I find it interesting that a newbie like me is the first one to create a thread. Anyhow, I thought I would get the ball rolling by asking that very question.

I myself think about the world at times but I would never do or put myself in a postion to make a change/difference that would matter. All I can do is my little part, recycle, pick up garbage if I see it laying around, etc.

As for the state of our society, in all honesty I find ourselves degrading. While prices of everything from gas to food is going up, it is nearly impossible to find a decent job, and even harder to keep it or rise in the ranks, especially if the company you work for, can get someone who does the same thing you do for a buck and a half less. If a company realizes that, they will find even the smallest mistake to can you. That's how the world is.

Another example is resturants. Down the street from where I live has been a Bob Evans for as long as I can remember. Now all of a sudden, some Texas resturant (can't remember the name offhand) moves in right next door. Now this new resturant charges $4.99 for a slice of cheesecake. Now I am a man who loves his cheesecake but I can seriously buy a no-bake cheesecake mix for $1.79 and that's a whole pie! Tastes no different in my opinion.

So yes, I care about the world. Yes, I care about the people who are suffering in this world. You know it's bad when the middle folk are becoming the poor people and the poor people fall off the radar all together, struggling to survive. That can all be changed but we really need a leader who can do things. Vote Inuyashafan for President 2008!!! Just Kidding.

Honestly though, Bill Clinton was doing a great job. So he got a little frisky with the ladies. We all have needs and we all have probally done it before. To me, he was the realest pres we have had in some time. I was rooting for Hillary because I feel that she was originally calling the shots for Bill anyhow *snicker*

I will wrap this up for now and see what others have to say. Keep it real and coming from the heart. Actually there is a great anime to go alone with protecting the earth and how we pollute with chemicals and such. Arjuna. Check it out. Personal fave of mine as well.

I do. I think everyone was too afraid too post a topic here, as world discussion and politics can be quite heated topics.

I try to keep it hidden, but I am a politics and news junkie. This month, I saw something happen on the news that was like a scene from Code Geass. I always thought the manipulation of the news media for the sake of rallying a false war was something you wouldn't see in the real world. But it happened with the Georgia - Russia conflict, that Georgia started. If you'd watched any Western news coverage, you'll have never here the words "Georgia started it" mentioned. Stranger still, everyone stating Russia started the conflict is utterly unaware of the facts.

July 1st - http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/26805
Abkhazia shuts border after ‘Georgian terrorist attacks’

July 2nd - http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/26898
Another explosion in Abkhazia


July 4th - http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/26993
Shelling reported in Georgia’s breakaway region

July 4th - http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/27009
South Ossetia threatens Georgia with retaliation

July 8th - http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/27205
Georgia’s drumbeat to war
I have to hand it to Georgia’s President Mikhail Saakashvili – he has learned well at the school of “black PR.” He wants war to recapture control of the breakaway republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, but only as long as he isn’t seen as the aggressor. Saakashvili is not very imaginative – he is just replaying the game plan of manipulating media that witnessed Washington needlessly (and at great cost) invade and occupy Iraq. The same outcome awaits Saakashvili.

July 10th - http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/27258
Condoleezza Rice: U.S. backs Georgia

July 11th - http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/27348
Georgia recalls ambassador to Russia

July 15th - http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/27502
South Ossetians fear for future
“It's obvious the Black Sea is at stake. As far as one can judge, the United States want to oust Russia from the shore of the Black Sea and in fact close it for Russia. It's not by chance that there's so much fuss about the Crimea and Sevastopol. There are also confirmed plans to build NATO military bases in Romania and Bulgaria. So it's all about the Black Sea,” Mikheev said.

