Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Support the French! Viva Democracy! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: zonder who wrote (586)	4/2/2003 11:31:20 AM
From: Lane3	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 7833

Then again, I am not a native speaker of English LOL. You sure had me fooled. I checked your profile and got a chuckle from the "French connection." You are driving on the highway in a cabriolet Don't forget that it's Bush who's driving the cabriolet, not you or I. He's totally focused. Stuff flying off is a distraction to him, not a problem to be solved. And it's not a cabriolet but a teflon rocket. You and I are in the back seat and he has us tuned out. Much of the art of life is recognizing what you can change and what you can't. I would be interested to participate in your musings on the subject. This is the paragraph I wrote yesterday and then deleted. The first couple are fairly clear benefits. The last couple are fairly clear disadvantages. The rest is totally and utterly murky. I would be interested in your musings on my musings. <<Which of Pandora's boxes might we close if we quit or further open? 1) There would be fewer body bags, for sure. US and Brit soldiers that is. There might be a much greater toll on Iraqi civilians, though. Hard to say where the balance is there. 2) We might disabuse ourselves and other nations of the notion that preemptive war is OK. Or not. Don't know if we could get those particular locusts back in the box or not, but there's a chance. And that would be a most worthwhile accomplishment. 3) We could save money--further red ink from the war and the costs of rebuilding Iraq. Those savings are measurable. What costs in future conflicts might be incurred as a result of not fighting this war, who knows. 4) The UN would get new life. Whether that's a good thing or not is arguable. 5) We obviate the problem of Balkanization in Iraq because the strongman would be in place. Or perhaps we just postpone it. 6) We might persuade a few people that we're not the nasty crusaders and imperialists that they think we are, but probably not many and the suspicions would remain. Don't think we can get many of those particular locusts back in the box. 7) The dominos stay in place, probably, or maybe not. Maybe some of the ME dominos are emboldened. 8) Saddam gets his oil fields back. 9) he gets to keep is WMD, if he has any.