Is America's Stature in the World Diminished?

[Slip'nn2Darkness]

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I guess this question is fresh in my mind since I caught dateline last night which covered the topic of Identity Theft.
It cost the country over a billion dollars annually to deal with this problem.
And the thing that pretty much was staring me in the face was the people who steal your identity are 99% from other countries..
There are web sites where your identity info can be bought for as low as 5 dollars..
And it takes them just a couple of minutes to spend hundreds to thousands of dollars and most of the time, they never get caught..
So here we are a Super country so to speak..
A huge target for being that..
You and I are just trying to live a normal life but yet just because criminals have found a way to hide in their house and rob you is a huge concern to me..
I don't buy things online with my credit card..
I have been hit a few times by thieves trying to get my card info and thank God I had the instincts to figure it out before I made a costly mistake..
Anyways.. not to drag on and make it like I don't have a point, I pretty much wanted to throw the question out there about the future of America..
Are we looking at terrorist now coming over here a lot more to do what they have been doing in their own country's for years??
Car bombs.. Chemical warfare... Food and water poisoning.. You name it... it seems we are slowly being attack by other countries war lords for being the one country they would like to see brought to it's knees..
So how do you feel America will hold up against all this hatred in the future???
We can point fingers at who ever and say they made this happen, but that's not going to fix the problem..
Thoughts on this subject if it concerns you??????

[TheFeldster]

I certainly don't hate America. Granted, I'm rather disgruntled by the legacy Dubya left for the world. And I certainly disagreed with the Iraqi War thing.

But I think America is always gonna be targeted by foreigners because it's so large, and powerful, and becomes the ultimate source of everything for these crooks. I wouldn't worry too much about it.

[annie]

^^^
Well I do worry about it. And I worry because the government seems to be bending over backward to appease those who want to harm us. I think that plenty have infiltrated already and are assimilated into American life. It has been going on for decades. You just never know when one will come out of the woodwork.

I don't think "hate" is the word, but around the world America is often seen as a bully interfering in the internal affairs of other countries. Is this the right thing to do? Should we force democracy on everyone? I don't know the answer but it sure is costing a lot of money and lives to do what we are doing.

[Slip'nn2Darkness]

This goes beyond my good common sense, but I watch the tube and that's where I get most of the concerns I have.. trusting the media with giving out the truth to me is asking for a whole lot of hurt and it's foolish to believe everything you hear..
So I'm left with just bits and pieces of things to draw a conclusion.. But fact of the matter is like Feldster put it. "because it's so large, and powerful, and becomes the ultimate source of everything for these crooks" sums it up..
I seriously think this country is broken..
And I don't see things getting any better in the future..
it erks me to see program after program televized on TV just how to go about causing a major hit on America..
Right after 9/11 they were talking about using planes to spray chemicals on cities.. It's like they are saying.. You guys got it wrong and this is the way you should have done it..
It's just odd to me to have TV shows to show you how to break into a house..
Or they give out info on how they go about busting criminals so all the criminals have to do is come up with a better way to do it..

[METALPRIEST]

I never got shows that show the public how criminals are caught whether it be forensics, basic clues ect....

[Lord Grendel]

First I don't hate America at all.

I do have problems with their heavy handed approach to their allies at times, meaning us more than anyone else in the world.

I agree with Feldy, I still don't think many of my American friends realize the scale of damage Dubya caused to their stature in the world. I know there is always a large isolationist movement in the States that figures they don't care at all about what others think about them or their leaders, but if you are going to be the world's most powerful country, and have economic interests scattered all over the globe, and when you want to send a message to someone you are concerned about you park one of your Carrier Groups off their coast, then you are going to get criticized.

One more thing that has happened recently that points to a serious problem is the lack of enforcement of regulations to curb the excesses of the banks and mega-corporations. Anyone who watched the implosion of the real estate market and the scandalous corruption of the investment banks and the stock market itself is left to draw an inescapable conclusion. Something is seriously wrong with unfettered deregulation of the entire financial sector of the country. Because of what happened, and what is continuing to happen even as I write this, countries that used to do business and trust Americans no longer do so, they have written and passed new laws to prevent being defrauded on this scale ever again.