August 2 - http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/28377
Shooting kills 6 in South Ossetia

August 3, 2008, 0:46 - http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/28399
Russia accuses Georgia of trying to discredit peacekeepers

August 6, 2008, 2:03 - http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/28510
Russia to act if Georgia-Ossetia row worsens


August 6, 2008, 14:44 - http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/28561
‘Georgian snipers are attacking us’ - Ossetian official

August 7, 2008, 8:24 - http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/28571
Georgia and South Ossetia exchange fire

August 7, 2008, 13:17 - http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/28601
Georgian tanks head for South Ossetia

August 7, 2008, 18:31 - http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/28607
Georgia shells its breakaway republic

August 7, 2008, 22:42 - http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/28621
Georgia and South Ossetia announce ceasefire

August 9, 2008, 3:30
Time line: Georgia-Ossetia armed conflict, August 8
23:25 GMT - Georgia resumes intensive shelling of Tskhinvali's residential quarters.

22:50 GMT - Heavy shelling reported in Tskhinvali.

22:00 GMT - Georgia resumes intensive fire on residential areas in Tskhinvali, the Peacekeepers' commander says, reports TASS news agency.

21:27 GMT - South Ossetia's military have downed a Georgian attack plane, the Russian Vesti television channel reports. The fall of the blazing plane was videotaped. The fate of the pilot remains unknown.

21:25 GMT - Georgia announces plans to withdraw half of its peacekeeping contingent in Iraq because of the South Ossetian crisis.

21:22 GMT - South Ossetia is fully in control of Tskhinvali, but Georgia is making attempts to retake the city, accordign to the self-proclaimed republic's official spokeswoman Irina Gagloyeva.

20:36 GMT - The UN Security Council has begun closed-door consultations to discuss the situation in South Ossetia. The meeting, initiated by Georgia, is the second in 24 hours.

20:25 GMT - Georgia asks US to put pressure on Russia to "stop the armed aggression" in South Ossetia

19:19 GMT - Twelve Russian peacekeepers killed and 50 injured in South Ossetia, according to Russian Army Assistant Commander Col. Igor Konashenkov.

19:08 GMT - President Dmitry Medvedev says: “Russia is taking adequate military and political measures to put an end to violence in South Ossetia.”

18:56 GMT - The breakaway region’s government says Tskhinvali is fully under South Ossetian control, but fighting over one of the city's districts is continuing.

18:36 GMT - Russian Emergencies Ministry plane has taken off from Moscow region. It will deliver a mobile hospital to North Ossetia to help refugees from the south.

18:31 GMT - South Ossetian armed units deployed near Tskhinvali have started firing at Georgian military positions, according to Georgian media.

17:48 GMT – Georgia admits up to 30 causalities on its side during the offensive.

17:35 GMT – In a televised address, Georgian President Saakashvili claims Georgia ‘controls Tskhinvali and most South Ossetian villages and regions.

17:22 GMT – Hundreds of volunteers enter South Ossetia from Russian territory.

17:20 GMT – South Ossetia calls on the world to ‘stop the genocide’ in the region and recognise its independence.

17:03 GMT – Ossetian leader Kokoity says 1,400 people were killed in Friday's confrontation.

16:55 GMT – Georgia withdraws half of its troops from Iraq.

16:46 GMT – Thousands of people continue to flee the violence in South Ossetia. Most of the refugees are sheltered by their relatives in North Ossetia.

16:32 GMT – Abkhazian troops vow to march on towards the border with Georgia regardless of developments in South Ossetia.

16:14 GMT – Russian Air Force denies bombing a Georgian military base.

15:50 GMT – Russian troops will suppress any fire from Georgian forces aimed at South Ossetia, warns Russia’s Defence Ministry.

15:14 GMT – Russia bans flights to and from Georgia, starting at midnight on Friday.

15:03 GMT – UN Security council to discuss the situation in South Ossetia on Friday night at 19:00 GMT.

14:52 GMT - Shootings cease in Tskhivali as people check damages.

14:35 GMT – Ossetian authorities report more then a thousand dead in Tskhinvali.

14:23 GMT – Mass fires reported in Tskhinvali.

1410 GMT – South Ossetian President Kokoyti announces the breakaway republic’s troops are driving Georgian forces away.

14:05 GMT – Hundreds of civilians have been killed in Tskhinvali, according to South Ossetian President Kokoyti.

