Re: THE TOP 10 MOST DANGEROUS U.S. CITIES REPORT :

On 18 Aug 2006 16:19:50 -0700, jim rozen <jim_member@xxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

In article <4nkae29svhruk5a401i541d38pk39urbtd@xxxxxxx>, Don Foreman says...

I wonder if we still have the starch and will to vanquish a very
determined and ruthless aggressor with significant economic power
and religion-based zeolotry that mostly neutralizes natural fear of
death by casting it as an event of glorious martyrdom.

Don, I *hope* you are talking about al queda.

I'd generalize that to muslims intent on jihad, which certainly
includes al qaeda. The keyword is aggressor, those who have
declared intent to destroy Americans (and Europeans) of any faith
other than theirs.

Anyway, I would say that if we don't have the starch and will, then
we don't deserve to win. That's not defeatism, that's realism.
Nearly all the WW2 vets are gone by now.

There are still some Nam vets not yet in nursing homes. The US
didn't win that war, but those that fought it won many if not most
of the fights they weren't prevented from winning by waffling in
Washington where they were quick to spend a few GI's if that'd buy
some points in the polls.

Almost nobody's lived
through the depression. I would say that by and large americans
are soft right now, hence success of the demagogs in our present
administration.

Or any other administration that we might have elected. There
were no good choices.

My only consolation is that americans do seem to be at their
finest when things are at the worst.

Have been in the past, TBD how we do if/when things again get to
worst.

Self-indulgence, greed and dodging responsibility have certainly
become widely accepted values for many Americans -- but it is still
clear that we don't tolerate abuse or domination well. We rail at
corporate greed and abuse, and abuses of power and dishonesty of
political leaders we've elected. I think we still have the
spirit, we just need the focus. It'll certainly take some pain and
hardship to motivate the focus. My fear is that if we don't get it
together soon enough we could be SOL. That's exactly what
happened to the UK and Europe during WWII. Intervention by the US
was crucial in stopping the Axis. See any helpers out there that'll
save us if we don't pay attention for too long? I sure don't. We've
already alienated much of the world with our inexcusably bad
statecraft. I don't know if the actions we've taken were right or
wrong -- and you don't either unless you're privy to a lot more intel
than I am -- but our statesmanship has certainly been execrable.
.