Don’t you think your claim that Chinese people are offensive and overly controlled of the government can hurt us Chinese people? While I was reading you say how much we hate the US, don’t you think you are showing how much you hate us, simply because of we are Chinese?

It seems that in your eyes we are just worthless, lower-level of beings compared with you guys. And therefore it is justifiable to wage a war which could cost thousands of innocent life against us?

Shit!

It would be true if them never killed as many of their people as they did:

Kremlin: up to 50% of their population

CPC : well, we are not sure, but at least 100 million or much more: no way to find out exactly

So for them it is: kill our people as many as you can : we will kill all yours anyway

Also is was never planned by them to be a direct conflict.

Grey terror, unknown islamic terrorist , no state association

american mad scientists))

Well, say Obama is elected and cuts military by 70%, creates a total disaster in the country, rallies the worst scum for the civil war

AND here ANTHRAX attack comes that takes lives of 100 millions of americans

and suit cases bombs go off

all the above is not a fantasy but absolutely likely to happen events, of course if you give it a thought and research :

at least research official sources: Senate, Congress, FBI

“Don’t Think So” cites facts and a study: “Always Right” cites nothing and when challenged with facts, pulls out another unsupported claim. But if I have it right, Taiwan didn’t send troops, ever. “Always Right’s” original justification for not doing so was abandoned as untenable.

Always Right fails to grasp that the US is under no legal, moral or treaty obligation to defend people who won’t help theselves by buying weapons they need or help the US. “Always Right” what’s your explanation for Taiwan not buying the weapons they need? Why should the U.S. pick up their slack? Do you really think US citizens and taxpayers have some obligation to prop up rich Taiwanese who won’t help themselves?

Your “democratic” “one-voice” issue is a red-herrring: Taiwan is entitled to decide tis own defense of course–but not look to us to compensate for its sloth and cheapness.

Taiwan cannot compare itself to Israel: the Israeli army does fight; its airforce knocked out Saddam’s reactor in 1982, doing us all a world of good; just being there serves as a base for US planes contiguous to a lot of oil and potential rogue states. Taiwan’s mere proximity to China hardly lends a similar value. It instead seems to be a liability: people that choose not to spend to defend themselves. At least that’s what I am gleaning from these exchanges.

“Danny” makes better points, but he’s so busy characterizing opposing views as “crap” and calling other people names, he grossly overstates them:

Fact: Taiwan is one of several silicon chip mfg countries, with Japan, ROK etc. In 1999 Taiwan made about 10% of the silicon chips.

Fact: Taiwanese businessman don’t seemt to consider the chips strategic: they had invested about $50 billion in making chips–in China.(New York Times, November 2000)

Many believe that China is going to be the largest chipmaker soon.

Danny claims that Taiwan gives the US “lots” of intelligence: that’s like a boast at a bar: but even if we credit it, so does Japan and ROK. I’m not sure and Danny doesen’t favor us with facts as to why Taiwan’s claimed contribution is unique. Danny’s claim is also suspect: Spy sattelites are better sources than some Taiwanese coast watcher with a pair of binoculars.

I have to say “Always Right” and Danny” both seem to become extremely agitated and abusive when their claims are questioned, defensive when facts are used to rebut their claims and dismissive of the other point of view. Still, Danny may have more facts here and I hope he posts them. “Always Right,” I’d quit now if I were you.

It is certainly true that allies make different contributions to an alliance. I wonder what Taiwan contributed, as i have no information regarding what Taiwan offers in the WonT. Taiwan, btw, is not producing much on the island. They themselves rely on their commie brothers for labor. Ironic?

Are you just as callously dissing others’ contributions according to your narrow definition? For example, I am not shooting bad guys in Afghanistan and Iraq, therefore I am not contributing to the GWoT? No troop presence in Afghanistan or Iraq, therefore those countries are not our allies?

Because Taiwanese themselves have different opinions about how to deal with chicom, you just dismiss them as not even defending themselves? Isn’t it a perfectly good example of the democratic process in Taiwan? You would rather everyone ‘speak’ just one voice?

Most of your arguments could be applied to Israel and its people, you know. Did Israelites send troops to Afghanistan or Iraq? What is the strategic value of that small piece of land in the ME region to US? Isn’t it true that Israelites themselves are just as spilt to different approaches dealing with their neighbors? Well, according to you and your pre-set standards, let the Arabs nuke them to pieces. We shouldn’t be sending any money, equipment, or your kids to fight “FOR them”.

You’ve now scuttled to another lame explanation for Taiwan’s miserable failure to send any troops to help the US in either conflict in 7 years. 7 years!!!

Your first excuse” “they aren’t trained,” a transparently laughable explanation that you’ve now abandoned.

Now its “Oh Gosh! If Taiwan offered to send troops the US couldn’t take them! So that’s why Taiwan didn’t offer them!” This is so strained and silly I’m tempted to conclude you may be the author of the lamentably reasoned article that started this debate

In urging the US to defend Taiwan–which won’t defend itself or help anyone else–you have to do better than claim status as a reliable ally–Taiwan isn’t; you can’t insist on being valuable–its not.

We have enough commitments. Enough money being spent. Enough soldiers dying for someone else’s country. Taiwan isn’t Britain, Australia, Japan, Poland…Even Canada–Canada!-sent a few people to Afghanistan!

I was so put off by the article’s overbearing tone and your mindless desire to cement the US to defending Taiwan, I Googled up an article by the Cato Institute in 2003, concluding: (1), Taiwan doesen’t spend enough money on its own defense because it leans on us; it reccomends selling them more weapons–but says Taiwan hasn’t appropriated the money to buy them; (2), China’s economy is growing 4 times as fast as Taiwan’s; (3), [listening carefully?] it would be ILL-ADVISED for the US to intervene in a MLC/Taiwan dispute given (among other things), the potential for escalation to a nuke exchange between MLC and the US.

So Always Right, skip the caps: do some reading: tell your pals in Taiwan to spend their own money for advanced weapons and train an army for more than parade duty.

Right now I suspect the wealthy and middle classes –that won’t spend their own money for weapons–there would stream out at the first sign of trouble leaving it to “someone else” to put up a fight.

If the upper classes hadn’t been so bloody corrupt in the first place, they might not have been ousted from MLC.

This is the end of this issue for me. Enjoy all.

Besides, if the Chinese really wanted living space, it would make a lot more sense for them to grab the Russian Far East and Siberia. Those areas are much closer, and much less populated. If they paid the Russians enough, they might even get them without a fight.

The Chinese and Russians, as far as I know, would have very little chance to succeed in a plan to wipe us out without getting wiped out themselves. So, that whole livingspace theory is bunk.

Who exactly do you think we are? Are we State Department workers holding weekly meetings with Secretary Rice, advising her on the Red Menace? Am I a general working as head of the nuking plans in the Pentegon? Are you trying to convince us to vote for the “Kill a Commie for your Mommy” candidate in this year’s presidential election?

Plenty of the facts you propose are refutable by sources much better then you. Two years ago the Pentagon expressed displeasure that China was spending 1/10th of what we do on weapons. China and Russia have an open and serious dispute with one another over claims over Mongolia. Never in history has there been a co-hegemony of a region. Two ambitious Empires cannot and do not cooperate to the extent you suggest.

There are plenty of weaknesses in your senario, in it’s facts, it’s logic, it’s premise, and in what you think you’ll achieve by convincing us. Let’s try and focus on the very reasonable, provable and effectable reasons to hate China and Russia both.