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Political Threads This section is for Political Threads - Enter at your own risk. If you say you don't want to see what someone posts - don't read it :hihi:

 
 
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Old 10-23-2007, 11:40 AM   #1
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Socialism at it's best--

$5000 per each newborn for college or buying a house.

Like welfare for each child born doesn't do enough to increase the population and put more strain on our society.

Innovative thinking.

" Choose Life "
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Old 10-23-2007, 01:40 PM   #2
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Assume that average after-tax returns are 5% annually. That's generous in this environment.

In 18 years, that $5,000 would be worth about $12,033.

$5,000 x (1.05)^18 = $12,033.

It costs about $30,000 A YEAR to send a kid to a private four-year college.

Education expenses are growing at a 5% clip (faster than published inflation).

So to send a kid to school, you'll need 4 x $30,000 = $120,000 in today's dollars to finance a college education.

But this is growing at a 5% clip a year, so, in 18 years, it will cost

$120,000 x (1.05)^18 = $288,794 to send a kid to college in 18 years.

Let me get this straight: Her Thigness wants to make sure kids have about $12,000 in beer money to attend school that will cost $289,000 18 years from now?

Sound like pandering to me.

Oh, the numbers get even worse with saving up for a house.

Is Shrillary saying people can't save up for their own educations and housing?

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Old 10-23-2007, 02:57 PM   #3
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dont you see the real point? more children = more citizens = bigger military = more power

if the pure pinkos weren't so counter productive we would all be done for. why they are restricting births i have no idea. the next war against the pinkos is coming. we best be bulking up.. russia is pissed. the iranian war will cost many lives. then god forbid we need to fight russia off too. if that happens. guess whos knocking on the west coasts door? china. i dont think we nearly have enough troops to fend off china alone. let alone china iran AND russia. north korea would hop in. possibly going over board and nuking half the west coast. and setting off the end of the world in the process. and cuba.. well they would take their revenge shots.. we have too many enemies too close to the front lines. as much as people want to hide behind economics (pure capitalism) thats the truth. you can say its financially not a smart move for them financially. but the fact of the matter is in some places chivalry is not dead and money isnt everything. pride out weighs the costs.

as much as i hate to say it, we could learn something from them.
that isnt a shot at our troops at all. i am saying our government is just as corrupt as theirs if not more so. the difference being when their government send honorable men (being those who follow orders believing it is best for their countries. not those taliban f*cks) to die for their countries, they tell them straight up this is what we want. this is why. and when you die you died for this. of course its also their form of propaganda. but they are more honest. since their actions stem from hatred and anger, and not political moving and financial gains.

it's an extremely complicated thing to convey with OUT offending some one. because soldiers to governments are expendable. they may be OUR friends and family, but to their governments they are not more then statics and weapons. from generals down are all canon fodder in the overall goal of the leaders. it's sad but true.

which is why i have lost all hope in the world. and will no longer be voting for anyone. non of the people currently running have the interests of the human soul at heart. they cant even make a stand for themselves. they just say what ever makes people happy showing a desire for power. you best believe if i ever ran, i would lay my heart and soul on the table and let the people decide. i would not cater to special interest groups etc. and thus never be able to effectively run. cause it takes money. and you cant get the funds if you anger people.
but i think thats what this country needs some one who is no bullzhit. says hey, this is how i feel if you dont like it dont vote. not hese politicaly correct dinks who try to make every one happy.

a good leader stands for something. a bad leader falls for everything.

ADD ON:: for those of you who are unware.. the korean war never ended.. we have been in an ceasefire for 50 years with no peace terms ever decided on.

There he stands, draped in more equipment than a telephone lineman, trying to outwit an organism with a brain no bigger than a breadcrumb, and getting licked in the process. ~Paul O'Neil, 1965
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Old 10-23-2007, 03:05 PM   #4
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america will no longer be a dominant world power.

the chinese and the indians are waking up (economically) and you just can't fight that tide.

and as long as we are dependent on imported crude oil, we're screwed that much more.

