Re: OT: Saddam Hussein Arrested
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">That's true, but you have to admit it doesn't look good. However, even if you give him the benefit of doubt it still looks like blatant corruption and war-profiteering- an impression any honest politician would surely go out of his way to avoid giving. I mean they didn't even allow open bidding on the contracts, it was just handed to Halliburton on a plate.

On it's own, I might be prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt on this issue, but it's not the first time Bush's integrity has been called convincingly into question- that affair a while back with the deregulation of power companies for example. Without wanting to open certain cans of worms again, I would also point to the Kyoto (non)treaty, and of course you have the 'irregularities' concerning his election in the first place.

Again, it all might just be a coincidence, after all if the evidence was sufficient he'd be impeached or locked up or shot or something. However the problem is that a corrupt politician won't generally leave easy-to-follow paper trails. Crooks hide the proof as best they can, and the more powerful the crook the more effectively they can hide it. So when it comes to heads of state and other figures like that, a big pile of circumstantial evidence is sometimes all we have to go on. Add to that my (initially reluctant- ah, to be young and naive again) belief that 95% of all politicians are corrupt, soulless, self-serving reptilian arsewipes anyway and you can see why I don't trust Bush. Sure, it's not fair and it wouldn't hold up in court, but it's what my gut says and in the end that's what I go with. If I believed he'd at least done what he'd done in the interests of his country, I could give him some small measure of credit, but I just can't believe it, there are too many coincidences.

Anyway, if Bush ever comes to my little town I've got some out-of-date eggs at home with his name on them.

Re: OT: Saddam Hussein Arrested
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Heh, this makes me remember one small scale (internationally insignificant) scandal here in Finland. We had a parliament election a year ago here in Finland. It is also about changing our government, for the biggest party in our parliament will have the authority to form new government (our government is then changed every 6 years). During the Last weeks of election campaign the 2 biggest parties (social democrats and bourgeois party) had a bloody fight over people's votes and the leader of bourgeois party got into possession of one secret document about our government's discussion of USA about Iraq war.

She knew that it would be very risky to publish it, for if published, it could bring victory to her party but could also cost her political career (publishing classified information is always invetigated). She decided to publish that she had such information and what it was, but would not reveal the source and actually lied about it (she claimed she got it "accidentally"). Her party won the parliament election, partially because of that, ans she was elected as prime minister. But little after election the investigation started and she could no longer hide her source. Also it became apparent that she had lied about things during election. I don't bore you with the details, but after less than 6 months as prime minister she resigned (othervise government would have collapsed) and the people were offered few other political heads in a plate along with her.

What was the point? Lying can get you only so far. And eventually, you have to face the consequences of your actions.

Re: OT: Saddam Hussein Arrested
 

Good, Bad or Indifferent I my self am glad he is defanetly out of power, call me a "Flag Waver" that is fine by me! That is one of the things we (USA) stand for is the freedom of speach, written or other wise. I my self I am pro military and do think it is a "Good" thing to serve your country, and weather you beleave in the WMD's or not a VERY BAD man is no longer a threat to the rest of the World and for that we can sleep better at night!

(just my $.02)

Re: OT: Saddam Hussein Arrested
 

Legal question.

Where will S.H. be tried. Will it be by Iraq or USA or World Court.

I feel that the only qualification to be met is a fair trial.

Does anyone know what jurisdiciton this would fall under ??

Re: OT: Saddam Hussein Arrested
 

The reason I ask this is that I feel that this is the time now that will be remembered in the long run on the story of Iraq and the western powers influence on it over the Last 50 years.

I would really like to see the truth and I hope it does come out.

Re: OT: Saddam Hussein Arrested
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Offtopic: Just curious, what happened to $.01?

Re: OT: Saddam Hussein Arrested
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Looks like it will be the Iraqis.

Re: OT: Saddam Hussein Arrested
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Offtopic: Just curious, what happened to $.01? </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Where did 1 cent come from? The phrase has to my knowledge always been "just my 2 cents."

Re: OT: Saddam Hussein Arrested
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Offtopic: Just curious, what happened to $.01? </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Two cents worth? To heck with that what about inflation? Ha, I want my monies worth from all of you, don’t make me pull out my +5 sword of wounding and get medieval in this thread. Ops, wrong game. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Re: OT: Saddam Hussein Arrested
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Oh, they definitely want the trial to be done in Iraq by Iraqis. It would be disasterous to allow Saddam an international forum to discuss his various dealings with the US and its allies. If the topic were allowed to stray from his abuse of Iraqis (internal politics) to anything international there would be very nasty things revealed about many of the NATO countries who want to be considered 'good guys' on the world stage.

Re: OT: Saddam Hussein Arrested
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Don't misunderstand me. I know full well that after the fact Haliburton is making a killing off of the contracts for Iraqi construction. This is a bit disturbing to me as well, however, it's not unheard of for people in powerful postions to have powerful friends. But the fact that Haliburton is benefitting from the war does not by itself prove that the war was started to benefit Haliburton. That's the accusation being made by many in opposition to the war. But I have seen nothing that comes cloes to proving it. </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">This is another case of 'meme-folding'. There is ample evidence that the war was about control of oil in general, but this is such a large issue that it can be tangled up with legitimate issues of international politics -- which is how the war was in fact justified. So in order to make their point, to get the sound bite on the air, the opposition simplifies the issue and points out how one particular company is benefitting hugely from the situation and how that one company is linked to the administration. As the over-simplified usage continues, people forget that it's a simplification and it starts to become the meaning and reality of the argument instead of a sign of the larger issues behind it.

[ December 15, 2003, 19:04: Message edited by: Baron Munchausen ]

Re: OT: Saddam Hussein Arrested
 

Even if I don't agree with all this war, I'm glad there's one dictator less.
I still think it was possible to depose him without needing to destroy and rebuild the Iraq, but it's too late for worrying about that now.

Don't forget that although this dictator is gone, there are a lot more to go (and that even some of them hide behind a facade of democracy).

I just hope to see a fair trial and not a clumsy attempt to hide the truth, either if it's Iraqi or international justice.

I'm surprised he was caught alive. I always thought he was going to get conveniently killed while "resisting the arrest" or found he had already "committed suicide".
That's one point in favor of the US.

Re: OT: Saddam Hussein Arrested
 

man, this thing has got a bloody lot of Posts. i'm not even going to try to read it.

uh, nothing really to say here, carry on.

Re: OT: Saddam Hussein Arrested
 

That can't be Narf using such language. Must be an imposter.

Re: OT: Saddam Hussein Arrested
 

bloody? that just means 'a lot'.

well, it might be bad language to other people.

Re: OT: Saddam Hussein Arrested
 

Oh, dear. No offense Narf, but it likely means more than you thought. I'm confident some transatlantic anglophone will hope on and let you know where it come from and what it does mean. I didn't mean my comment as chastisement, just to let you know. There something to be said for vocabulary, even if it's not appropriate in church.

Re: OT: Saddam Hussein Arrested
 

Anyone heard from Roanon?

Re: OT: Saddam Hussein Arrested
 

Yes, 'bloody' is one of the older, milder British swear words, although it can be used politely when describing something that is covered in, or results in, a lot of blood or bloodshed (ie a bloody battle is not swearing, but a bloody mess might or might not be, depending on whether or not the mess in question is actually splashed with the red stuff.)

According to my Concise Oxford Dictionary, it stems from the "bloods", an old way of describing the aristocracy. To be "Bloody drunk" was to be as "drunk as a Blood" or "as a drunk as a lord".

</dictionary>

Re: OT: Saddam Hussein Arrested
 

sounds more like an exclamation than an explicitive, but there's not much point in using it if it's going to be misunderstood.

Re: OT: Saddam Hussein Arrested
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Not since his Last comments.

Re: OT: Saddam Hussein Arrested
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Not since his Last comments. </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Surely he did not flee to never be heard from again?

Re: OT: Saddam Hussein Arrested
 

Using "bloody" instead of "much" is not so bad. Just a figure of speech. You should hear Finnish teenagers to use "f_u_c_k" (finnish equivalent) instead of comma, point, semicolon and other such marks. It would be disturbing to listen if I wouldn't be depressed of the lack of imagination of young generation of my people http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif

[ December 17, 2003, 14:46: Message edited by: Karibu ]

Re: OT: Saddam Hussein Arrested
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Not since his Last comments. </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Maybe he just don't bloody care anymore?


http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: OT: Saddam Hussein Arrested
 

Well bloody heck, you might just be bloody right. (2 times one sentance) http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Re: OT: Saddam Hussein Arrested
 

I was under the impression that it was an explitave refering to the blood of christ, rather than to blue blooded nobels.

either way, its now taken as a fairly mild form of cursing.

I heard from an old college prof, that **** is an abreviation for Fornication Under Consent of the King, as at one time (forget which ruler) consent had to be obtained from the royalty, unless you wanted to risk being jailed for fornicating without a license.

Re: OT: Saddam Hussein Arrested
 

Looks like I was wrong about how strong it was. Thanks for clearing that one up, DS.

Re: OT: Saddam Hussein Arrested
 

While it is true that in stricter times one could be subjected to legal penalties for sex outside of marriage, the acronym explanation of the word is not valid. The euphemism 'carnal knowledge' does even not exist in English until the Bible becomes commonly available in English in the 16th century because it was the translation of a Hebrew verb that meant 'to know' and also had the connotation of sexual intercourse that created that new connotation in English. William Tyndale was burned as a heretic for translating the Bible into English, btw. And then a few years later King James comissions an 'official' translation and his 'team of scholars' rips off reams of Tyndale's work... go figure.

Anyway, the word is considered a cognate of a German word 'ficken' and to have been influenced by a Latin word 'futuere'. Both of these words mean essentially the same thing -- 'to strike' -- which makes perfect sense for the action described. I think 'ficken' is actually used in German just as we use 'f-ck' too.

Re: OT: Saddam Hussein Arrested
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Hence the Italian 'fottere' which is the direct translation of our F word, and the French 'foutre' which as well as the obvious can also mean to do, to get up to, although never in polite company.

EDIT: Apologies to any sensitive francophones/ italians, (UBB filters out any instances of fkcu, but only in English) but by now there's not much shocking point trying to pretend we don't know what the drokk we're frelling talking about.

[ December 18, 2003, 08:31: Message edited by: dogscoff ]

Re: OT: Saddam Hussein Arrested
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Not since his Last comments. </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Maybe he just don't bloody care anymore?


http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">I have, and I don't blame him if it is true.

Re: OT: Saddam Hussein Arrested
 

Well I see this topic is running wild now too!

Re: OT: Saddam Hussein Arrested
 

A good rule of thumb for word origin stories is to ignore any that involve an English acronym before 1940. Acronyms were not in common use in the English language until World War II. Before this they were a curiosity of the academics, and not in use by common men.

Of course, I am no lingual historian, this is just what I've been told. And there are exceptions, like 'ok'.