World opinion isn't a non factor but it can't prevent you from doing the right thing.
Imagine you had your life run according to what your neighbors THOUGHT of you. Just what kind of life would you be leading? Sure, your neighbors could be right from time to time but they all have their own agendas and their priorities and experiences differ from yours.
And personally, I think the world should zip it when it comes to things that have nothing to do with them. Don't have people in Iraq? That's fine. So shut up about it. If someone's taking a crap in a river and it isn't a part of your watershed... Good, now shut up about it.
Spike, I don't really think I'm a very important person, I'm just sharing some ideas that's all. Is having good relations with my neighbors important? Yes. Do they decide what I do? No. I might hear what they have to say about it but in the end I make the decision. The same goes to one's county.

Originally Posted by the_13th_redneck

World opinion isn't a non factor but it can't prevent you from doing the right thing.
Imagine you had your life run according to what your neighbors THOUGHT of you. Just what kind of life would you be leading? Sure, your neighbors could be right from time to time but they all have their own agendas and their priorities and experiences differ from yours.
And personally, I think the world should zip it when it comes to things that have nothing to do with them. Don't have people in Iraq? That's fine. So shut up about it. If someone's taking a crap in a river and it isn't a part of your watershed... Good, now shut up about it.
Spike, I don't really think I'm a very important person, I'm just sharing some ideas that's all. Is having good relations with my neighbors important? Yes. Do they decide what I do? No. I might hear what they have to say about it but in the end I make the decision. The same goes to one's county.

Ah but thats where you are wrong. The Iraq war does effect other countries even those who aren't there. The effects of war always cascade. It like throwing stones in a pond, their is always a 'ripple' effect. And other countries have every right to b**** about the secondary shocks. I certainly would. For example...

1. It cause Iraqi refugees to pour into other countries like Syria, Iran and Saudi Arabia.
2. It destabilizes the world economy especially the world price of oil.
3. It creates social instability amongst minorities in other countries. The riots in France in 2006 for example was a mix of both domestic and general unrest in the ME.
4. Creates sectarian strife in countries like Lebanon and Turkey where different religions and politics are intertwined.
5. Increases both Terrorism and Petty Crime (People trafficking, smuggling, money laundering, etc...) in other countries.

You actually have a point here.
Terrorists will in fact strike out at other countries to try to make them turn against the US.
I don't agree with all your examples but as for the general point I see what you mean.
However, terrorism in Europe has a longer history than America's involvement in Iraq, so I don't think it answers the issues completely. Again, like I said, 9/11 happened before Iraq. So did Lockerbie and Munich.

The ugly puppet of the Islamic Republic of Iran is going to Columbia University this coming Monday and we shouldn't let that happen. Thugs and murderers must not be given a podium to spread their propaganda and hatred.

Please call the Columbia University 24/7 Public Relation officer at (+1) 212-854-5573 or call the office of the Columbia university president Bollinger at (+1) 212.854.9970 or you could also send him a message via Fax: 212.854.9973

We've 48 hours to do every thing we can to stop the university officials running this shameful session. Please be civil and polite in expressing your frustration and dissatisfaction with such stupid move.

I've already called and talked to the public relation officer and told them this is very wrong to invite a murderer to Columbia Univ. You should do the same! Let them know what they are going to do is wrong and it is not right to let a madman speak his genocidal mind on campus!

Why does Columbia host Ahmadinejad

It's over P80. Unless the Columbia University guys boo him.

Originally Posted by the_13th_redneck

It's over P80. Unless the Columbia University guys boo him.

As of last night, he still insisted on going to the sacred grounds of WTC, Iranian regime news agency reported.

We must make sure that he cant get away with these actions in the free world

Columbia Dean: We'd Certainly Invite Hitler

Sat, Sep 22, 2007 at 4:07:51 pm PDT

Columbia University dean John Coatsworth says if Hitler were in the United States he’d find “plenty of platforms from which to speak.”
And Columbia would be one of them; they would “certainly invite him.”

Originally Posted by mmarsh

Ah but thats where you are wrong. The Iraq war does effect other countries even those who aren't there. The effects of war always cascade. It like throwing stones in a pond, their is always a 'ripple' effect. And other countries have every right to b**** about the secondary shocks. I certainly would. For example...

