Sunday, March 12, 2006

Domo Arigato


Japanese say yankee go home. Vote on US base goes 7 to 1 against.

8 comments:

Rafael said...

If my soldiers were to begin to think, not one of them would remain in the army.
-frederick the great

Anonymous said...

First of all, Raf is ugly.

More importantly, it is interesting to note that although Japan has a Self Defence force, the US military presence provides most of the deterrant to countries like North Korea, and at huge expense to the American taxpayer. It is understandable that they would not want a fighter wing to move into their neighborhood, but a lot of the repulsion has to do with the occasional rape scandal, and that, I think, is the real issue, that needs much more attention from the United States. Those soldiers need to be punished in a manner commensurate with their crimes, publicly, and to satisfy the Japanese populace.

Rafael said...

If Democracy means anything to anyone, the US would not be in Okinawa or any other Global Police Station. People, not only the Japanese, are fed up with US hegemony, with American excesses and the American obssession of the "other", the foreign evil-doer as a curtain for domestic ills: record deficits and disparagement of the poor domestically (medicare cuts, s.s. invasion, so on). Yankee go home!

Rafael said...

And in fairness, girls don't think Raf to be ugly.

Anonymous said...

An attempt to shift the conversation to the internal problem of the United States cannot mask the fact that most countries (Cuba notably excepted) not only allow the United States to amintain a presence, they welcome it. The US is the most powerful country in the world by any measure, and as a result is a better ally than enemy. Of course maintaing an overseas military is undemocratic, but our foreign policy is not, and realistically cannot be based on world-wide democracy. More nations are undemocratic than the otehr way around, and accomodating these nations is not in our best interest.
A lot of foreign rhetoric against the US is simply posturing and pandering:
"Local and regional politics also contribute to balancing rhetoric, although not to its substance. Even nondemagogic leaders face incentives to play on anti-American resentment for domestic audiences. And simple math dictates the need for more regional cooperation today than previously, much of which can take on an anti-American coloring." -American Primacy in Perspective , By: Brooks, Stephen G., Wohlforth, William C., Foreign Affairs, Jul/Aug2002.
Conceeded, the US has internal problems, but that fact should not cause us to shrink from ensuring our security, and teh security of our democratic allies.

Anonymous said...

I find Raf to be unnattractive.

Anonymous said...

See?

Rafael said...

So you needed more quotes,eh? The cornerstone of the debate is sovereignty. American sovereignty normatively should NOT trump all other forms of democratically derived positions. Demos in ancient greek means People. To usurp their freedom to choose what's best for their state is ignorant and undemocratic. Historically the US has abused its strategic powers to enforce its corporations interests, to stage coups, Haiti, Venezuela (failed), Iraw, so on. Not in the interest of security, as one would hope. When the UN order Gitmo to be closed and when the Japanese voice their opposition to US troops, it seems imbecilic to stay, and perpetuate a policy in err. I'm not going to sit her and propose everyone get along and talk things out in the UN, because the UN is deeply flawed in that States won't give it up some sovereignty to empower it, but I will say overstaying your welcome when you barged through the backdoor and shocked and awed, you should not expect to be welcome for long; and consequently take responsiblity for the repercussions of such an offence.

Andrew is absolutely insufferable and as a resut, less attractive.