A point of interst: The JSDF actually engaged in a combat operation about 5/6 years ago (not sure on exact date but i remember watching it on newround on CBBC!) the Japanese navy engaged a pirating vessel off the coast of Japan and sank it.
They already changed their constitution:
http://www.dfat.gov.au/media/releases/foreign/2001/fa166_01.html
http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/un/pko/pamph96/02_5.html
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/iraq_orbat_coalition_040826.htm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1006180,00.html
They already changed their constitution:
http://www.dfat.gov.au/media/releases/foreign/2001/fa166_01.html
http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/un/pko/pamph96/02_5.html
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/iraq_orbat_coalition_040826.htm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1006180,00.html[/quote]
Two bits from the last link. It would seem that they sill cannot take offensive action and the constitution needs amending before they can.
Mr Koizumi has insisted that they will only carry out non-combat activities in “safe areas”, such as securing the perimeter of Baghdad airport.
Under article nine of its war-renouncing constitution, Japan theoretically rejects the use of force to settle international disputes.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20050708a2.htm
Article from 8th of July. At that time they have already a draft.
Edited:
Clause 2 of Article 9 will be revised to declare the SDF’s military credentials and role of defending the nation and contributing to international peace and stability. To reflect the reality of the SDF, current ban against the nation possessing land, sea and air forces, as well as other war potential, will be scrapped.
SDF = Self Defence Force
Sounds similar to the Bundeswehr.
The Bundeswehr can only operate outside Germany on the following premisses:
a) Germany gets attacked
b) under a mandate by the UN, NATO, EU or WEU.
Jan
Also, as I understand it everyone that serves outside the NATO borders needs to volunteer, is this still correct?
Yes, that’s true as well, though many conscripts volunteer. Also, the current conscription period is only 8 months, this is barely enough to train a soldier for his task. As a result, the conscripts are doing most of the clerical and maintenance work at home, including currently standing stag at American barracks in Germany, while the Zeitsoldaten (soldiers with a time limited contract, usually for 4 years), or Berufssoldaten, (lifetime enlistment(, go abroad. With the current job situation though quite a few conscripts get the taste for soldiering during their basic service and, rather than to go on the dole, volunteer for a four year contract.
Jan
I have always gotten on very well with my german comrades. In kosovo they were right next door to me and had an excellent Beer tent.
Another thing I learned and Im not quite sure of the truth in it, is that they are not allowed to talk about any period beyond the formation of the Bundeswehr (they will, but told me they officially couldnt).
And I know we are off topic but on November 11th, our remembrance day they have a big party, which annoyed some of the brits as we were trying to have our service and they played Martial music and got pissed (thats drunk for certain members of the forum and not angry).
I personnaly thought it was a fine way to celebrate their war dead.
The German memorial day is called Volkstrauertag and is being held two sundays before first advent.
Most Germans wouldn’t know about the significance of November 11th for the British (I know, because I’m interested in British military history). They also wouldn’t know about the meaning of the poppies.
Jan
Edit: In the Rhineland area November 11th is traditionaly the begin of the carneval season, with a lot of oompah music and booze.
[b]
This thread is intended to be indirect unlinked and impossible to subvert it has no intended direction it is impossible to take this thread “off topic”.
All posts must be either interesting or humourous, nothing read in this thread is to be deemed of importance or contrary to rules, by reading the contents of this thread you agree that what you read or say in here stays in here. If you diagree with these terms do not read any further.[/b]
to open the batting. on a tangent. on the channel four programme “countdown” what happens once the hand raches the bottom of hte clock, does the hand return via quarter past or quarter to? - is this the only reason people go to the studio to watch the programme.
Happy ramblings.
Bluff
Aha that explains it then.
My last post in Germany was in Kaiserslautern, very many happy memories there.
Four People Die in Cock Fight
In Mexico, two angry gamblers threw two hand grenades into a crowd of a cock fighting match, four were killed and eleven were seriously injured… Crazy Mexicans
:shock: ,i hope that mexico will get better,as ireland did.
What a cock up!
,i hope that mexico will get better,as ireland did.
neither interesting or amusing, you read the disclaimer at the top of this thread, that is 1 Warning!
What a cock up? WARNING NUMBER ONE TO YOU, ahahah 
Your mother was an 'amster, and your father smelt… of elderberries!
Quoting Monty Python, DAMN YOU!
“We are now… no longer the Knights Who Say ‘Ni’.”
“We are now the Knights Who Say ‘Ecky-ecky-ecky-ecky-pikang-zoop-boing-goodem-zoo-owli-zhiv’.”
I dont know where to begin with this.
Things are never black and white. You dont just decide one day to hate something.