1. It cause Iraqi refugees to pour into other countries like Syria, Iran and Saudi Arabia.
2. It destabilizes the world economy especially the world price of oil.
3. It creates social instability amongst minorities in other countries. The riots in France in 2006 for example was a mix of both domestic and general unrest in the ME.
4. Creates sectarian strife in countries like Lebanon and Turkey where different religions and politics are intertwined.
5. Increases both Terrorism and Petty Crime (People trafficking, smuggling, money laundering, etc...) in other countries.

Okay lets see what I disagree with.

3. Or could it be that those countries example France have chosen to require assimilation to the culture and refused to bow to demands from immigrants to change to suit them? In the name of National Integrity.

4. Got news for you the Christians and Islamics have been going at in Lebanon/Turkey/Baltics for long time before Iraq was invaded.

5. Terrorism yeah I'll give you that too a degree. Petty crime no petty crime raises and falls. Smuggling/Trafficing are some of the most profitable criminal endeavors always have been. More are being caught because of hieghtened port and border security.

US presidential candidate Congressman Duncan Hunter of California warns the leftists at the Columbia University against the upcoming visit of the Iranian madman Ahmadinejad:

• "If President Lee Bollinger follows through with this hosting of the leader of Iran, I will move in Congress to cut off every single type of Federal Funding to Columbia University. If the left-wing leaders of academia will not support our troops, they, in the very least, should not support our adversaries."

Boycott Ahmadinejad

September 21, 2007
The Weekly Standard
William Kristol

Let the Iranian president (and the Columbia president) speak to a sea of empty seats.

A Columbia student asked how he could effectively protest his university's invitation to Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak Monday. My first response was to suggest petitions, e-mails to President Bollinger and the university trustees, letters to the student paper, peaceful protest, and the like. All these are fine. But then I had a second thought. There might be one form of protest that would be effective both in showing appropriate disgust for the Iranian regime, and in shaming the Columbia administration: A total student boycott of Ahmadinejad's speech. Let the Iranian president (and the Columbia president) look out on, and speak to, a sea of empty seats on Monday.

The rationale for a student boycott is simple: The Iranian government is directly involved in killing and wounding American soldiers in Iraq. As a gesture of elementary solidarity with those serving our nation in the military--young men and women, many of them their exact contemporaries--Columbia students should refuse to dignify Ahmadinejad's talk by attending it. Needless to say, Columbia faculty and administrators shouldn't attend either. Some of them will. But this is a chance for the 9/11 generation to show a decency and a sense of honor that some of their elders lack. After all, this is not primarily about Ahmadinejad. Dealing with his regime is mostly a task for our government. This is about us. Columbia students have a chance to shame their elders, redeem the good name of their institution, and make many Americans proud. I urge them to take it.

link to original article

Originally Posted by bulldogg

Its the democracy of sheep.

Democracy per se, is a process that follows the will of the majority regardless of what the minority may think. Other than that, we only really have Autocratic rule or Anarchy and I'm not too keen on trying either of those options just yet.

Democracy may not be perfect, but it will do me until someone finds something that works better.

Baaaaa, baaa.

Originally Posted by 03USMC

Okay lets see what I disagree with.

3. Or could it be that those countries example France have chosen to require assimilation to the culture and refused to bow to demands from immigrants to change to suit them? In the name of National Integrity.

4. Got news for you the Christians and Islamics have been going at in Lebanon/Turkey/Baltics for long time before Iraq was invaded.

5. Terrorism yeah I'll give you that too a degree. Petty crime no petty crime raises and falls. Smuggling/Trafficing are some of the most profitable criminal endeavors always have been. More are being caught because of hieghtened port and border security.

Basically what I think as well.
These people have been slugging away at themselves and Europe far longer than any of this Iraq or Afghanistan business.
What I do agree to an extent is that terrorism cases go up. The 3/11 attack on the Madrid train station is an example of an attack directly related to Iraq.
The other stuff would be a false correlation because such cases have been around LONG before 2001. Funny how they seem to hit out at countries (that is kill civilians of) that are mainly against the war and demand US defeat and withdrawal.
The part that Mmarsh says and I do agree on is that it does affect the rest of the world. But then again, so many things do that too. Heck, pollution from your country's smoke stacks affect the neighbor sometimes more than it affects your own. Fishing in your country's waters prevent those fish from migrating to your neighboring country, causing their fisheries to get poorer. Making music videos and other things that often make it into MTV angers people around the world at spreading Western garbage and corrupting their children. The list goes on and on.
So then what do we do? Get rid of MTV? Stop making rap music? Stop fishing in our country's waters? Stop factories from making anything?