Off Music-Topic: How many vacation days do you get a yea

[walkonby]

but how many vacation days did hitler and churchill get?

[Samantha]

<img src="http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/H/history/t-z/images/warlords/h-324med.jpg" alt=" - " />   <img src="http://www.thirdreichruins.com/overlook2.jpg" alt=" - " />

[sonickteam2]

Originally posted by Stairmaster E:
   

Originally posted by vansmack:
 Well it's a good thing Roosevelt and Eisenhower didn't feel the same when Churchill came knocking!
 The English were a little busy rebuilding their infrastructure after the Blitz and were stretched pretty thin on the mainland holding order between the Soviet Bloc and the West.  And yes, yes, the US could have said no, but that left the French out on a limb on their own with half a country ...

Four days after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Italy and Germany declared war on the US; that's when and why we entered the war. We weren't driving the Nazis out of France as a favor to either the French or to Churchill [/b]

funny how different countries learn history so differently.
 
  As we were taught that the US involvement in the war was not much until Pearl Harbor or that Lusitania thing.  thus, leading me to believe you guys were merely defending yourself, not supporting this noble cause against the Axis Powers or cleaning up france's messes.
 
   Canada declared war on Germany years before the US did.  though, not really sure we ever actually attacked them or anything!    

[Samantha]

I just read yesterday in my book "Don't Know Much About History" the dates of significant events leading up to WWII...and here it is the next day and I can't remember anything.  I know that Japan declared war on us first, and thus we were thrown into that...but I don't remember how we ended up finally at war with Europe.  However, it was definitely a "push comes to shove" thing, getting into it.  For Christ's sake, how long did we think we could stay out of it?

[sonickteam2]

Originally posted by Samantha:
  I just read yesterday in my book "Don't Know Much About History" the dates of significant events leading up to WWII...and here it is the next day and I can't remember anything.  I know that Japan declared war on us first, and thus we were thrown into that...but I don't remember how we ended up finally at war with Europe.  However, it was definitely a "push comes to shove" thing, getting into it.  For Christ's sake, how long did we think we could stay out of it?

well, also assuming that the US had a lot of economic ties with France and the UK after WWI so surely if Germany ravaged France and the UK, who probably owed the US money....the US loses all that money and that would suck.
 
   so if the US fought to save france, it may have been just so they could pay back the cash.

[brennser]

Originally posted by Samantha:
  fuck the government, France is pretty    

agreed

[vansmack]

Originally posted by Stairmaster E:
  Four days after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Italy and Germany declared war on the US; that's when and why we entered the war. We weren't driving the Nazis out of France as a favor to either the French or to Churchill

Struck a nerve did I?
 
 Regardless of the reasons for US involvement, the French failed on the their own (hell, most of their army was regrouping over in Britain, and hitched rides on our planes back to their own country), Britain wasn't getting the job done, except to keep Germna troops off British soil, and if it weren't for the US they would be speaking German right now.  So even if it wasn't an outright favor to the French on behalf of the US or the British, they sure as hell should be a lot more thankful than they are today (or have been in the last 50 years).

[eltee]

Originally posted by miss pretentious:
  that's the thing. it's soooo spotty. some days i love it. some i hate it. it's really a mixed bag.
 
 but at the same time, i dunno if this is just a quarter-life crisis...

I think that's just life's (a job's) daily ups and downs. When you really hate the job, you will know.  

[Venerable Bede]

Originally posted by le sonick:
 funny how different countries learn history so differently.
 
  As we were taught that the US involvement in the war was not much until Pearl Harbor or that Lusitania thing.  thus, leading me to believe you guys were merely defending yourself, not supporting this noble cause against the Axis Powers or cleaning up france's messes.
 

i believe the lusitania was world war 1, along with the zimmerman telegram.
 
 anyway- roosevelt engaged in a program called "lend-lease" which was basically the u.s. would send material, ships and other goods to england with the understanding that they would, at some point, pay it back; this was basically just a way to keep the u.s. involved without having to get involved militarily.  even though world war ii started in 1939, the u.s. was very isolationist in their foreign policy (except for the president, who saw that the u.s. could not stay out of international affairs when national security was most definately being threatened). oh, and then there was that whole great depression thingy, which was a big problem.
 
 the point is- france crumbled in just over a month, the vichy was installed, and people turned on each other.  the opposition fled to england or went into hiding in southern france.  without england and u.s. support and troops, where does france go?

[Samantha]

UGH I HATE IT WHEN PEOPLE SAY THAT!!!!  "If America had never joined the war, they'd all be speaking German."
 
 For all we know, if America hadn't joined the war, Jesus Christ would have be born in Bavaria, converted Hitler to Judaism, and we'd all be speaking Latin or Yiddish or something.  In fact, in Dick's the Man in the High Castle, in which the Axis wins the war, West coast America speaks Japanese.
 
 War is a game of chance, and you can try to predict it, but most likely it's just going to spit in your face and laugh.  The only history we have are memories and thing's written.  That only gives us point of view and some facts.  Why did America REALLY join the war?  I doubt even the Congress that made the decision truly knew all the cards they were dealt, regardless of what they thought they knew.

[Samantha]

God, I swear I'm not usually this geeky.

[godsshoeshine]

it matters less who's grateful or not than who gets the most vacation days. speaking as someone that doesnt get many, that is

[Samantha]

I get lots of vacations and I'm very grateful.

[Venerable Bede]

Originally posted by Samantha:
 
 Why did America REALLY join the war?  I doubt even the Congress that made the decision truly knew all the cards they were dealt, regardless of what they thought they knew.

well, there was pearl harbor. . .which resulted in japan, germany and italy declaring war on the u.s. . .that might have had something to do with it.  
 
 unless you are conspiracy theorist who thinks that roosevelt knew in advance that japan was going to attack pearl harbor and let it happen so that the u.s. would have a reason to join the war and kick out the isolationists.

[Samantha]

I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but America knew they were going to be attacked by Japan, historians have already acknowledged that.  They had long deciphered Japanese codes, and so had other countries, which kindly let America know they were going to be attacked.  I don't know that they were expecting that kind of scale, however...