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Old 10-23-2007, 03:14 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by fishpoopoo View Post
america will no longer be a dominant world power.

the chinese and the indians are waking up (economically) and you just can't fight that tide.

and as long as we are dependent on imported crude oil, we're screwed that much more.
holy crap.. some one who sees the truth..

There he stands, draped in more equipment than a telephone lineman, trying to outwit an organism with a brain no bigger than a breadcrumb, and getting licked in the process. ~Paul O'Neil, 1965
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Old 10-23-2007, 03:15 PM   #6
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actually..l you did use indians inccorectly. since indians are technically from the indonesian area and have nothing to do with the middle east. the correct enemy would be arabians/plastinians (what ever those are since the jews (sorry for such a racist sounding remark but "jewish people" doesnt right either) claim they never existed).

ADD ON: i am one of the most patriotic people around and i am finding really hard to be so lately. even for my friends over seas. but how can we compete with this? (granted there is some north korean in there but it's all the same) they out number us and are highly organized. to the extent of the nazi party. which gave us and the rest of the word a run for our money. we are already stretched to thin to deal with unorganized militia. imagine facing a well trained organized army willing to fight to the death?! unless ever civilian arms themselves and fights to the death should china invade we are pretty well screwed. you claim editing but this is reality. korea isnt far behind and has nukes. which they will use pre-emptive out of hatred.


that one wasnt even the one i wanted.. it was to focused on infantry. and even for me seemed a bit a edited to appear larger.. hear are the real concerns..

Last edited by GonnaCatchABig1; 10-23-2007 at 03:38 PM..

There he stands, draped in more equipment than a telephone lineman, trying to outwit an organism with a brain no bigger than a breadcrumb, and getting licked in the process. ~Paul O'Neil, 1965
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Old 10-23-2007, 03:53 PM   #7
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now what really scares me is the things we dont see. just like with our weapons.

now granted you cant get a good scale fo the size of their armies. the only thing truly driving their economy is military build up. and should war occur, it would only be because russia was involved. imagine that well of an organized/trained army. supported uninterrupted by russia. on top of fighting well trained russian troops. trying to keep iran from taking over the middle east, (which will eventually allow them to enter the war later on. with more russian backing. they are an industrial country after all). it can't be done.

and honestly i am surprised it has taken as long as it has to set it in motion.

the only way to really cut russia off from chin and vice versa would be nuclear conflict. which with north korea on edge would instantly spark armageddon.

i dont think people truly understand the severity on whats going on. they stay in their shells, trying to convince them selves prevention will work. sure it may avoid armageddon. but as far as ground and air based standard conventional/tactical warfare is concerned we have never been more at risk.

then you have to ask yourselves how far would the world leaders go in teh name of honor/pride? would wiping out life on the planet be better than losing? with this much hatred involved and the years of built up angst i wouldn't be surprised.

these smaller holy wars have paved the way to political turmoil. and its all up to bush to please russia..

so long world.

There he stands, draped in more equipment than a telephone lineman, trying to outwit an organism with a brain no bigger than a breadcrumb, and getting licked in the process. ~Paul O'Neil, 1965
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Old 10-23-2007, 04:22 PM   #8
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that's all fine and good.

i'm not terribly worried about China. they have what, 20% of the world's population and 10% of the farmland?

how are they gonna feed their troops if they get no food imports?

there's not enough dogs in all the no-kill shelters in the entire world that could accommodate the hungry mouths in the PLA for even a day.


