit that is due please.
Whats with the US military?
All brawn and no brains?
The US spends $400 Billion a year on the military, and the military here is all volunteer - no conscription. You are unfair when you say they have no brains.
Perhaps the US Army should let British officers command American troops.
They'll get the situation under control.
Would you let a Thai/Malay/Indonesian/Chinese, etc officer command Singapore troops? Didn't think so. -
Donald Trump,
Your hair looks OK. However, more styling gel would make it look nicer.
You quit ur Heather story halfway. Continue.
Pagemap and others,
Bush didnt go to war to finish his dad's war or get oil. Those are big myths and misconceptions. The reason why US went into Iraq is to stop terrorism by altering the landscape of a major Muslim and Middle Eastern country. US wants to infuse secular democracy into Iraq and also make Iraq influence the whole region. Why? Because the root cause of terrorism are ideological and religious reasons. By altering the societies there to be more tolerant to Western thoughts and civilizations, US wish to stop terrorism and other problems. The only way is to invade the country and lay the foundations to make it take shape into a friendlier nation as US sees fit.
If u want to see an example, this was done after WW2 when US laid the Japanese constitution, made it a country with no offensive armed forces, occupies it with US armed forces, and made the Japanese government an ally and a friendly nation. US wishes to do similar things in Iraq. Also, to stop terrorism and extrimism by the Muslims.
So u see, the reasons are geopolitical. To say US wants oil is a big misconception. U said urself the war cost hundreds of billions of money. It may continue to cost even more, as the end is not in sight. What kind of oil money can pay for the cost? Trillions of dollars of oil money? Even if there are trillions of oil money, which is highly unlikely, it is illogical for a government to launch a major invasion with substantial cost and sacrifices on all aspects and dimensions, just for economic reason.
If u r not convinced of my geopolitical explanations, go ask ur political science professors at ur university. It is widely known and accepted already. The oil theory is outdated and primitive.
To say Bush wants to finish his dad's war would be too sceptical of a view. Besides, a war is a decicion made by the whole government, not Bush alone as an individual president. It doesnt matter what his motivation is, because it is a collective decision, not just his decision. -
Regardless of how you justify the current war over there, it is clear to anyone who keeps up with the news that the Iraqi people don't want us there. So we should leave.
You are right that oil was not the sole reason for war. Democracy and the *potential* for stability in the region were others. But right now the region seems to be less stable than before. You have to admit that oil would have been a nice perk of starting a stable economy there. A economy that would gladly sell oil to the US.
The reason we went to war was because Bush, Colin Powell, George Tenet, etc convinced many americans that Iraq presented a grave and imminent threat due to it's possessions of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). However, nearly two years after the war started we still have found no WMD. It is clear that Saddam had WMD before, because he used it on the Kurds. Whether or not the CIA, Powell, Bush, and others knew this beforehand and presented the case anyways is hard to determine. But right now we need to get out of there. -
Will you answer my question?
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Hi all,
Regarding China-Taiwan issue. US has some historical and legal relations with Taiwan and that's why cannot just leave Taiwan by itself.
Historically, in the cold war era, US tried to contain communism worldwide and also tried to contain China. So US supported Taiwan.
Legally, in US, even until today, there are regulations that US should supply arms to Taiwan.
Thats why, with these historical and legal reason, US is involved in China-Taiwan issue.
Pagemap, u said u would let Taiwan declare independence if they want to. China, on the other hand, would not let this happen. They have nationalistic reasons, political reasons, and so on. Let me ask u, would the US government let Texas or Hawaii or Alaska declare independence?
I disagree with ur statement that China handles the situation poorly by threatening to attack Taiwan if it declares independence. China is extremely wise and far-sighted. Why? By threatening Taiwan, Taiwan doesnt dare to declare independence. Therefore, peace is actually maintained.
If Taiwan really declares independence despite the warning, China has to attack, whether it wants to or not, otherwise it would lose credibility. And Taiwan knows this. That's why Taiwan doesnt dare to risk it. Politically also, if Taiwan declares independence despite the strong warnigns and war really takes place, the international community would blame Taiwan for initiating the war, instead of blaming China.
So u see, China is very smart. By threatening Taiwan, it stops independence movements and actually maintains peace. It turns the table to its favour.
Another factor, US in the past has maintained its "strategic ambiguity" policy. Meaning, US doesnt really state clearly whether it will help defend Taiwan in case China attacks. If it says "yes", Taiwan may be emboldened to declare independence. If it says "no", China may be emboldened to attack Taiwan. That's why, to maintain peace and also to save itself from un-necessary troubles, US keep the "strategic ambiguity" policy. However, after the strong warning from China, US move more towards "no". Collin Powell and other officials say that US is not obligated to defend Taiwan. This is an extremely smart move. US now need not get tangled into any war un-necessarily. It also sends a very strong signal to Taiwan.
What is the signal? If Taiwan declares independence, China has to attack, and US may not help at all. Result: Taiwan doesnt dare to declare independence.
If there is no strong warning from China, Taiwan may really declare independence. Then China will be in trouble. It's in difficult position. If it doesnt attack Taiwan, it loses Taiwan forever. There would be a huge cost in terms of nationalism, politics, security, and so on. China wont allow it to happen. If it attacks, without the strong warning, China may be blamed as an agressor by the international community, and also the US may help Taiwan. Result: messy war for all 3 of them.
So u see, China and US did very smart maneuvers for their own self-interests. And the actual result, is actually peace and status quo. Taiwan didnt declare independence. -
sexy_girl_1234-
I am very impressed of your awareness of US policy. I didn't even know we had an strategic ambiguity policy.
