American pullout leaves Iceland defenceless

[T_i_B]

I was tring to get to an article about Bush's speech to the NAACP when I ended up with this story. Make of this what you will.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/07/21/wice21.xml

The people of Iceland are about to join one of the world's smallest clubs - those nations without armed forces on their territory to defend their borders.

The United States, which had assured Iceland's defence for decades, stunned the country in March when it announced that it would be closing its bases on the island, withdrawing its F-15 fighters and thousands of servicemen in the space of just six months. This bombshell was dropped in a single telephone call from an underling at the State Department, followed by a letter from the US ambassador.

Iceland, with just 300,000 people scattered over a landmass larger than Ireland, has never had a military of its own in modern times.

The country has fewer than 1,000 policemen, most of them unarmed, and two civilian coastguard ships. The closest thing it has to a military is a civilian "crisis response unit", which performs peacekeeping duties overseas. But that has just 50 men.

The United States is still legally pledged to defend Iceland from attack, but it now insists that it can do this from a distance.

[Chulanowa]

1. Well let's be honest...

Who exactly does Iceland need protection from? Greenlanders? Rogue herring?

[Igel]

8. Well, at least the USSR-backed Red Herring are no longer

a danger.

[T_i_B]

12. Badoom-boom Chh

:+

Red herrings!

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

46. Post of the day.

:thumbsup:

[daleo]

26. Lots of geothermal energy resources there

That will become more and more valuable as the oil runs out. They also have a substantial fishery, and fishery disputes are common enough.

And the women are real lookers - as the world descends into medieval savagery (as it seems to be doing), wife-stealing could become big again.

[stepnw1f]

32. Hydrogen Rich Country

no?

[daleo]

42. Yes, you could use geothermal for that

Iceland sits over a tectonic plume (a geothermal hotspot) much like Hawaii does. That geothermal energy will be there permanently (in human terms). You couldn't use it up if you wanted to.

[stepnw1f]

43. I Understand They Produce and Use Hydrogen

already as an alternative feul. I saw a program over a year ago on Icelands ambition to go hydrogen.

[daleo]

44. Good for them.

It's nice to hear someone is actually going ahead with this type of thing. I guess when you live in an isolated area with a harsh environment, you learn to just get on with the job.

[evworldeditor]

49. Hardly a Hydrogen Economy

I was in Iceland in May as part of a General Motors press junket to learn about the Iceland's hydrogen initiative. They have a single station near the outskirts of Reykjavik that sits adjacent to a Shell gasoline/diesel station, that doubles as a fast food restaurant. The station can handle about 100 hydrogen vehicles, but there are only three CUTE program hydrogen fuel cell buses on the island and these are due to be replaced next year.

I know the individuals responsible for development of the hydrogen initiative and their chief complaint is they can't get any hydrogen-fueled cars or trucks. GM refused to provide them with a demonstrator -- too far off its public relations map. I suggested doing ICE conversions, but they are reluctant to pursue that course for reasons of cost and safety, I gather.

Petrol (gasoline) costs $6.50 cents (in May 2006) but that hasn't slowed the import and purchase of SUVs or private cars. Go figure!

Iceland's biggest challenge is to find a way to fuel its 2000 fishing boats/trawlers with something other than diesel fuel which is currently subsidized by the government since fishing is such an important part of the economy.

You can read about my "adventures" in Iceland using the URL below:

http://www.evworld.com/view.cfm?section=article&storyid=1038

[Wonk]

62. They're working on becoming self-sufficient, and ahead of the curve.

Having all that geothermal energy on tap sure helps.

[Cha]

53. I've always wanted

to go to Iceland and bathe in their geothermal baths. We get this really good tasting water at the co-op from Iceland.."a naturally replenished source formed over 4,500 years ago and shielded from pollution by an impenetrable barrier of lava rock"! :)

And now I see they have no military, makes me wanna go even more.

[babylonsister]

2. OT, but here's a firsthand account of dimson's NAACP appearance.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2733339

As for Iceland's defenses, I didn't know they've never had a military. Is anyone threatening them, ya think?

[madrchsod]

7. thanks for the link to the post

about another bush failure

[T_i_B]

10. Thanks for the link

That's a great thread. I think I was the 143rd person to recomend it!

Here's the article I was looking for in the first place (at last!) For some reason when I clicked on the link to this article I got a story about Iceland. :crazy: Still, the Iceland story is one that I thought was of more interest (as it's had less publicity) so that's what I posted here.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/07/21/wblacks21.xml

[krispos42]

35. It's a strategic outpost during European wars

I read somewhere that at the outbreak of hostilities in WW2, the Icelandic leader asked the British to invade them immediately before the Germans did.

And the Brits probably were greated with flowers and candy! lmao

But anytime you get a naval war up in the North Atlantic it becomes a huge issue. In Tom Clancy's "Red Storm Rising" the first thing the USSR did was invade and occupy Iceland and use it as a stratigic bomber base to rain long-range cruise missiles on the supply convoys trying to get to Europe.

[Wonk]

61. 'The Atom Station' by Haldor Laxness provides another perspective.