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Old 10-23-2007, 04:31 PM   #9
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Old 10-23-2007, 04:33 PM   #10
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Old 10-23-2007, 04:40 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by fishpoopoo View Post
that's all fine and good.

i'm not terribly worried about China. they have what, 20% of the world's population and 10% of the farmland?

how are they gonna feed their troops if they get no food imports?

there's not enough dogs in all the no-kill shelters in the entire world that could accommodate the hungry mouths in the PLA for even a day.

i couldnt tell if that was sarcasm. since we alll know what asians can do in the name of honor. nothing short of a nuke stops them. but that was when they didn't have nukes backing em up. plus ya gotta remember, californians will roll right over. giving them all those happy californian cows. which make the best cheese. (according to the commercials) new mexico and arizona might be tough, what with all the gun nuts. but they just dont have the numbers. i say they make it half way across the country before hitting the east coaster/southern road block. aka our last stand. just not enough people between cali and kansas. nor time to set up further west than that. unless canada and mexico rushed to our defense... ya know that canadian naval blockade.. and those mexcan storm troopers not dying to get out of unsanitary desert conditions. we really have some poor buffers. considering canada would pulled to europe to cover the eastern fronts in the name of england. we wouldnt really hafta concern ourselve till late with the eastern front. but all thats seperating our nation from china is the ocean and california. and well.. hippies dont hold an automatic assault rifle to well. especially since they are commie sympathizers. i feel bad for all the die hard between here and there but they would be out numbered at least two to one.

our only option pull everything out of the middle east. which be counter productive and give iran/russia complete control of the middle east. russia may even creep into the chezck and back into pre ww1/2 territories. cutting us off from oil for out armored divisions and ships. completely shutting down the "freedom fighters" resistance. i would be scattered militia fighting of the commies. and since gun control law prevent us from arming ourselves to the teeth.. not much we can do. unless you have some military buddies who snuck "some things" back.

i would join if i could get medical clearance but i cant. i feel no fight is more important than the "cold war". but i am put on the side lines. we will see who is crazy for wanting .50's on ever corner of their establishment.



of course bush might actually not piss of russia (doubtful since two years ago you could see putin pissed at press conference) and pull something that in no way resembles how he completely insulted north korea's attempt at peace talks.

There he stands, draped in more equipment than a telephone lineman, trying to outwit an organism with a brain no bigger than a breadcrumb, and getting licked in the process. ~Paul O'Neil, 1965
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Old 10-23-2007, 04:49 PM   #12
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the above post.. meh.. kinda found the cat one hard to watch. im a cat lover. but it's no different then chicken, turkey or cow.

if some one messed with MY cat how ever. shotgun blast to the face. assuming i could find a shot to blast in their face. if they are bred for food.. so be it.

still what they eat, make no difference. minute men ate british dogs during the revolutionary war.. it's good eating so i hear. meat is meat. aand meat is food. and food is food. and it has been that way since the dawn of time.

There he stands, draped in more equipment than a telephone lineman, trying to outwit an organism with a brain no bigger than a breadcrumb, and getting licked in the process. ~Paul O'Neil, 1965
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Old 10-23-2007, 04:53 PM   #13
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1) we have a fairly large ocean separating us from china. unless they're all good swimmers, that's a huge supply line to maintain for a land-based assault. now, we know they've more or less infiltrated san francisco and hongcouver, but ...

2) we have them by the balls, as it were. they're sitting on so much funny u.s. paper money (financing our current account and budget deficits) that all we have to do is stop paying interest on u.s. treasuries and they won't be so rich anymore. isn't it hysterical that china is financing our military budget and wartime spending?

3) they'd starve. americans are fiercely protective of their pets.

4) gun nuts are good. it was a harvard-schooled japanese admiral who said invasion of the mainland u.s. (right before pearl harbor) would be unwise, because "there is a rifle behind every blade of grass."

