>>>Always glad to engage in serious dialogue.<<<
Right on!
>>>That Saddam is a vengeful man has been well documented.<<<
True. But keep in mind there are some rational thinkers who believe Bush the younger has a bit of that in him as well, due to the subsequent defeat his dad faced in the aftermath of the Gulf War. But I'm of the belief--one which can't be proven--that Bush the elder would have found a way to crank up an Iraqi war were he reelected to a second term.
>>>That he attempted to assasinate papa bush after he leaves office is also a known fact.<<<
No, this is not a known fact. It's what you sometimes hear on television, or what you sometimes read in conservative journals and you certainly get a good dose of this from rightwing talk radio, however, it's not a known fact by any means. Please read the following with an open mind:
disinfo.com
>>>The only thing stopping him is the fear of discovery and retribution. This person is a psychopath in every sense of the word, and it is obvious that Bush senior and Powell (brilliant as he is) and others screwed up badly by leaving him in office.<<<
No, I don't think "fear of discovery and retribution" have anything to do with Saddam's actions. Actually, I think the guy's hung up on what history will look like for him when he dies. Granted, he's an oddball for having his name and picture posted everywhere in the country, his ego is right up there scalewise.
However, from what I've gleaned, it seems he wants more than anything to be known as the Numero Uno Arab, the one who stood up against the imperialist powers, that he sees himself as a uniter of the Arab world and not a hanky-pankyist to the US of A. I think he thinks tomorrow's history will reward him richly no matter what happens today.
And of history, that's something we in Ameirica should strongly consider. Is the Arab view of past, present and future history different than our own? And who, ultimately, gets to decide?
Regarding Bush the elder and Powell screwing up? They could only do what the UN mandated them to do, which was drive Saddam's forces out of Kuwait. And that they did.
>>>It would be stupid of saddam to leave concrete proof that links iraqis to attempts to supply money or weapons to terrorists, hence all we have are inneundoes and murky clues. However, the clues are found in japanese and malaysian press. Malaysia is a muslim country and is hardly a US puppet, yet these hints of iraqi involvement were widely reported there a year ago.<<<
Please do present the evidence of this. I would like to consider same.
>>>PartyTime: The younger, unemployed Arab generations are ripe for Al Queda recruitment. Let me ask you what were the incidents that led to Al Qaeda getting as large as it did? And why couldn't it grow even large if the pool of hatred and resentment increases? I'll tell ya--and do you agree?--Bush's version of America threatening to boycott the UN conference against racism didn't help matters.
A valid concern. IMO. Iraq makes no difference in this case. It is too late now, just by being non-muslim and successful and the only superpower, the US has drawn the hatred of the masses of the downtrodden muslims in the streets. What was needed was simply people cunning enough and strong enough to channel this hate into its current form. This has been going on for decades and to try to placate this with pacifism will not work.<<<
Actually, pacisfism is not without merit in this century as history shows Gandhi of India used it effectively against the British; King Christian X of Denmark against the Nazis; and Martin Luther King, Jr. against America's racist policies.
mkgandhi.org
warresisters.org
nobel.se
nonviolence.org
Moral jujitsu is more powerful and requires more courage than one would think. It's where the actions of nonviolence take place where there are onlookers. For example, an excerpt from the below link:
usinfo.state.gov
"Additionally, there is a misunderstanding of how nonviolence works. Nonviolent resistance does not guarantee that the other side will refrain from violence or that there will be no casualties. It simply creates a new paradigm, and uses "moral jujitsu" to handicap the enemy and turn his superior military force against himself as he brutalizes a nonviolent opponent.
"In my opinion, the main obstacle preventing the widespread adoption of a nonviolent strategy by Palestinians is the popular confusion of nonviolence with passivity, timidity, and acquiescence to injustice. In reality, nonviolence requires greater courage, more discipline, training, and sacrifice, and can be very militant and proactive..."
>>>The only thing that will work if the Shariah replaces the US constitution and the Koran becomes only text for history and law and religion in every school in america. Then that will appease them. Oh, and Jews in Israel have to learn to thread water too, since they have to be driven out of where they live today. There is no solution here. Only broken pieces to try to fix as best we can.<<<
"The Russians are coming!" Not only that, "The sky is falling!"
>>>Pacifism
Pacifism is a noble ideal, but it is often hard to live this ideal when the other side is playing with a different rule book. Sun Tzu was probably one of the earliest Chinese pacifists, not because he was afraid of war, but because he understood it well, and he has seen what a tragedy it can be. We wish for peace in our times, yet peace does not come from simply being peaceful. The world is imperfect. Men are imperfect. It is all very sad, so deal with it.<<<
Once violence has been agreed upon as the only course for action, then that violence will result. Self-defense is an important principle and certainly not without merit. However, please do build a viable case for the US invading Iraq as a means of self-denfense. I don't see it, and it appears most people in the world don't see it.
Let me ask you: Has this become a US Republican Party thing, with perhaps a handful of Democrats who chime in 'cause it's politically advantageous to do so? Indeed, if the war against Iraq is promulgated, with or without Britain, it will be a war against all people of the world, and one which will only benefit a few.
>>>I wish I still have the articles I read, but if you scanned the web for malaysian publications and articles on iraq, I think you should be able to find some interesting ones. Again, I doubt there is enough evidence to make a conclusive case, just lots of tiny hints.<<<
You don't move in against 5.5 million non-military citizens of Baghdad armed with scant information.
>>>As for the Al Qaeda cells being dismantled, there is sufficient articles written about this.<<<
And, as well, there are sufficient articles proving that poor, unprivileged, unemployed Muslim youths--beyond the MidEast--are primetime for Al Qaeda recruitment. This will continue so long as America continues to promote disparity and imbalance among citizens of the world. If America is to be a true leader in the world, it has to show something more than muscle and greed.
>>>Singapore police for example has infiltrated a large militant cell and broken up their plans for various projects against western interests. Many were arrested. Malaysia has been actively investigating the group known as JI - the main branch of AQ and the group believed responsible for Bali. Indonesia has done arrested almost all the members directly responsible in the planning and execution of the bombings in Bali. These articles are widely available - try google for malaysian and singapore and indonesian papers. These were also widely reported in Japanese and HongKong papers. The world is a big place. Read all about it.<<<
And what did the US do when Indonesia went against East Timor?
motherjones.com
zmag.org
What did the US do as, for decades, India and Pakistan have battled each other in The Kashmir?
kashmir-information.com
What did the US do when Turkey invade Cyprus?
btinternet.com
And, finally, let's look at the bigger picture:
users.erols.com |
