the real MEC army could happen

[Ubermensch]

haha ya really

[shadow_wolf]

YAY! A POLITICAL THREAD!

let the retard information, and idiotic opinions begin!

yes, darn us stupid people and our politics. Shame on us.

[Ubermensch]

my point being is that opinions are like a$$holes, everyones got one. and no matter what the truth about anything is their opinion wont change, cuz they will alway have an a$$hole.

[shadow_wolf]

Opinions are usually based on what the person knows about a situation. If they are misinformed then their opinion isnt their fault really. At the same time it is ridiculous if evidence comes along that debunks their opinion, but they wont change it because theyre stubborn.

[Ubermensch]

Opinions are usually based on what the person knows about a situation. If they are misinformed then their opinion isnt their fault really. At the same time it is ridiculous if evidence comes along that debunks their opinion, but they wont change it because theyre stubborn.

well said

[Jeffrey_Dahmer]

I don't know about a standing army, but our Iraq debacle is almost certain to connect the Shiite crescent between Syria, Iran, and the 'stans.

If this happens you likely won't have a MEC per se, but you will have a large coalition willing to support each other, under Iran's leadership.

That could cause a lot of problems in the region, generally and to the West.

J.

[Handy388]

Ok, I am a Chinese-American, and I know why people have an impression of how every Chinese live unhappily under communism.

Why? Because whoever here is NOT GOING TO praise China. I came to the states because my parents are citizens here, and yes, they hate the communist party for killing my family members. I however, realized that this fault cannot be given to the current leaders.

True, old leaders killed my grandpa, but now, my grandma is living a very good life, thanks to the same party. Don't blame it on communism, blame it on BAD leaders.

I can assure you, now, US is DIFFERENT, not BETTER. In China, I can have everything I have here, even better (service wise), with a lower cost. (and I don't live in a dump, I live in SF bay area, or silicon valley)

Great Britian fell from the greatest power of the world, but US did not fight them to cause their downfall. It's natural that one nation fall behind another, and I would not be surprised to see China pass US in my life time.

Why? Energy crisis? Mind you, US is more dependent on energy.

Whoever said to economically sanction China is dumb. China SANCTIONS you, not the other way around. Take off every cloth you are wearing and count how many of them are made in China. You can't afford clothing made under US minimum wage, and that's a fact. Cloth workers in China are paid ten times less, but cost of living over there are much less.

[Hollister360]

wtf u saying

[watler]

lol if an army was fielded, they would NOT have ak101's, itd be all the old 47's(not bad, but still) and the mi28? its more probablee that france sends a few thousand eurocopter kits

[Handy388]

frankly, MEC should be the one using AK47, "grease gun", T55, T72, and HIND.

[shadow_wolf]

errr...there isnt an energy crisis yet. That why all that research is going into hydrogen power and fuel cells

[Handy388]

errr...there isnt an energy crisis yet. That why all that research is going into hydrogen power and fuel cells

you actually believe that crap?

any undergraduate can tell you that it takes more energy to get hydrogen out of the water than the energy hydrogen itself make. How are we going to cheaply produce the electrical energy needed for hydrogen electrolysis?

nuclear power plant.

[Thelron]

or gigantic solar farm. There's plenty of desert that could be turned into a nice hydrogen plant. Besides, the whole point of researching the stuff is to figure out ways to MAKE it economical. Same with the corn-based alternatives... right now, it isn't worth it (well, not in the US. Brazil has apparently figured it out a bit better) but given a bit more tinkering between the process and the energy sources you can get a nice gasoline alternative and draw the power required to complete the refining process from something else, like the aforementioned nuclear plant or gigantic solar farm.

Though, a few folks in key positions need to open their eyes and realize that there isn't as much time left as they'd like before there *is* an energy crisis... people seem to think of oil as if it were a renewable resource.

The game is a fantasy, because it pits US soldiers in a stand up fight vs an evenly matched enemy of similar force/tech makeup and puts them all in uniform, and doesn't involve bombing civilians more than the enemy. (The TK levels might be a nod to the way Yanks do things, though). The US hasn't had a war like this since WW2, and is unlikely to have one again.

Ohh, the civilian casualty card is played! Interesting to hear it coming from someone who sounds like a Brit, you *do* realize the RAF was dropping bombs in the middle of cities long before the US was even in the war, right? In fact, most of the occasions where whole cities (as opposed to just the factories pumping out war materials) were targeted were planned by the RAF. So, the US wasn't the only participant in the war to decide to obliterate a city (nor the first) and outside of situations of total war I tend to think the US has aquitted itself no worse than any other power involved in a conflict since then).

Also, if US v. China were to happen, you'd have uniforms, similar tech, and plenty of effort to avoid bombing civilians right up until the point where it became impossible. So I wouldn't go getting all smug, trying to poke fun at a country that depending on where you are from probably has a MUCH better track record of conducting 'civilized' warfare (for what little that is worth) just because we decided two explosions would get the message across a lot more quickly than thousands.

[imported_Rafterman]

[QUOTE=big_sammy_b]ah the 'american dream' well if what you say is true then how come George Bush is the son of an ex president?

If America was truly free and anyone could be president then what are the chances of 2 generations of the same family being president? So small that in truth its not possible if America truly is free.

QUOTE]

I'm not sure how you equate two presidents from the same family as supporting your point that the American Dream does not exist. If that's your arguement then the American Dream was quashed 200 years ago when John Adams' son, John Quincy Adams, became president. And since you brought up presidents, what about Bill Clinton -- born in a shack in Arkansas to a single mom. I don't like the guy, but he came from nothing. Or how about Abraham Lincoln.

That's not to say that power and wealth don't get you off on a good foot in America, but my point is you don't have to have that to be a success.

Face it, China's recent economic growth has stemmed from its embracing a capitalistic free market system. Anyone care to offer any proof that this isn't the case? Is capitalism without its flaws -- absolutely not -- as many of you have pointed out. But then again, Communism doesn't exactly create the "people's utopia" that many have worshiped over the years either.

[Handy388]

or gigantic solar farm. There's plenty of desert that could be turned into a nice hydrogen plant. Besides, the whole point of researching the stuff is to figure out ways to MAKE it economical. Same with the corn-based alternatives... right now, it isn't worth it (well, not in the US. Brazil has apparently figured it out a bit better) but given a bit more tinkering between the process and the energy sources you can get a nice gasoline alternative and draw the power required to complete the refining process from something else, like the aforementioned nuclear plant or gigantic solar farm.

Though, a few folks in key positions need to open their eyes and realize that there isn't as much time left as they'd like before there *is* an energy crisis... people seem to think of oil as if it were a renewable resource.



Ohh, the civilian casualty card is played! Interesting to hear it coming from someone who sounds like a Brit, you *do* realize the RAF was dropping bombs in the middle of cities long before the US was even in the war, right? In fact, most of the occasions where whole cities (as opposed to just the factories pumping out war materials) were targeted were planned by the RAF. So, the US wasn't the only participant in the war to decide to obliterate a city (nor the first) and outside of situations of total war I tend to think the US has aquitted itself no worse than any other power involved in a conflict since then).

Also, if US v. China were to happen, you'd have uniforms, similar tech, and plenty of effort to avoid bombing civilians right up until the point where it became impossible. So I wouldn't go getting all smug, trying to poke fun at a country that depending on where you are from probably has a MUCH better track record of conducting 'civilized' warfare (for what little that is worth) just because we decided two explosions would get the message across a lot more quickly than thousands.

the efficiency of semi-conductor solar cell are not likely to be improved by a whole lot.