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Old 10-23-2007, 05:30 PM   #14
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1) we have a fairly large ocean separating us from china. unless they're all good swimmers, that's a huge supply line to maintain for a land-based assault. now, we know they've more or less infiltrated san francisco and hongcouver, but ...
it's not that big. for china yes. for russia/china no. (russia/chine to alaska and then down) turn hawaii into a depot, with half of our stuff watching russian subs and spread out in the gulf not much in the way.

i know american subs have quite a fire power cability. (and our carries have the fire power of an entire fleet) but we dont know what china has. just like how japan kept underground airfields. simple tricks often fool the smartest minds.. if 5 yr olds can get a riddle that geniuses cant solve then the chinese can hide things too.
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2) we have them by the balls, as it were. they're sitting on so much funny u.s. paper money (financing our current account and budget deficits) that all we have to do is stop paying interest on u.s. treasuries and they won't be so rich anymore. isn't it hysterical that china is financing our military budget and wartime spending?
yeah if they successfully invaded, they wouldn't need to be worried. they'd have tactical position. in fact, once we are gone. the americas are theirs. what south american country would resist? they need room to expand. and russia would sacrifice the americas to take europe and have us out of the way. korea and iran are pawns. i ran might get africa for a while and korea might geting the indonesia area.
but they are both to small to profit in the long run. they would be a distraction to keep the allies spread out.
AND they wouldnt be funding anyone.
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3) they'd starve. americans are fiercely protective of their pets.

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4) gun nuts are good. it was a harvard-schooled japanese admiral who said invasion of the mainland u.s. (right before pearl harbor) would be unwise, because "there is a rifle behind every blade of grass."
you forget at the time AMERICA WAS AMERICA!! kids played soldier in the street in large groups! parents allowed toy guns! they taught their kids the home land was moe important then anything else! they taught the ways of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!!!
WE ARE ANYTHING BUT RIGHT NOW!!
we are more like the un-united states of who knows what continent! we've got immigrants who didnt legally bother to become citizens who would high tail it in a war. we arent allowed to arm ourselves anymore, for fear of the ""ghetto"" folk violating every sacred law in this country. (aka cop killing) we cant control our own peoples hatred of one another during wars. we fear other americans more than our enemies. most us dont even know who the enemy is anymore.
there is a serious overtone of oppression causing uprising, as opposed to ww2 when here was a sense of growing freedom for all.

i my self am convinced th biggest enemy is our rulers. they restrict our abilities to defend our homes. ya know what i got in the mail the other day? despite my failed physicals (shows how much they keep tabs) i got a marines recruitment book. ya wanna know what the big hook was these days?! A FREE T-SHIRT!! thats right not the pride of risking your life to save our country. not the pride of serving our country. not the benfits you or your family would receive. but a free T-SHIRT!!! now any decent american wouldnt need the t shirt or anything else.. but that is pretty freakin weak. basically states "die for you country and this shirt!"

and i hate to dis the country but this is how its been since nam. ww2 soldiers were heroes to this country.MAJOR national parades were thrown for those that came home alive. now your lucky if your town decides you are worthy of a welcome home. i have seen many go over and come back. with barely anything more than a party thrown by close friends and family.

the gov treats or troops like crap. we treat our troops like crap. most people dont even think what we are doing is right. me included. i can not support sending my fiends to die for political maneuvering.

how a country in that state is supposed to defend it self against a nation who is fully behind it's cause i dont know.

the only thing i can campare it too as bad as it it is. is yankees vs sox in 2004. the yankees being america and the sox begin every one else.
the yankees felt and easy win and security with not much passion mean while the sox felt 86 years of repression at their hands. and felt that they had an entire ""nation"" resting on their shoulders. fighting for people who CARED about if they won or not. and look how that turned out.

i know it horrible to compare a sport to war. but the determination and factors of trust love and loyalty all combine into the same momentum.

ok how about rocky 4. we can all relate to the determination and heart of rocky.

thats what we are up against!

and if you dont have that burning desire to win, you've already lost. and i fear we are losing that desire. we no longer have the eye of the tiger. as much as i wish we did. we dont. we let all of our selfish personal quarrels get in the way. we are a nation divided and a divided nation falls.