#1: The wise man is the one that admits he knows nothing.
#2: The reason the world hates America is not because of all the crimes against humanity committed by various individuals and organizations, but rather the refusal to acknowledge that these events occured. Any statement of misbehavior on Americas part is seen as bashing the nation. It is this perpetuation of ignorance that so many find despicable among Americans. At least other nations acknowlege their crimes and try to not repeat them. For instance in Canada the mistreatment of Japanese people during WW2 is acknowledge and even taught in high school history classes. Americans enjoy pretending theyre always doing (and have done) everything for the greater good.
#3: Why is WW2 being brought up? Yes America did aid in the war effort against the axis forces however it wasnt out of compassion. What would happen when Axis forces control all of Europe and asia, even if it took decades (and the seeds of Germanies defeat werent already sown)? Invasion of foreign shores obviously. Oh and did I forget the slaps in the face given to other peoples after the war. One example is what happened to Poland post WW2. Not only was the country split up after Poland gave invaluable assistance to allied forces through troops, airforce pilots, cryptography, but they were denied the priveledge of taking part in the victory parades because Roosevelt thought it might “anger Stalin.” Lets not forget the the mass graves of Polish officers discovered in Soviet territory which were obviously executed by Soviet troops (supposedly their allies) and the numerous concentration and death camps ignored by allied forces just because Stalin joined the allies because it suited him. Dont feed me some bs about how America will help other nations and stand up for human rights out of the goodness of its heart. Oh and by the way, Japan was all but defeated and dropping the bomb was more of a “test” than an effort to win the war. Great job standing up for human life and liberty.
#4: I dont dislike Americans for no reason, and understand that you cant know what you were never taught, but I cant stand the people with the opinion that criticism and disagreement with government is equivalent to “Hating America.” What happens when a democracy stops questioning its government and holding its leaders accountable for their actions? We get another Hitler.
/end rant
Summary:
Obviously I dont know everything either but the way I see things is that people are angry with the American attitude of “Were the best, so well do what we want.” All nations have had dark pages in their history, but some anger stems from the fact that Americans, most of which cant help but to be ignorant of the facts(Ive asked a few Americans on what it is like in their education system and the picture drawn is never pretty), try to white out these pages in their history and try to give the image of a shining beacon of righteousness when they are just as confused as anyone on the question of morality.
I changed the post title, you dont want to give people the wrong impression now do you? You’re on touchy subjects so keep it in hand o.k.?
One question just of a matter of interest. Are you American?
Reasons I hate dullards:
- They’re not interesting
- They’re ill-read
- They waste time with bone posts which add nothing to a discussion
- Their spelling, punctuation and grammar make reading their dross painful
- They trash previously excellent sites by making them boring
- They constantly post hearsay that they heard somewhere about WW2 underwater soot juggling gloves which is totally wrong and the rest of us have to find the time to show that they’re wrong
- They have firm opinions based on absolutely nothing
- “what if…”
- “:lol:”
- “Welcome to the site…”
- Constant posting other people’s stuff in lieu of any structured argument or summary of their own (wikipedia etc).
- They think computer games trump real-life experience
- They refuse to acknowledge when they are objectively wrong
- They take offence at being corrected
- They take offence at things which are not meant to be offensive
- They will quote the same source ad nauseam when confronted with a plurality of opposing sources
And so on…
As to factual errors in your above post…
-
The US committing crimes against humanity? Using this term compares the internment of Japanese in WW2 with the Holocaust or the GULAG, and is disingenious. The internment was not right, but it cannot compare with genuine crimes against humanity.
-
The US entered the European war at the express invitation of Germany.
-
Poland - The Soviet troops were not Poland’s allies at the time of the Katyn massacre - Germany invaded Poland from the West, and the USSR from the East. This was part of the agreement in the Nazi-Soviet pact. You don’t invade your ally!
-
The dropping of the atom bomb removed the need to invade the Japanese Home Islands and thereby kill hundreds of thousands, nay, millions of fanatical Japanese civilians armed with bamboo spears who had been told that the Americans would do all manner of unspeakable things to them (rather like the islanders who threw themselves off cliffs cos they’d been told that the Americans would rape & kill them). Without this, it is possible that Japan would not have surrendered at all and would have had to be conquered old-school style.
If you’re equating the current times with “dark periods in history”, you’re equating what has happened in the last few years with other dark periods such as the Holocaust, the Soviet era, Pol Pot’s Cambodia. How can you even begin to make such a disingenious comparison?
And why start a thread saying “why I hate you”? Is that not offensive? Would you start a thread based on hearsay & opinion saying “why I hate blacks?”. Oh, sorry, I forgot - hating America is the trendy left-wing thing to do at the moment :roll: