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 : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: tejek who wrote (216980)	2/2/2005 10:56:04 PM
From: RetiredNow	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1571431

Of course I believe in learning from history. I believe in learning from the FULL historical textbook, though. You pick Vietnam and then rant on about it. It's a good point and should be studied for parallels to make sure we don't make the same mistakes in Iraq. However, another very relevant parallel is the Nazi ideology. When that ideology caught on in Germany, it transformed the nation into a killing machine that spread vitriol and war in every direction. Fundamentalist Islam has the potential to do much more damage in that it can reach far greater numbers of people. Add to that our diplomatic bungling and the threat is palpable. 9/11 taught us that this threat has reached our shores. We can no longer sit on the sidelines and watch the lunacy in the Middle East from the safety of our own homes. Instead, we have to get actively engaged to force change into the region. The Middle East in its current state is a security threat to the people of the U.S. Iraq is the centerpiece of our efforts to bring change to the region. And therein lies the difference between us. You want to selectively learn from history, while I want to look at the full spectrum of knowledge that history has to share, and then balance the learnings to find the right course of action. Hitler taught us that appeasement and inaction in the face of metastacized fascism is not an option. We are responding to the Middle East with that major lesson under our belt.