There he stands, draped in more equipment than a telephone lineman, trying to outwit an organism with a brain no bigger than a breadcrumb, and getting licked in the process. ~Paul O'Neil, 1965
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Old 10-23-2007, 07:05 PM   #15
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well, you know, china isn't exactly immune to the same types of social ills our society has.

* widening gap between urban middle class and rural poor

* rampant pollution tied to inefficient industrial production

* government corruption

some are unique to china:

* the aborting of females in a society that prizes male heirs. the country will be full of homos or ronery guys getting mail order brides from vietnam. dont' laugh - it's already happening!

* some chinese are picking up the petty bourgeois habit of keeping dogs as pets instead of eating them

all this is magnified by the sheer size of the country.

to wit, their strength (size and numbers) is also their weakness.

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Old 10-23-2007, 08:09 PM   #16
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China doesn't have the sealift capacity to guarantee they can take Taiwan, 90 miles off their coast, let alone trudge across the pacific... Invasion off the table. Ten years from now, different story - For Taiwan. We can hurt them militarily a lot more than they can hurt us but we can't invade - not an option on so many levels.

China doesn't have nuclear capability in numbers or accuracy to launch a first strike against us. Interestingly though they are pushing ahead with 3-5 new ballistic missile subs which will give them capability against Alaska and Hawaii if they stay in the only safe waters available to them. Anything outside of that safe sea and they are torpedo fodder.. China's ICBM inventory ain't much thought their next class of land based missiles will reach a lot of the continental US.

The US outclasses anyone in the world in first strike or counter strike though the Russians still have a lot of stuff, some/much if which still works...

China is not much of a nuclear threat and not at all an invasion threat though they will likely be a serious nuclear threat in a couple decades...

China is growing nuts (and all the associated problems associated with feeding that growth). They are increasing the quality of their military while reducing the quantity of junk...

But they can't invade us...

They can surpass us as a World Power down the road a bit if WE, The US, Dems & Repubs, Moms and Dads, continue to do a lousy job with our country and we'll forfeit our place in history - no need for the Chinese to take it from us...

Rant off

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Old 10-23-2007, 08:12 PM   #17
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why would the chinese invade or attack the country that buys most of its crap?

making s-b.com a kinder, gentler place for all
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Old 10-23-2007, 09:20 PM   #18
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why would the chinese invade or attack the country that buys most of its crap?
They won't as long as they are rational or something more dear to them isn't threatened... And they can't invade...

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Old 10-23-2007, 09:46 PM   #19
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America's biggist enemy is americans.

carry on.
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Old 10-24-2007, 07:29 AM   #20
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Quote:
Mao Zedong, like many of his countrymen, refused to brush his teeth, choosing instead to rinse with tea and chew the leaves. He answered his critics with a rhetorical question: "Does a tiger brush his teeth?"

A rhetorical answer: Do a tiger's teeth turn green and fall out? No.

Did Mao's? Yes.

Quote:
The Private Life of Chairman Mao is a memoir published in 1996 by Dr. Li Zhisui, one of the personal physicians of Mao Zedong, who emigrated to the United States in the years after Mao's death. The book was controversial and was banned in the People's Republic of China.

According to the book, Dr. Li witnessed Mao's private life on a day-to-day basis, mostly dealing with Mao at the height of his powers. Li alleged that Mao appeared anxious of the public but was indifferent to the problems of the Chinese people. It also shows Mao's signs of illness, paranoia, as well as neglecting dental hygiene (Mao's teeth had a green-coated film; when Dr. Li touched Mao's gums, pus oozed out).
he didn't bathe either. ewww.






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Old 10-24-2007, 08:43 AM   #21
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of course, the chinese gov't could care less.

Quote:
Red river brings cancer, Chinese villagers say

*River through village darkened by discharges from iron-ore mine

*Cancer rate in China is 137 per 100,000 people; higher rate in village

*U.S. imported $4.1B worth of seafood, agricultural products from China in 2006

*Chinese agency cracked down on polluters in September

(CNN) -- Liangqiao, a small collection of huts and farms in southern China, is known as a cancer village.

