Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Location: By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea
68,329 posts, read 54,373,658 times
Reputation: 40731
Quote:
Originally Posted by LearnMe
“The great enemy of truth is very often not the lie--deliberate, contrived and dishonest--but the myth--persistent, persuasive and unrealistic. Too often we hold fast to the cliches of our forebears. We subject all facts to a prefabricated set of interpretations. We enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.
[Commencement Address at Yale University, June 11 1962]” ―John F. Kennedy
Pretty good for a speech given at Yale by a Harvard man.
This seems like an incorrect statement from the OP, most liberals don't have any issue with people owning guns, the issue is with background checks and them being done at a federal level rather than state level.
Not only incorrect as pointed out by more than a few comments already, but weapons sales to Vietnam is not as if we are supplying gun shops and gun shows for sale of pistols and rifles to the people of Vietnam.
The concern, in any case, is more that of China's, about jets and tanks and rocket lauchers, not everyday citizens wondering which next nut bag is packing and looking to shoot kids at school.
"Vietnam would probably like a full array of modern American weapons, but fiscal and geopolitical realities must temper expectations. American weapons are expensive — a single F-35 fighter bomber costs $100 million, and Vietnam's entire defense budget is only $7 billion.
The United States will — at least for the foreseeable future — refuse requests to sell deadly weapons like bombs or missiles to Vietnam. If American weapons caused Chinese casualties, no matter who was at fault in the incident, the U.S. would be held responsible."
This seems like an incorrect statement from the OP, most liberals don't have any issue with people owning guns, the issue is with background checks and them being done at a federal level rather than state level.
The first reason is our military weapons businesses always need new markets so their growth may continue. The other is we want the Vietnamese to be able to renew their continuous fight to keep their country from being another part of the Empire of the Han. We only care about that because Vietnam has huge undeveloped petroleum reserves. We want to sell that oil to China instead of just watching them pump the stuff and sell it to us.
This has nothing to do with Liberal or Conservative. It is about the long term control of the world wide oil supply.
Hence a US Government proposal to sell weapons to the Vietnamese.
No I didn't miss civics class, I am sure you are talking about your guns again, but I do think it is silly for the US to have gun laws that vary from state to state. Gun laws are something that should be done at a federal level since it is one of our amendments.
No I didn't miss civics class, I am sure you are talking about your guns again, but I do think it is silly for the US to have gun laws that vary from state to state. Gun laws are something that should be done at a federal level since it is one of our amendments.
Yeah but...
I'm no real gun enthusiast like those who can't post about anything else in these threads, but I do recognize how different states can be in terms of gun culture. There are parts of America where hunting and guns is just part of growing up, part of the culture, what they do. In other states and/or larger metropolitan areas, that culture is hardly existent. Instead it's guns being used for drive bys and liquor store robberies...
Bit of exaggeration there for effect, but you get the idea. I can understand how the ways in one state may rightfully differ from another, and I'm not sure federal oversight in many cases should undermine the right of each state to maintain those differences accordingly and/or as appropriate.
The first reason is our military weapons businesses always need new markets so their growth may continue. The other is we want the Vietnamese to be able to renew their continuous fight to keep their country from being another part of the Empire of the Han. We only care about that because Vietnam has huge undeveloped petroleum reserves. We want to sell that oil to China instead of just watching them pump the stuff and sell it to us.
This has nothing to do with Liberal or Conservative. It is about the long term control of the world wide oil supply.
Hence a US Government proposal to sell weapons to the Vietnamese.
It's basically a sop to FMS (foreign military sales) - and defense contractors, who want new markets.
And if it sends a nice little message to China - it can serve as a geostrategic idea, though this has to be very carefully played, as China already sees itself "encircled" by US-leaning entities on its eastern side - Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Philippines.
Trying to play the "Vietnam" card is probably more theoretical than real. Vietnam historically wants to be independent of any big power, whether it's the Chinese or the Americans, so don't look at that as making Vietnam a US ally.
That oil isn't "ours" to sell. It belongs to Vietnam. They'll decide who to sell that to, and it goes on the international market.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Liberals, why are you willing to sell arms to Vietnam, but don't think Americans should own guns?
