I really was just kidding with my last post. I didn't have time to post to all of your points (some of which I agreed with some were a little more iffy for my opinion) so I just posted a humor post. Having said that, there are times when I'm not sure how to take you. I read your posts (and part of it is the medium) and I'm not sure if you're talking down to me because you think I'm stupid or just exchanging ideas. Clearly I don't have all the answers - nobody does. But there are things that I believe need to be done, reconciled, finished - whatever you want to say - before we can move forward on a global level. The middle east is a problem. It's not just a US problem - it's a global problem. Without going into all the historical reasons behind the problems I think we can all agree that some changes need to be made (on both sides) or we're facing some seriously tough times. I don't want to be at war for the next 20 years and I think it's possible we don't have to be provided that there is some rational dialogue. Iran, Syria, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Israel and some others have got to start to realize that they hold some keys in ending this foolish battle between cultures. We (The US) do too and we're going to have to work together or this is going to be an ugly battle. I don't buy the notion that we're there to steal oil. I believe we're trying to calm a situation (and you can say war is a funny way to calm but it is what it is) that could have global impact with regard to energy. You can be against the war in Iraq and still see that what the US is trying to do is plant the seed of democracy in the center of a region with hopes it will flourish and spread to the countries around Iraq. Now their style of Government may be none of our business but I can understand the benefits to not having dictators sitting on a large percentage of the global energy. If these countries were to share the wealth with their people and give them hope for a better life I believe that area of the world would become safer and would produce fewer terrorists. Life without hope leads people to do crazy things and I don't think there's much hope currently nor do I think there was much hope before we went into Iraq. The Middle East could stand as a beacon of prosperity for the world if the oil profits were used to educate people and build infrastructure. Instead, its a place where very few people enjoy the fruits of the oil profits and as a result education and hope for a quality life is pretty slim. That breeds contempt which is then couple with religious extremism and the result is terrorism. I realize that my explanation is a bit simplistic but without going into a history lesson I think it pretty much describes the situation. So now we stand at the point where the next question is how do we fix it? Having a 20 year war is not the answer - I know that. I know you didn't favor going into Iraq. I supported the notion but I have expectations or results that I want to see come from this. Whether they will remains to be seen. But if we are going to avoid a long war that will take the lives of a couple generations of kids on both sides countries like Iran, Syria, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, US and Europe are going to have to have some reasonable talks. We can't have Palestine supporting terror against Israel and we can't have other countries in the region teaching hate and contempt for all cultures that don't hold their religious beliefs. Furthermore, we can't have the US invading every single country in the region to set then straight - it just wont work. So while you disagree with invading Iraq I am hoping that the action itself will serve as both a warning and an example of what none of us wants going forward. Human history is filled with examples that took war to drive us to the table to talk peace and get a better understanding for each other and our cultural differences. If the Iraq war provides nothing but that I believe it will have been worth it. If it doesn't and if some of the countries I mentioned don't get with the program (which is good for everyone) then I fear we have a long road ahead of us.
Sorry in advance for typos....no time to proof it |
