Our way or the highway-The end of U.S. aid to 35 nations

[Chewbacca]

Originally posted by MagiK: quote: Originally posted by Chewbacca: On Compromise, something I think is sorely lacking in the Bush equation of foreign policy and diplomacy on the whole: http://www.time.com/time/2003/franklin/bffranklin6.html

You better hope this thing in Israel doesnt work, cause if he manages to broker Peace between the Palistinians and the Israelis you are gonna have to eat some major crow. Hard ot say he failed at diplomacy if it is his administration that sees the end to that conflict.
[/QUOTE]The Isreali and Palestinians deserve any credit for finally making peace with eeach other. All Bush did was go down there and make the same demands every American President has made since we stuck our nose in the conflict. I'll give him the same amount of credit as I would have Clinton if they would have sealed peace back then...very little.

Originally posted by Chewbacca: The Isreali and Palestinians deserve any credit for finally making peace with eeach other. All Bush did was go down there and make the same demands every American President has made since we stuck our nose in the conflict. I'll give him the same amount of credit as I would have Clinton if they would have sealed peace back then...very little.

Chewie you know damn well that it was the US that brokered that deal. I think just baout every president since Eisenhower has tried to broker this kind of thing. To date all have failed. Hell the only thing Jimmy actually accomplished in his term as president was to help Egypt and Israel sign a peace treaty.

[Rokenn]

Originally posted by MagiK:Hell the only thing Jimmy actually accomplished in his term as president was to help Egypt and Israel sign a peace treaty.

And that was not a small thing, since it also required Israel to return the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt. This reduced the size of Isreal by nearly 75%, and they lost access to the oil fields there, which would have made Isreal fully independent of foreign oil.

[John D Harris]

Originally posted by Chewbacca: Since I get the feeling few people actually read up on the issue before posting, here is a different article on the topic with some more facts: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/02/in...partner=GOOGLE It appears that 90 countries have signed on to this court of law and big rich countries are generally exempt from losing the aid they recieve from the U.S. if they did. Only the poor countries we could try to extort to see it our way are effected. Is that what being fair, flexible and equitable is all about? This kind of so-called "diplomacy" would have Benjamin Franklin rolling over in his grave, IMO. So much for creative foriegn policy, compromise, and humility.

That still does not change the fact that the giver of aid has the right to decide to whom, and what conditions they (reciever) must meet in order to get the aid.

Now if anybody wishes to change the rules of life, to say the reciever gets to chose from whom, what conditions, and how much aid they recieve be my guest. I'll take $100 per month from anybody that wishes to put their money where their proposed political stance is.

[ 07-02-2003, 10:58 PM: Message edited by: John D Harris ]

[Timber Loftis]

Good and poignant post, Mr. Coot. [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

I'll take $25/week myself, and in return (as fair consideration) I will oppose all of your ideas and viewpoints. Any takers?

[HolyWarrior]

Originally posted by Timber Loftis: Without reading the article, I note that there can be no quid without pro quo. C'mon, who in this world ever took handouts without knowing they were expected to return the favor? What, they want free money? They gonna guilt us into giving it to them when they oppose us? Waaaah, bo hooo hooo frikkin hooo. [img]graemlins/crying.gif[/img]

Damn, I'm agreeing with Timber! [img]graemlins/stunned.gif[/img]

[Ar-Cunin]

Originally posted by Timber Loftis: Good and poignant post, Mr. Coot. [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img] I'll take $25/week myself, and in return (as fair consideration) I will oppose all of your ideas and viewpoints. Any takers?

Are you offering your services as the devil's advocate? [img]tongue.gif[/img]

[Timber Loftis]

Originally posted by Ar-Cunin: quote: Originally posted by Timber Loftis: Good and poignant post, Mr. Coot. [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img] I'll take $25/week myself, and in return (as fair consideration) I will oppose all of your ideas and viewpoints. Any takers?

Are you offering your services as the devil's advocate? [img]tongue.gif[/img] [/QUOTE]Why not. I think it'd be great to get paid for what I do already.

[Chewbacca]

Shoot, I don't have to pay some people to disagree with all my opinions. I can almost set my clock to it! [img]smile.gif[/img]

Edit- I have been tempted to post something like "the sun sets in the west" just to see if I can predict who would chime in to disagree.

[ 07-05-2003, 03:49 PM: Message edited by: Chewbacca ]

[Moiraine]

Originally posted by Timber Loftis: Without reading the article, I note that there can be no quid without pro quo. C'mon, who in this world ever took handouts without knowing they were expected to return the favor? What, they want free money? They gonna guilt us into giving it to them when they oppose us? Waaaah, bo hooo hooo frikkin hooo. [img]graemlins/crying.gif[/img]

Who ? Denmark, Sweden, Netherlands, Norway, ... Look here.

"The United States gives little aid for its size, ties much of it, and allocates it to countries generally richer or more corrupt than recipients of aid from other donors."