It is where Hu Xiaoping, a husband and father and a farmer, died an agonizing death at age 30 one year after being diagnosed with colon cancer.

His widow, Zhu Chun Yun, blames his death on the brown and rust-colored water from the river, which farmers use to irrigate their crops.

"The doctor in the hospital told us not to live here," she told CNN through an interpreter. "He said don't eat the rice and don't drink the water."

Residents of Liangqiao say their river is polluted because of the iron-ore mine about 35 miles away, which is run by a nationally owned company.

Mining for iron-ore exposes naturally occurring heavy metals like arsenic and cadmium, which are both carcinogens. Without proper water treatment facilities, water contaminated with high levels of these metals is hazardous and can possibly cause cancer.

Jingjing Zhang, an environmental lawyer who is working the villagers who want to sue the government, said the Dabaoshan mine has been polluting the Hengshui River for decades.

"I always had a dream to live in a place where there's a clean river I can swim in, but this dream seems very difficult to achieve in China now," she said.

Twenty-eight people in this village of 400 have died over the last 10 years from cancer -- a rate much higher than the rest of country. The overall mortality rate for 2006 was 137 deaths per 100,000 residents.

Pollution is a serious problem throughout China.

The Chinese ministry of health reported that increased pollution has made cancer the leading cause of death in the country.

China, along with the United States, is a leading emitter of greenhouse gases, which experts say can contribute to global warming. In terms of total emissions, China is projected by the International Energy Association to become the world's leading greenhouse gas producing country this year.

It can also impact the U.S. food supply. The amount of food imported from China has grown dramatically in the past decade. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the United States imported $4.1 billion worth of seafood and agricultural products from China in 2006. In 1995, it was $800 million.

In June, the United States banned five types of fish and shrimp from China because inspectors found traces of cancer-causing chemicals and antibiotics in the products.

Small villages like Liangqiao have little recourse against big companies that might be polluting their air or water.

CNN talked to the mine's director who acknowledged environmental issues with the mine, but said it wasn't a problem that could be solved overnight. He said some of the smaller, privately owned mines should share blame for the problems.

The mine has given the villagers some compensation. About 1,700 Yuan ($200) for the whole village, Zhang told CNN.

Zhang continues to build her case against the mine, trying to win compensation for medical testing, health care and damage to the village's rice crops. She hopes to go to trial next year.

Water tests from Huanan Agricultural University have concluded the Hengshui is indeed too toxic for any human use, in stark contrast to what Jingjing said the government told the villagers.

They told her "we already meet all environmental standards," she said.

China is trying to address its pollution problem. In September, the Chinese State Environmental Protection Administration shut down 400 companies for water-pollution violations and suspended 249 other businesses, according to China Daily. And last week China announced a joint campaign with the European Union to clean up China's two largest river basins. The government hopes to have a dramatically cleaner country by August, when it will be host to the Olympics.

It is too late for Zhu's husband. She said that after he got cancer he was unable to work and he reluctantly went for medical treatment.

"He didn't want to go to the hospital because he worried we didn't have enough money to bring up our daughter," she said.

Zhu told CNN she doesn't have time to be sad. All she worries about is caring for daughter and her small plot of land.

The villagers have figured out a way to pipe clean drinking water down from a nearby mountain, but they still use the dirty water to irrigate the crops.

"They have no other choice," Jingjing said.

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Old 10-24-2007, 03:04 PM   #22
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They won't as long as they are rational or something more dear to them isn't threatened... And they can't invade...
as of right now.. they wont. it would be insane. but you arent thinking big picture..

if we got in a scrap with russia which led to bigger conflict. that would change. the kremlin is still big on the pinko ideals. and considering they share massive expanses of border china would be put into a either support us or support the capitalist situation. china would key territory between us and russia. plus the ruskies smart enough to know american factories cant support the country. so if china opposes.. they march right in and shut down the factories. cut of japan and taiwan if not outright invade. north korea make a move south of them. that would give the ruskies side i'd guess over 70% of the worlds industrial power. and since communism is notorious for needing high factory output to work. it all falls into place. china and russia economies would boom again. as they put out infinite amounts of tanks and fighters. and canned goods.
meanwhile we would our economy would fall apart. americans would be in an uproar over the fact that our precious consumer goods were cut off. our factories wouldn't be able to support our population. millions would lose jobs since most jobs depend on asian imports.
and our military factories couldnt keep up with the russian and chinese factories.

this perfect little economic world we live in is very very finely balanced. and only works right now out of trust that the others care more about profit then anything else. should some one get mad enough to decide and disrupt that balance. all bets are off. thats why the capitalist try and take land with clever political moves. they either need complete control or to keep every one happy.

right now we are the only ones who would stand to lose should russia and china go postal on us. even if they did not outright invade. just cut us off. it would make a huge impact on our economy. and pave the way for an invasion a few years down the line. our military is already stretched thin. should our economy fail it only gets worse. our only option would be to with draw all troops and defend the homeland until we could industrialize. and that give russia and iran the exact thing they want in the middle east. korea would take south korea. and china would be happily and more easily exporting to russia. russia would get all the buffers they wanted. and maybe not a single shot would be fired. and once the land grabs were done thing would return to normal. oor russia and china see their chance to expand and ww3 starts.

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Old 10-24-2007, 03:12 PM   #23
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plus the ruskies smart enough to know american factories cant support the country.
That sounds like the assumptions of Germany and Japan prior to WWII.

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Old 10-24-2007, 03:20 PM   #24
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i somewhat doubt china and russia have amibitions outside of their respective geopolitical and economic spheres of influence.

to the extent that current events have the u.s. off-balance, that's all fine and good with them.

russia's just paying off its IMF debts and doesn't want to get into an arms race it can't afford.

china, in spite of its deep-rooted tradition of being an authoritarian nation (well before communism took hold with mao) is going to experience some social fermentation that inevitably comes with rapid economic growth - that should be an interesting distraction for the folks in the forbidden city.

what will REALLY screw things up in the region is resurgent japanese nationalism and beefed up military spending.

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Old 10-25-2007, 07:05 PM   #25
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as of right now.. they wont. it would be insane. but you arent thinking big picture..
Russia is just rattling some sabers and trying to exert more influence in the world. The "partnerships" of Russia and China (like Shanghai Cooperative Organization) are not Nato, ASEAN, or a regened Warsaw Pact. They are just organizations that have some cooperation and like to wedge on US interests in the area. Russia is making some coin at the moment and have grand plans but their only card right now is that the US is off balance in many ways.

China ain't buying as much of Russia these days militarily now that they've copied and learned a lot and what they are buying is more pieces and less complete system complexes. Russia and China are more friends of convenience at the moment because - at the moment - they can be a fairly effective counterweight on us.

Oh, and Russia can't invade either. They have nukes but can't invade. I seriously doubt they could significantly roll anywhere at the moment or in the near future (not that I am expert or anything, just that I try to read on this crap) so they are trying the old way of realinging some of their former "republics" back into their sphere of influence...

Russia and China cannot go toe to toe with us where they can reach us in a conventional sense. The Navy and Air Force, for all of the shortfalls they have, remain by far the class of the world. The Army and Marines are hurting yes but the Navy and Air Force are significant threats...

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right now we are the only ones who would stand to lose should russia and china go postal on us
If Postal means Nukes than we're all screwed. If Postal means conventional then they can really only disrupt (debatable) the US in their backyards. We can't invade either of them (not enough sealift)and they can't invade us, not enough lift of anything.

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