Minimum engagement, isolationism redux

[Strings]

Yes Micro, many are. And, when a nation is truly "proAmerican", I (personally) don't mind seeing them get US aid.

But how many feces holes around the world take our money, and would HAPPILY see us bombed from sea to sea?

[drewtam]

How many took our money in aid, then danced in the streets on 9/11. I think most Americans still remember and resent that.

On the other hand...

Do we surrender east asia to Chinese hegemony? What about our commitments to Japan? Should we give Japan the bomb and then pull out? Same questions for Korea.

If nation building is not an option, how do we deal with Afgan? Do we just bomb our enemies when they attack and leave? Invade, smash a few tents and pots and leave? Is our sole mission retribution without addressing root issues?

[Strings]

>If nation building is not an option, how do we deal with Afgan? Do we just bomb our enemies when they attack and leave? Invade, smash a few tents and pots and leave? Is our sole mission retribution without addressing root issues?<

Hmmm... we could try that in A-stan...

Oh wait! We DID try that there... resulted in the ride of the Taliban

[Scout26]

Albania ??

[RevDisk]

Albania ??

Yep. They really like Americans. Have our flags everywhere.  So, yes, despite the "Islam is evil" crowd, even here, plenty of folks that are Islamic like us.

Despite that, I question our nation building.  Kosovo and Bosnia were extremely well run campaigns, and I still question whether it was a good idea.

[longeyes]

>If nation building is not an option, how do we deal with Afgan? Do we just bomb our enemies when they attack and leave? Invade, smash a few tents and pots and leave? Is our sole mission retribution without addressing root issues?<

Hmmm... we could try that in A-stan...

Oh wait! We DID try that there... resulted in the ride of the Taliban

Our mission is to neutralize all threats to national security.

[charby]

We posses all those resources within our national boundries.  Our own policies have prevented us from being able to be isolationist.
Labor unions
minimum wage
OSHA
Regulations
lobbyists
politicians
EPA

Some stuff we have plenty, some stuff we have some but not enough and some stuff we don't even have.

We seem to be lacking rare earth metals which is a big part of modern technology.

If you look at a lot of the metals we use like copper, we need to import quite a bit to match demand.

[Hawkmoon]

We could start by reducing our subterfuge and ceasing all government destabilization programs.

We could follow that by immediately ending foreign "aid" (a.k.a. "bribes") to countries who hate us and whose governments and/or populaces work against us.

[Hawkmoon]

Also we shouldn't turn a blind eye towards mass genocide and other wrong doings done by one group to a another group.

That's very altruistic, but I'm not sure I agree with it. What's one man's "genocide" is another man's "civil war." We had our own example of that. I think we need to stop being the world's policeman/school marm

[Hawkmoon]

If nation building is not an option, how do we deal with Afgan? Do we just bomb our enemies when they attack and leave? Invade, smash a few tents and pots and leave? Is our sole mission retribution without addressing root issues?

Just how well is that whole Afghanistan thing working out, then? After all, we've been there for ten years. That's twice as long as it took to enter and WIN World War 2. Have the Afghanis changed? We'll have to pull out eventually ... what's going to happen then? The Taliban will take over again, and the place will go right back to continue being the same hole in the mud it always has been.

[Hawkmoon]

If you look at a lot of the metals we use like copper, we need to import quite a bit to match demand.

Copper comes from Chile, which is a civilized country that's quite happy to do business with the United States without sending a bunch of terrorists to burn down our embassy.

[drewtam]

Yeah, Chile is cool, but those mines at 16000ft are brutal on the body. My coworker literally  on the way back to the hotel. Another interesting play will be Chilean solar power (they have the driest desert in the world.) Projects are starting to go there without gov't help. If they can take the next step and convert that to synfuels, that would be awesome.

We also have some copper. For example, the Kennecott mine in Utah.

And we have rare earth metals in California mines which was shut down due to low chinese prices, I think they recently started up again due to the China market shenanigans. And also in Dakota? Nebraska? I can't remember where the huge new resources were recently discovered, I don't think those mines have opened yet.

[HankB]

. . . If nation building is not an option, how do we deal with Afgan? Do we just bomb our enemies when they attack and leave? Invade, smash a few tents and pots and leave? Is our sole mission retribution without addressing root issues?

Third Punic War. Rome. Carthage. Finis.

No more Punic Wars.

[longeyes]

>If nation building is not an option, how do we deal with Afgan? Do we just bomb our enemies when they attack and leave? Invade, smash a few tents and pots and leave? Is our sole mission retribution without addressing root issues?<

Hmmm... we could try that in A-stan...

Oh wait! We DID try that there... resulted in the ride of the Taliban

We do not address root issues, not in dealing with Islam, not in dealing with immigration, not in dealing with underclass poverty in America, not in dealing with the diminution of jobs.

Addressing roots issues creates political, social, and cultural discomfort; it leads to unpleasant revelations.  Our society depends now on comforting illusions provided us by politicians, mass media, and the entertainment industry. 

[Jamisjockey]

Copper comes from Chile, which is a civilized country that's quite happy to do business with the United States without sending a bunch of terrorists to burn down our embassy.

In spades.



Oh and we mine copper right in our own backyard. Kennecot mine in the salt lake valley for the win.

[charby]

In spades.



Oh and we mine copper right in our own backyard. Kennecot mine in the salt lake valley for the win.

We can only provide about 60% of copper needs domestically.

Also copper mining (and other sulfide/sulfate minerals) is very damaging to the environment, not just killing the 5 toes mole, but people and making the area unihabitatable for generations. Just google Anaconda Copper Superfund Site Butte, Montana. Yes they cleaned much of it up, but at what cost and how much the cost was not paid for by the company that did the damage.

[Tallpine]

What happened to all the copper mines in Arizona 

[charby]

What happened to all the copper mines in Arizona 

60% of domestic copper comes from Arizona.

[Regolith]

60% of domestic copper comes from Arizona.

Your facts are screwed up there somewhere. I know for a fact a large amount of copper mining happens in Nevada (copper and gold ore tend to form in similar places), yet according to your figures ALL domestic copper comes from Arizona.

[charby]

Your facts are screwed up there somewhere. I know for a fact a large amount of copper mining happens in Nevada (copper and gold ore tend to form in similar places), yet according to your figures ALL domestic copper comes from Arizona.

I said we only produce 60% of our domestic copper needs, 60% of that 60% comes from Arizona.