I do have one question though regarding Taiwan. What does Taiwan offer that China needs so desperately that they are willing to start a war over it? I doubt China will suffer if Taiwan ceses to be a part of their country. Kind of like if South Dakota seceded from the US, we probably would produce a little less corn as a country, but no one would really notice. Now on the other hand, if California wanted to secede (and California alone is responsible for 20% of the US GDP), then we might have a problem on our hands.
So, is Taiwan more of a "South Dakota" in this instance, or are they more of a "California". I hope that analogy made sense.
You are correct saying that no state may legally secede from the United States. After the civil war, United States adopted the 14th Amendment, which included a definition of national citizenship, something conspicuously absent from the original constitution. (Previously, citizenship had been defined exclusively by the states.)
Donald Trump-
With all your money couldn't you get some better hair implants?
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Pagemap,
The origins of this forum thread is to let people ask u questions and hopefully can also clear any misconceptions or any bad blood some people have towards US, right?
Actually I can sum up what many people, whether they are in Europe, Asia, Middle East, or other parts of the world, are feeling towards the US.
US is a superpower country who flaunts its power and bully others.
It unilaterally cancelled the Kyoto protocol, invaded a country without UN approval first, enforces its own values on other cultures such as human rights and link them to trade sanctions.
But I think many sections of US government and the US people are already aware of this "resentment" problem including u who started this forum thread. Therefore I am confident US is changing and adapting.
Regarding Taiwan, the reason why China is willing to go to war, are mostly nationalistic and political reasons. China considers Taiwan to be part of 1 country. After the civil war between communists and nationalists in mainland China in 1940s, nationalists lost and fled to Taiwan. Communists control the mainland. Ever since that period, like an unfinished business from the past, Chinese leaders have dreamt of uniting the entire China including Taiwan, which is considered a renegade province which must be brought back into the fold. At the people level, ordinary Chinese citizens are also heavily pro-unification and oppose Taiwanese independence. So the reasons are mostly nationalistic, sentimental, and political. It's not really economic reasons or any other reasons because Taiwan is very small compared to China. -
"It unilaterally cancelled the Kyoto protocol, invaded a country without UN approval first, enforces its own values on other cultures such as human rights and link them to trade sanctions."
You could add withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missle Treaty. I really am upset Bush is still pushing his National Missle Defense system. The system is estimated to cost $300B+. I don't want to pay for that. Already as a result we are seeing Russia mention it is developing a missle that can evade any missle defense system. And, Bush had advocated development of a tactical nuclear missle for use in destroying underground bunkers. All very disheartening news, and I think a lot of these problems could have been avoided had we not re-elected a war-hawk of a president.
Russia Ballistic Missle article
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apscience_story.asp?category=1501&slug=Russia%20Missile%20Test -
(duplicate post)
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Pagemap,
First of all, welcome to Singapore, and to this forum. I'm sorry you had to put up with some rather juvenile and inane remarks at the beginning, but glad to see people realising that this thread is not for rude comments, and backing off. I can only put it down to people who like to paint with broad strokes of the brush - not realising that a country with 300M in population has people with diverse backgrounds, personalities, views, experiences and knowledge. Of course you cannot speak for all your countrymen; nevertheless we appreciate your offer of sharing one American citizen's view of world events with us, answering our questions despite the initial hostility.
With a US population of 300M, statistically we are bound to meet Americans that are either ignorant, or arrogant, or rascist, or just plain stupid... or all of the above. The fact that the country is so huge, means that (i) there are many remote cities, (ii) the country is self-sufficient, (iii) just US news is enough to fill the prime-time news broadcasts, and (iv) many Americans don't get to travel outside of the US continent - all which will certainly result in Americans who are not sensitive to other cultures and races, or just plain ignorant, through no fault of their own.
I'm a Bush supporter, simply because he is a known quantity, and I trust him more than Kerry. On the Iraq war, I feel that his motives are right, but the problem is the incompetence of his administration - faulty intelligence before the war, and mismanagement after the war - that's letting him down. If he had known how the war in Iraq would have unfolded, I don't think he would have gone ahead with it, but if I have the benefit of hindsight I'd head straight for Singapore Pools and be a millionaire several times over by now! Now that the US is in Iraq it must finish the job, so Bush is needed in the second term to get it done.
Anyway, hope you'll enjoy your time here.
sexy_girl - for someone who lists flirting as job and hobby, I'm impressed with your good grasp and analysis of current and historical events!
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flirting with knowledge?Originally posted by Elrond:sexy_girl - for someone who lists flirting as job and hobby, I'm impressed with your good grasp and analysis of current and historical events! -
The whte chicks in usa is great..........Originally posted by ceecookie:where got.........both Singapore and America are prejudice against Muslim.....
i support the usa in everything like the bad thing the yankees did in the vietnam war was good to me...the vietnamese derserve to die.....
Im racist too...
....... hate the nigga but love the white
The whte chicks in usa is great..........
Just now when i was sleeping i was dreaming of having sex with a white chick like what Donald Trump do to the 15 yr old girl....
This sentence speaks profoundly of your background!
It's The white chicks in the USA are great!
Im racist too... ....... hate the nigga but love the white
Well, you should be enlisted as a slve and maybe, just maybe then you would enjoy life right?
where got.........both Singapore and America are prejudice against Muslim.....
WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN SINGAPORE? GET LOST
By the way, if you are chinese, i've got nothing to say.