American values are to be respected, the people themselves are generous, boisterous, good to have around when things get tough, but the government itself is broken. I fervently hope someone finds a way to put things back together again soon.

[Slip'nn2Darkness]

Originally Posted by Lord Grendel American values are to be respected, the people themselves are generous, boisterous, good to have around when things get tough, but the government itself is broken. I fervently hope someone finds a way to put things back together again soon.

Good points and as far as the "hated" word.. Let's get past me using that.. We can change it.. But maybe my thoughts were more like.. There are people who want to stop our government from shoving democracy on other countries..
As people we can't stop our government from going out and causing problems for us.. We become casualties of war like any where else.
The financial thing you mentioned LG has me sick..
I'm getting tired of the people who run this country Lying through their teeth.
Presidents using Executive priviledge when ever they are called on something that would be considered something that goes against the geneva convention..
So many lies being told all around..
This business with North Korea sinking a South Korea ship and then denying it is just what is happening with all politics these days..
Out right lies and pretty much saying.. Prove it or do something about it and you will start a war..
It's a big mess..
The American people are reaping the ill faded actions of a corrupt government..

[Flower]

Originally Posted by Thumper I guess this question is fresh in my mind since I caught dateline last night which covered the topic of Identity Theft. It cost the country over a billion dollars annually to deal with this problem. And the thing that pretty much was staring me in the face was the people who steal your identity are 99% from other countries.. There are web sites where your identity info can be bought for as low as 5 dollars.. And it takes them just a couple of minutes to spend hundreds to thousands of dollars and most of the time, they never get caught.. So here we are a Super country so to speak.. A huge target for being that.. You and I are just trying to live a normal life but yet just because criminals have found a way to hide in their house and rob you is a huge concern to me.. I don't buy things online with my credit card.. I have been hit a few times by thieves trying to get my card info and thank God I had the instincts to figure it out before I made a costly mistake.. Anyways.. not to drag on and make it like I don't have a point, I pretty much wanted to throw the question out there about the future of America.. Are we looking at terrorist now coming over here a lot more to do what they have been doing in their own country's for years?? Car bombs.. Chemical warfare... Food and water poisoning.. You name it... it seems we are slowly being attack by other countries war lords for being the one country they would like to see brought to it's knees.. So how do you feel America will hold up against all this hatred in the future??? We can point fingers at who ever and say they made this happen, but that's not going to fix the problem.. Thoughts on this subject if it concerns you??????

Identity theft is a major concern and is not being treated lightly. People are finding that attemting to get some else's birth certificate can/will land them in jail and that creating fiction about anyone will bring in the big guns. I can't believe that 99% of identity theft is being done by people in other countries .. it's also possible that the crazies next door or down the block who have issues with you, who will do something like that but will learn that the laws are very strong.

Never give anyone your maiden name or mother's maiden name ... Don't use a real last name (unless it's a business account) on your emails.

A false name was created for me too ... I tell casual people/neighbors nothing about my life or family.

As for hatred for America .... I don't believe that educated individuals hate other countries but customs are different in every country. As a whole many many Americans go to foreign countries and expect everyone to speak perfect English and get annoyed when they don't.

Also, in France, it is polite to address the owner (or clerk) of a store or business when you enter and the French find that most Americans don't do so and consider them to be very rude.

[Lord Grendel]

Thumper if you want me to change the Title let me know and I will do so.

Having America and Hate in the same sentence is bound to stir up strong feelings.

How about "Is America's Stature in the World Diminished?", or something like that.

[Slip'nn2Darkness]

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Originally Posted by Lord Grendel Thumper if you want me to change the Title let me know and I will do so. Having America and Hate in the same sentence is bound to stir up strong feelings. How about "Is America's Stature in the World Diminished?", or something like that.

Go ahead LG.. Use the above title.. Thanks..