A Nobel Prize winning Icelandic author, who didn't appreciate Iceland being put on the front lines of the cold war.

[Wonk]

64. typo: Halldor Laxness. Fixed. nt

[madrchsod]

3. maybe the chinese or russians will decide

to help out iceland....

[stop the bleeding]

4. I wonder how many or what types of threats Iceland could be

facing? seems like they are in a "protected" part of the world.

[shain from kane]

5. Let' see now, Iceland is the one with green grass, and Greenland is the

one with ice.

I feel a draft coming to Iceland.

[ShortnFiery]

6. No worries!

Just like I can score cheap airline tickets to Phoenix through August, IMO nobody's in a hurry to either fry or freeze their asses off :P.

[reichstag911]

11. Iceland isn't that icy:

http://www.goiceland.org/weather.html . Not really a "freeze your ass off" kind of place. Shit, I'd love to see the fjords there one day...if they're still there by the time I could afford it, that is. :eyes:

[ShortnFiery]

33. Gosh, you're right ... that's a simplistic "ugly American" view ...

Thanks for setting me straight. :hi:

[kineneb]

51. Norse settlement propaganda

Greenland is called such by the early Vikings who wanted to "sell" others back in Norway on settling there...sounds sooo much warmer than "Iceland". No other profound reasons for the names.

[Barrett808]

9. Minke whales, of course

Hence the whaling fleet.

[FlaGranny]

13. Interesting. Almost any

country on earth could "conquer" Iceland. Perhaps it's location might make it "strategic." It would make a nice refueling port between Asia and North America. It would be a "nice" location for missles which could reach North America and Europe, too. But I'm guessing that the US needs every single service person it can get its hands on for fighting futile wars.

[daleo]

28. It was very strategic during WWII

It was vital during the u-boat battles otherwise known at The Battle of the Atlantic.

[Old and In the Way]

14. Do they have oil?

No? Then they have no worries. If they had oil, they'd have Al Qaeda and then we'd have to bring democracy to them.

[slackmaster]

15. So when will Canada take over the island?

:freak:

[FSogol]

17. Canada? Maybe I'll do it. Now, wonder what my friends are doing this

weekend?

[Vidar]

16. They're probably better off without us.

[Lowell]

18. I was stationed in Iceland

for three years in the late 70s - early 80s. There has always been a large Navy presence there. The job I had was monitoring our radars for ICBM attacks. We were part of the Early Warning System. I didn't enjoy my tour at all. The land was inhospitable and the people not at all friendly. I don't know why anyone would bother invading Iceland, but if they do as far as I'm concerned they can have it.

[MaineDem]

36. My husband was there, too

He talks about not being able to leave the base in uniform.

And the fact that there's a girl behind every tree. (And there were no trees.)

[Lowell]

37. Ha! You got me there!

I remember the "girl behind every tree" line too. It was true.

We weren't allowed to leave base in uniform either. We were always supposed to travel in pairs also. Our job was so classified we weren't allowed to talk with the locals much. I was in Keflavic, a real bummer of a tour.

[krispos42]

38. A co-worker visited Iceland

a few years ago regarding genetic research. Apparently because Iceland had almost no immigration or emmigration, they have pretty complete genological and medical records going back centuries, and genetisists use that information to study diseases. DeCode Genetics was the place the co-worker visited.

Anyway, he said the people were quite happy to have American bases there, and quite happy to host Americans as long as they stayed on the bases. The capitol city taps into geothermal vents, and everybody in Reykjavik has free heat and hot water.

Reykjavik also has the Penis Museum, which has displays of mammalian penises. Rumor has is that most of the Bush Administration is being hounded by the curator.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icelandic_Phallological_Museum

:crazy:

[Lowell]

40. Exactly! You're welcome in Iceland

as long as you stay on base . . . and don't mess up their gene pool.

[pitohui]

56. wow the ladies were friendly in the late 1990s

i will say no more but the ladies are quite quite notorious for their friendliness in this part of the south

when traveling to iceland my husband's company is basically warned "hold onto your dick, the icelander males all pass out and then the ladies rape you" and supposedly it's true

not having a dick to hold i can't verify this obviously!

[eppur_se_muova]

19. So long, nice knowing you! Sorry for the mess!

Give us a call if the Vikings start getting uppity. Oh, you are Vikings. Excuse me.

[GregW]

20. Good lord - what will Tom Clancy say?

He knows the strategic value of Iceland - or at least - it seemed plausible in Red Storm Rising.

Finland on the other hand...

Finland, Finland, Finland,
The country where I want to be,
Pony trekking or camping,
Or just watching TV.
Finland, Finland, Finland.
It's the country for me.

You're so near to Russia,
So far from Japan,
Quite a long way from Cairo,
Lots of miles from Vietnam.

Finland, Finland, Finland,
The country where I want to be,
Eating breakfast or dinner,
Or snack lunch in the hall.
Finland, Finland, Finland.
Finland has it all.

You're so sadly neglected
And often ignored,
A poor second to Belgium,
When going abroad.

Finland, Finland, Finland,
The country where I quite want to be,
Your mountains so lofty,
Your treetops so tall.
Finland, Finland, Finland.
Finland has it all.

