The US is the largest arms exporter in the world.

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Originally posted by: alchemize

Originally posted by: CanOWorms
Selling weapons to people under threat from European imposed genocide seems like a good move. We should be building the relationships of the future. We will need allies when we invade the UK, France, Germany, and other European countries.

Crack is whack, brotha.

Let's not mention the Shah of Iran and the later rise of the Iotola Homani.
And a plethora of other misdealings.
Most terrorists are recruited with such facts.
But we'll just throw another GI. on the barbie and not worry about it!

 

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Originally posted by: evident

Originally posted by: JohnOfSheffield

Originally posted by: evident
our allies buying arms from us is creating alot of jobs in the defense sector. the dept im in depends on a significant % these contracts

Well you sold to Iraq too, great deal for those who had to stand against those weapons, eh?

Doesn't seem like you learned your lesson about dealing with thirld world temporary buddies either.

yeah, i have a big problem with that too. the sales that i see are only to developed nations like japan australia and spain. it's a shame that the gov't allows the shady deals to go on as well as ones that are pretty legit and help our national security, not much i can do about it though.

imposed sales for alliance, and definitely not the current bug less 2009 editions.

 

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Originally posted by: HappyPuppy

Originally posted by: Lemon law
Excuse me, I want to find some shame to crawl into when the damn USA can't sign a treaty banning the use and manufacture of land mines.

Every day, all over the world, totally innocent children are being killed and maimed for life while we in the USA think we are holier than thou.

I hope there will be a special place in hell for those fine haired sons of a bitches, as we in the USA do not have the moral fortitude to demand better.

You have obviously never been cut off from your line of supply and any possible defense from above with only a few other soldiers. The only reason we lived through that was because of mines.

I do not like mines, but I also don't care for artillery, missiles or any type of firearm.

The saddest day in the Milky Way Galaxy will be when Earthlings discover the technology for interstellar travel.

No, it will take evolving out of being psychopathic killers before that will be realised.

 

[0marTheZealot]

Surprised to see Italy at #2, would have sworn it was Russia.

Quick, how many gears does an Italian tank have?

4 in reverse, 1 in forward, in case of a sneak attack from the rear.

 

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Originally posted by: technologyslice
The U.S. usually sell arms to both sides of a war where they can.

yes like in WW2 before it was compelled to fight, because its shipping was getting nailed, stopping the revenue flow from the war.

 

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Originally posted by: misle
So, when they say, "The United States accounted for more than two-thirds of foreign weapons sales." Do they mean the US Government or private industry within the US?

What really is the difference between the public relations department and head office?

 

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Originally posted by: Fear No Evil

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero

Originally posted by: Fear No Evil

Originally posted by: Lemon law
Excuse me, I want to find some shame to crawl into when the damn USA can't sign a treaty banning the use and manufacture of land mines.

Every day, all over the world, totally innocent children are being killed and maimed for life while we in the USA think we are holier than thou.

I hope there will be a special place in hell for those fine haired sons of a bitches, as we in the USA do not have the moral fortitude to demand better.

The USA is the only country to deploy landmines? Or does your hatred toward children dying only apply when the U.S. is responsible? Is it OK if we kill children with something OTHER than landmines? I'm just trying to get clarification here..

Ok ok ok.. stay with me here for a second. Lets say a South Korean child walks across the border to North Korea (Who can blame him for trying to get to paradise?).. and he gets blown up by a North Korean landmine. Do you STILL blame the U.S. for that? Can you somehow link GWB and the Republicans not providing him free healthcare and driving him to want to want across the DMZ?

Ok ok ok! Let me be serious for a second. Lets say Dick Cheney and Condi Rice have a child. We'll call the child Dickondi Cheney (That sounds perverted - But.. let me continue).. Dickondi Cheney walks into an Iranian minefield on accident and gets killed. Do you still feel bad?

I guess I am just totally confused here. I don't understand if its OK for Americans to be killed by foreign mines.. and if your outrage applies there.. Or if its only foreign people getting killed by American mines? I give up..

I think you're missing his point. It's not so much the laying, it's the manufacture. Sure, you can say, "Mines don't kill people, mine layers do!", but that is just leaving morality at the door. A mine may be laid by North Korea, but if that mine was manufactured by a US Arms supplier, then you need to consider the fact that they now have some responsibility for the death of whoever it kills. The supplier is the enabler.

Are you suggesting the U.S. is the only maker of mines in the world? My point is many in this thread seem willing to point the finger at anyone other than the U.S. Does anyone have any proof that the majority of kids killed by mines are killed by mines produced by the U.S.?

Should we be holding Obama criminally responsible for not stopping these sales of weapons who kill children?

No, I think that's not what their trying to say, it's a case of the Usa being the foremost legitimizer of those "products".
I would love to see you have to take care of a child with no leg due to a landmine and see if you would still dilly-dally about the petals of the argument instead of the morality at its stem.
if the Usa banned production of landmines the rest would most certainly have to stop as well.
In the name of Dianna Spencer, wake up there good man!
They no longer have a real place in modern conflict, they are like crossbows are to rifles and only are useful to terrorists, what ever nationality that might be!

 

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Originally posted by: Common Courtesy
There are probably many more AK47, AK74 and knockoffs than there are the AR15, M16, etc out in the hands of countries and warlords. Munitions are made in higher quantities and sold cheaper from those countries the were linked to the Soviet/Communist expansions

Russia, China will be happy to pickup the slack for weapons that we refuse to sell - and to any side with the $$.

The NATO allies also sell weapons - what pressure will you be able to exert on other countries to stop - you just are opening up the market for them.

In the US it is difficult for a manufacturer to sell abroad without oversight.

In other nations, underground sales are expected to avoid political backlass.

But far from impossible, sarin gas ring a Halliburton bell?

 

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Originally posted by: nobodyknows
The country with the best weapons in the world is also selling the most weapons? Who da thunk it?

Yesss, isn't "free market capitalism" a good thing!
It stimulates "innovation and prosperity".

 

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Originally posted by: Craig234

Originally posted by: fisheerman
so if you stab someone with a ginsu is the knife maker "an enabler" of the crime?

Arms sales pick winners and loswers, they cause wars and increase violence in a way that Ginsu knives do not.

Ginsu knives and military armaments are very different in terms of the impact they canhave on the politics of a society.

better yet what about the scientists that developed nuclear fission. Is he/them "enablers" of the bombings of Japan?

Yes, but the motives for ending the war with Japan were different than the motives for many arms sales. Apples and oranges.

I don't think R.K. Oppenheimer lost any sleep when they bombed fascist japan- remember he was a closet commie.

 

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Originally posted by: 0marTheZealot
Surprised to see Italy at #2, would have sworn it was Russia.

Quick, how many gears does an Italian tank have?

4 in reverse, 1 in forward, in case of a sneak attack from the rear.

Most modern tank designs spring forth from the panzer, which the pommies gave the Krauts the idea of during WW1 with the highly unsuccessful crocodile- Crikey! Streuth!
Italian tanks have a wine cellar and cheese fridge, who cares about the gears! They couldn't beat Ethiopia FFS. they sell their product on luxury grounds.
ciao' bella

 

[cwjerome]

Arsenal of Democracy