Poll: Send Your Troops Home, America

[ReincarnatedFTP]

There is no pleasing the world... I blame each country's own version of Faux News. You know every single one of you has one.

Please include MSNBC if you are talking about fakey news organizations.

Care to elaborate on what they've specifically faked or lied about?
They might be liberally biased, and Keith Olbermann comes off as a douche, but he has his moments (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/vp/33217642#33217642) and can be understanding. So he doesn't support torture or the Republican Party, big deal. And Maddow and him, as far as I've seen tend to stick to the truth while editorializing every now and then. They also criticize the Democratic Party when they lack spine or cave on an issue, so I see much more honesty.
Fox has put (D) by Republican names after scandals and won the right to lie in court.

Edit:I say this as someone who listens to NPR and BBC mostly. I tune into MSNBC and Fox to see what's going on for a quick fix, but I can't stand much of it for long.
And CNN can just be plain incompetent, especially when it came to reporting on the Iranian protests, and they're constant talks about "TWITTER ME ABOUT WHAT U THINK ON CRRNT EVNTS".

 

[shotgunbob]

Tacital Positions, you have to look at the fact if we get involved in a new war we would have to station troops somewhere and move all of our troops over there

 

[Smagmuck_]

Really? You want the states to give up US soil. Becuase all bases are techuncally part of the US.

 

[Durahan2]

There is no pleasing the world... I blame each country's own version of Faux News. You know every single one of you has one.

Please include MSNBC if you are talking about fakey news organizations.

The only news I trust is NPR. I just said faux cause it's the one my grandmother watches, and it drives me nuts.

 

[initialdelay]

Most of the bases in Britain could go, you made us your floating nuclear carrier throughout the Eighties making us have a massive target painted from orbit. If the cold war had turned hot we probably would have been invaded. But thanks to your insertion of strategic nuclear weapons around our sceptered Isle we became an important target one worthy of being reduced to nuclear ash.

You have a listening station which helps monitor all UK telecommunications.

And I have it on good authority from someone I know in Korea that they cannot wait for the US to leave so that they can start diplomatic relations with their neighbours.

I think the US should keep themselves to themselves. Although this may change with your new president he seems to know what he's doing which is more than can be said for Brown and his bunch of incompetent and corrupt morons

I pretty much agree with most of this (the listening station I wasn't aware of). I would like to add however that I'd like to see the USA become more involved in the UN; also for the UN to grow a pair on the occasions when it could genuinely make a positive difference to a region

 

[Knight Templar]

Why?
Would you ask any other nation to stop doing what it saw as protecting itself and others?

 

[DJ Lord Destructocon]

Well, as a canadian, I'm pretty much fucked even if they didn't have any bases over here. In my opinion the US has way too much control over my country.

Although they do have us surrounded to with Alaska and all that....

 

[Venatio]

This is stupid, we need these bases to maintain our security. Many of these bases are harbors and airports for our navies and planes to stock and refuel. The Air Fields especially are needed, thats were we keep our bomber fleets, ready to fly and let bombs drop on a moments notice should anything major happen. We pay for those bases and the countries that they are in are not forced to bear such a burden.

 

[Inverse Skies]

However, one has to ask oneself would it be a case of kicking out the support from a lot of countries who don't have any other form of military power otherwise? I know that as an Australian, our army often conducts friendly training exercises with the American army, which would be beneficial to both. I have no problems with you having any bases at all over here. In countries such as Afghanistan what do you do? Suddenly leave and let the country fall apart once again? Admittedly even with our large presence there the country is on a precarious edge, but that doesn't mean that we should just pull out.

I think part of the problem is, now that you have such a large presense there and have so many bases around the world, you can't just leave them and retreat back to your own country, despite what it might save you. I guess as a superpower you have to be seen to have some sort of presence, and if those military bases do that then good. Besides, the logistics of closing them all down would be a nightmare, and the public would howl you down about it. It'd be an almost impossible task to accomplish.

 

[Lexodus]

Really? You want the states to give up US soil. Becuase all bases are techuncally part of the US.

Meaning you've invaded and stolen land from other people.

 

[ucciolord1]

Why didn't you include an "I am American and think we have no business killing people" choice?

 

[Rolling Thunder]

Honestly, I don't mind. We don't really need them, here in Britain, but then again, they aren't much of a hassle. So you can close the bases if you want to, I don't think anyone will care that much.

 

[cuddly_tomato]

What, may I ask, are all these soldiers to do if not occupying foreign countries? Its not like we have a surplus of jobs back here at home...

Watch gardening programs on the TV, or possibly episodes of Masterchef on BBC iPlayer (if you get that). It sure beats sitting in a hot desert being shot at all day by people who hate your guts.

 

[HassEsser]

There aren't enough options. If there was one saying "9/11 was planned by America, and they should get the fuck out of The Middle East, and I am American. Also, America's populace sucks" I would check that in a second.

Although I believe in the whole 9/11 was planned by the Bush administration and shit I don't believe there is much need for something like that lol.

P.s. I accidentally clicked the report button on your post.... (sorry)

Oh, accidentally, you say? No problem.

 

[Ancientgamer]

I don't think you know what you're saying, there's a huge difference between "Get frontline forces out of the mid-east" and "Yes, close them all, US does more harm than good."


Closing all foreign bases of operation would be catastrophic.

 

[CrystalShadow]

Meh. I don't really care either way.

Military presence of any kind gets on my nerves, but what's the difference if it's US soldiers or others?

But look at some of the practical implications:

The bases on Australian territory all have to do with early warning systems for nuclear attack.
Basically, Australia is being used so the US can tell something's headed their way before it gets there.

Meanwhile, the Australian military itself is a joke. - Not because they're badly trained, or ill-equipped or anything...
It's just too small;
Australia is undefendable, because it simply doesn't have a large enough population compared to it's land-mass or coastline.

Europe can probably manage alone, if it had to, unless it's one european nation attacking another (eg... WW1, WW2)...

And then we have third world countries... They can't do much of anything by themselves, so why should defense be any different?

You have to wonder who benefits from off-shore US bases though.
Presumably, the fact that the US pays for the privilege, would kind of suggest it's in the US's best interests, but who really knows?

Does the US actually need a military that's 10 times the size of any other country's? Or is that just a combination of pride and/or paranoia?

 

[L33tsauce_Marty]

You think it's really fucking easy to pull that shit of?

 

[Link Kadeshi]

Well, as a canadian, I'm pretty much fucked even if they didn't have any bases over here. In my opinion the US has way too much control over my country.

Although they do have us surrounded to with Alaska and all that....

Yeah.... Your country. We'll go with that lie. It's most pleasent for you.