Finland, Finland, Finland,
The country where I quite want to be,
Your mountains so lofty,
Your treetops so tall.
Finland, Finland, Finland.
Finland has it all.

Finland has it all.

Composer: Michael Palin
Author: Michael Palin
Arranger: John Du Prez
Lead Singer: Michael Palin

[arcos]

21. Defend Iceland from whom? Volcanos? nt

[Demeter]

22. Defend Iceland From Ourselves

Nothing became us like the leaving.

[Benhurst]

23. Iceland will fall to godless communism by the end of the year.

Then Greenland will fall, followed shortly by Canada. The United States shall find itself, alone, facing the infidels before the next presidential election.

[gula]

24. You should be so lucky.

[Benhurst]

30. You wouldn't understand because you

are obviously a godless Canadian, probably of French extraction.

Only god-fearing Murkins, taught the Domino Theory from birth, can save the world from this evil.

:rofl:


:hi:

[gula]

39. Half right

I am actually an allophone, that's what we call people here whose mother tongue is neither french nor english. But you are right in that I mostly side with the French Canadian side of things (except separation unless Harper ever wins a majority gouvernment)and I just love it here in Montréal. BTW love those smilies.

[Benhurst]

47. I really love Montreal and was fortunate enough to spend a summer

there a long time ago.

[Ravenseye]

25. What an idiotic administration

We can't even remove our troops from a country without doing it in such a way as it pisses them off.

[rug]

27. Doesn't Iceland have the right to defend itself?

[daleo]

29. Someone once called the Falklands war

"two bald men fighting over a comb". People will fight over any land.

[LanternWaste]

31. That's it-- I'm invading Iceland this weekend

That's it then, my pal's and I are gonna invade Iceland over the weekend and set up a parliamentary-style monarchy (accepting nominations for our Queen. Send cover and bikini shot by Sat early. Only requirement to be a citizen: you must wear apurple hat at all times, that's it.

New Official State Song: Rock Me, Amadeus.
New Official State Candy: Pez
New Official State Bird: the giraffe.
New Official State Car: 1949 Ford Fury.

[pitohui]

58. no THIS will be your offiical song ''all if wanna do is dance"

"don't come back yankee but if you do...bring lots of money" -- don henley

crap, the price of a drink is outrageous!

[dysfunctional press]

34. ...and NOW, the TERRA-ISTS know allllll about it.

hasn't ANYONE here ever heard the expression "loose lips sink ships"?

i can't even begin to imagine the kinds of losses they're bound to suffer without good ol' unka sam there to fend off E-vil.

sorry you icelandic ffolkes- and stand fast! you're ALL heroes in my book! (well...it's a pretty thick book)

[MaineDem]

41. I have a few Icelandic friends

They are very peace-loving, progressive people. I think that's part of the reason the BFEE pulled our military out.

[gula]

45. Here is an idea

According to a former co-worker Icelanders are quite racist and the reason that they do not have any racism problems in their country is that they won't let them in in the first place.

Now my idea is this, why don't we move Israel to Iceland. There are only 300'000 inhabitants, I am sure they would have a lot more in common than Israel has with it's present neighbours. The US would keep them protected agains any danger even if imaginary. It could be a win win situation.

[smirkymonkey]

50. Is it racism or just xenophobia?

It seems like they don't really want ANYBODY sticking around to mess up their peaceful, healthy lifestyle.

[pitohui]

59. yes they are racists

your friend is correct

my hubby has to work w. an icelander company and it boils down to because he's from new orleans and he KNOWS black people he must be stupid

it's a bit frustrating at times

they really think they are gonna own the mississippi delta and then they get flabbergasted that actual black people and/or rednecks do just as good a job or better!

[pscot]

48. Oh man, AlQaeda gonna be all over that

The is probably just the opening Bin Laden has been waiting for. Can anyone doubt he's ready to pounce?

[krkaufman]

52. Dimson finally bought into global warming....

.... and ordered our forces off of Iceland before it could melt from under them.

[lpbk2713]

54. Re: Their rude and abrupt notification from the US State Dept

CONdi must have been shopping for shoes that day and could not have been bothered.

[pitohui]

55. i blame [name of icelander business deleted on second thought]

they come down here and insult our good mississippi businesses and piss everybody off

they really do think they're better than everyone else and it's hard to be sympathetic when they're hitting you w. the attitude

i will say no more

i think they deserve a strong defense BUT when they are taking our money and our industries AND acting like they're better than everyone else. it's DAMN hard to justify tax $$$ going to protect them

they are really racist, they just assume everyone in mississippi is some black illiterate sharecropper

[PaulaFarrell]

57. That's funny, I was just reading about Iceland

apparently they weren't at all cray about having the military there in the first place, and there were protests for years that just sort of petered out. But of course, the US being there msut be drssed up as 'defending' Iceland

[pitohui]

60. then fine let us go

if they don't want us there it's money saved and since all americans are so stupid and icelanders so superior in intellect i'm sure they can replace us just fine

[PaulaFarrell]

63. The US was there for its own benefit

why dress it up as doing them a favour? NOw the US is leaving for its own benefit. So what?