14:01 GMT – Georgian Foreign Ministry calls on the world community to make Russia ‘understand, that invading a sovereign state is unacceptable’.

13:43 GMT – President Medvedev orders Prime Minister, Emergencies Minister and Interior Minister to organise humanitarian aid for South Ossetia.

13:25 GMT – Russian Defence Ministry accuses Georgian troops of shooting at peacekeepers and civilians and denying them medical help.

13:21 GMT – Russian Defence Ministry confirms more then 10 Russian peacekeepers have been killed in South Ossetia on Friday and 30 others wounded.

13:16 GMT – Saakashvili accuses Russia of ‘waging a war’ against Georgia, asks for U.S. support.

12:57 GMT – International community must stop turning a blind eye on mass arms purchases by Georgia, says Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

12:55 GMT – Russian FM Sergey Lavrov accuses Georgia of ethnical cleansing in Ossetian villages.

12:37 GMT – "If Russia indeed sent its troops to Georgian territory, it means we are at war with Russia," said head of Georgian national security council.

12:34 GMT – Russian envoy to NATO Dmitry Rogozin calls on the alliance’s member states not to support Saakashvili.

12:31 GMT – Georgian Parliament speaker David Bargadze accuses Russia of ‘military aggression’, and threatens to use ‘all means necessary to protect the country’s sovereignty’.

12:22 GMT – Germany’s leader Angela Merkel calls for an immediate end to the use of force.

12:19 GMT – Tskhinvali residents emerge from shelters after a lull in fighting, report Ossetian peacekeepers. The city is short of water and electricity has been cut in many areas. Telephone communications are difficult.

12:13 GMT – Georgia accuses Russia of bombing its military base near Tbilisi.

12:04 GMT – Russia’s Defence Ministry announces it has sent peacekeeping reinforcements to South Ossetia

11:57 GMT – Peacekeepers report South Ossetians destroy several Georgian tanks, re-take Tskhinvali.

11:41 GMT – Russian communists and liberal democrats call for State Duma meeting to discuss the situation in South Ossetia.

11:33 GMT – South Ossetia reports that Russian armoured vehicles have entered Tskhinvali.

11:25 GMT – Tskhinvali ‘completely destroyed’ after massive shelling by Gerogian troops, reports head of peacekeeping force.

11:17 GMT – Georgia gives South Ossetians three hours to surrender.

11:12 GMT – International Red Cross Committee is ‘deeply concerned’ with the humanitarian situation in South Ossetia.

11:02 GMT – PACE will support any effort to resolve the conflict in South Ossetia peacefully.

10:59 GMT – South Ossetia accuses Georgian hackers of attacking its Information Ministry’s website.

10:58 GMT – Russia will not allow the death of its citizens go unpunished, says Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

10:56 GMT – Wounded people from South Ossetia start arriving to North Ossetian hospitals.

10:45 GMT – Keeping volunteers away from South Ossetia ‘will be difficult’, says Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who’s visiting China for the opening of the Olympics

10:33 GMT – Georgia announces a three-hour ceasefire starting from 11:00 GMT to let civilians out of the conflict zone.

10:26 GMT – Transdniester may allow volunteers to fight in South Ossetia, says region’s Foreign Ministry.

10:23 GMT – Peacekeepers ask Abkhazia not to send its troops into the demilitarized zone.

09:53 GMT – British Foreign Office calls on the two sides to stop military actions and resume negotiations.

09:36 GMT – Georgia’s aggression gives the Russian Parliament a ‘serious reason’ to recognise South Ossetia’s independence, says chair of Federation Council Sergey Mironov.

09:21 GMT – NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer calls for an immediate to violence in South Ossetia.

09:05 GMT – Russian Defence Ministry says it won’t let Georgia harm peacekeepers and Russian citizens.

08:32 GMT – The European Commission’s head of foreign policy tells Mikhail Saakashvili to do everything necessary to stop violence in South Ossetia.

08:18 GMT – Firefight spreads to Tskhinvali streets, reports head of peacekeeping force.

07:49 GMT –Emergencies Ministry ready to evacuate Russian citizens from South Ossetia if ordered to.

07:44 GMT – Abkhazian forces move to border with Georgia and concentrate near the demilitarised zone.

07:44 GMT – Mikhail Saakasvili says Russia has launched a full-scale military operation against Georgia.

07:20 GMT – Georgian Minister of Reintegration asks the international community to stop putting pressure on Tbilisi and help find a compromise.

07:02 GMT – Russian Migration Service ready to deal with refugees from South Ossetia.

06:51 GMT – UN Security Council fails to approve a Russia-sponsored ceasefire call.

06:17 GMT – Firefight intensifies at Tskhinvali outskirts, says South Ossetian President Kokoyti.

05:57 GMT – Georgia pledges to pardon South Ossetian leadership and invest $US 35 million into the region

05:28 GMT – North Ossetia prepares for the arrival of more than 2,000 refugees

05:01 GMT – South Ossetia asks Russia for protection and to help it stop the bloodshed

04:13 GMT – Georgian troops resume attack on the South Ossetian capital Tskhinvali.






Incredible isn't it? Georgia's major offensives were launched on HUGE days: July 4th, August 8th ...

Has anyone yelling WAR ON RUSSIA even read any of this?

私は日本語を少し読むと書くをできます。あなたも？

...Ok, so where's Georgia's stand on this? The links provided were all from Russiatoday.com, I'd like to see what the other side has to say about it. Yes, politics is a very touchy topic for a lot of people, getting both sides of a story IMO is pretty important so that people can form their own opinions about an issue.

I gave the other side. Everything I've seen on TV in the western world is Georgia's side.

To sum up Obama, McCain, Bush, and Rice: Russia started it. Russia wants a new cold war. Russia attacked Georgia. Russia killed thousands in Georgia. Russia is to blame. Georgia are poor helpless freedom loving people of a democratic nation. Russia's are evil communist people wanted to expand their boarders and over throw the Georgian government.

[ Edited Aug 27, 2008 ]

私は日本語を少し読むと書くをできます。あなたも？

Yeah, never thought I would root for the russians. But georgia started it, and the media influencing our beliefs is nothing new. Look at the iraq war. Has anything positive been said? Ever? Does this mean that nothing positive has occured? If you have the military channel of the pentagon channel, the news of iraq is far different. Of course, they are biased their own way, but at least on their end its understandable; theyr'e their.

But I don't understand what Georgia was thinking. Yeah they have better technology than the russians, and better equipment, training etc, but everyone knows Russians basically shit tanks, and they proved it. Georgians were overwhelmed, somehow to their surprise? I was also interested in the Denial of Access attacks on georgia before the fighting broke out. Didn't effect them much, but it will be worse in more developed nations.


I think this is a common misconception. The world has always been forked up with its problems. People tend to remember the good things of the past, and the problems of today, so it will always look like the shit is hitting the fan. It's always tough to get a job, and if it isn't then that could be more of a problem.
It's the publics inability to remember problems of the past and connect them with events of now. Like with north korea, they've been trying their stupid food-for-stopping-nukes deal with every president since carter, and every president since this current Bush has listened. (omg, Bush did a good thing? Is that possible?) and every time the NKoreans gave the food to the military and continued the nuclear program.

Then come nukes, iran is in the spotlight, and korea was for a short amount of time, making it look like the world is getting closer to a nuclear war, or so the media likes for it to look. Iraq had nuclear material, but the israelis bombed the cyclotron "baghdadtron" and that idea was canned. We gave the iraqis anthrax to fend off the iranians (we didn't want them to get iraq's oil) and now he used it on the kurds. The public nowadays think that saddam was some nice guy that we pwned for his oil.

"no blood for oil" we didn't steal the oil. We put it back on the market. and now the media is blaming the government for letting them sell it instead of just taking it.

In fact we've been friends with both iraq and iran before in the past, off and on, depending on a lot of things. The amount of information given to the public now because of the internet has given them a sort of arrogance, making them think that they know more than the government, or the military, when it comes to war and politics. "We should have done this, or that" Retrospect always works out in your head. This arrogance is what is destroying the public patience in case things dont go out perfectly. The original plan for the war was a decade, since we couldn't just walk in and kill them. After 3 years the media kicked up this "exit strategy" thing.

'The unseen cast no shadow' ~THE ROAD, Cormac McCarthy

"Only a fool trusts his life to a weapon." Frank Jaeger, Metal Gear Solid

Rei evil communist people

Lets not forget that my home country is also under a communist government. Communism really isn't what the west think it is. Basically Stalin and communist Russia made it look bad, very bad. But in the case of China, communism works. IMO, the west pokes holes in it just because it makes their politicians uncomfortable. Yes, there are areas of China that need work, like the North West, and yes, i am aware of the turmoil with Tibet. But take a look at our economy, and most of the people here are happy. What you see on the news is totally sensationalised.

As for Georgia, they didn't do themselves any favours. However Russia displayed unnecessary violence towards a country that couldn't possibly retaliate.

[/rant] :P

働きすぎた。タバコない。無念。

It's awesome to see so many people here who don't automatically accept what they're told to think and believe.

Fuyu, systems of government has been a special interest of mine all the while I've been studying politics. I've never believed democracy to be the be all end all perfect government system, because it isn't. Each system of government stems from an ideology. I do find myself attracted to certain ideals within the communist system, however, as you pointed out one of the major flaws has been in how it is implemented. If people had been assimilated into communist systems as opposed to being eliminated, Communism wouldn't have such a bad reputation, I would think. The pros and cons of government systems can make for a very length discussion... my feeling today is simply different systems work for different people. We in the West should stop forcing our views on others, and instead aid countries when they are ready to make a change. Forcing democracy on Iraq when they were clearly not ready for such a system of government is going to result in one hell of a mess when they revert back to the old days of a single dictator ruling all.

Regret, that's so true about people having a bias of remembering the good from the past and seeing the flaws in the present. So many Republicans and Democrats alike cling to Presidents of the past that really were not all that great. Every generation has it's challenges. Unfortunately, we have more challenges than any generation before us. Our lifetimes are going to be very, very interesting indeed.

私は日本語を少し読むと書くをできます。あなたも？

Communism in china also has its problems. Some of these can be attributed to the system of government, but others like tibet aren't dependant on the government at all, if it were an empire like in the past, I still think they would be doing the same thing to them. Stalin and the soviets may have made it look bad, but China has it's fair share of "evil" deeds on its belt too. Not that America doesnt or anything. China may have killed off 50 million of its own people in a civil war to get communism to work, but we pretty much made the native american race to go extinct. Yeah they are still around, but there are far fewer of them.

The reason i am against communism is because I don't like the idea that everyone should be forced into being fair. Who is forcing it? And isn't that person more than fair? I guess Animal Farm had a lot of influence in that.

In war, the only way you can get overkill is if you destroy the target so much the area around it isn't worth taking over anymore, like NBC weaponry. Talks didn't work out, so force was applied, the military leaders decided to use anything and everything they thought they needed. The concept of a "fair fight" is ludicrous in combat. War is about eliminating the enemy. I don't think what they did was unnecessary. Yeah georgia couldn't fight back, but do you expect their enemy to send an equal number of tanks to make it a fair battle? Not gonna happen. Also, looking into Russian history, their leaders' past time is destroying rebels. It shouldn't have come as a surprise.

Yup, I guess this is how the world works.



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EDIT: (since there isn't a post after this yet)

Anyone see the Obama speech? I have no idea how McCain will top that. He practically saw every card that McCain could use beforehand, and crushed them so bad that McCain will now look worse if he did use them. And to top it off, McCain isn't special anymore, with his experience in senate and military service, since they got Bidan.


[ Edited Aug 29, 2008 ]

'The unseen cast no shadow' ~THE ROAD, Cormac McCarthy

"Only a fool trusts his life to a weapon." Frank Jaeger, Metal Gear Solid