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.

Gold/Mining/Energy : Gold Price Monitor -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Hawkmoon who wrote (25709)	1/9/1999 2:46:00 AM
From: Gord Bolton	Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 116759

Ron, don't get me wrong. I do not advocate terrorism of any kind and that is not what I am saying or suggesting. What I was referring to was trust and good faith. That is built up over a long period of time and can be destroyed in an instant. I'm sure that you might be aware that a Muslim Arab in Iraq might have a different perspective on many issues from yourself and myself for that matter. However, I bet that we would all have a lot more in common than we would have differences. I would not for a moment argue that Saddam is a particularily wonderful guy or that Bill Clinton is deserving of Sainthood. We all have our own particular good qualities and faults. And we all would benefit from learning how to get along with others and respect some different opinions. Duplicity is not something that is respected anywhere. I would much rather have 10 men clearly declare their evil intentions towards me and do what they may than be stabbed in the back by a friend or someone declaring themselves as a peacekeeper and then arbitrarily doing me in. THe middle east has been a mess for a long time and Kuwait has been an issue since the British moved in and arbitrarily carved it off from Iraq many years ago. The whole Arab world has been struggling with modernization and westernization for a century. Like many other countries Iraq includes people of different language, religion, and ethnic origin. Iraq has Kurds, Arabs, Shiite and Sunni Muslims, fundamentalists, liberals and I'm sure lots of wonderful people and boneheads of every variety. Saddam was a great guy when he was fighting the extreme fundamentalists in Iran who ousted the Shah and sent him running to the U.S. The U.S. had no problem selling him all sorts of weapons of mass destruction with full knowledge of what they were intended for. And even while Iraq was a poor cousin to Kuwait and fighting an all out war with Iran many of the common folk in Kuwait looked across the border with envy at the social benefits available in Iraq, Free education, medical care and equal treatment of women. The Ali Sababs who ran Kuwait were not much inclined to share the oil revenue that was coming in. They were democratic to an extent, well at least until their parliament had the effrontry to suggest that the Ali Sababs pay their utility bills owing to the state. Democracy was getting a little out of hand so they shut down the Parliament. These folks were nothing to write glowing reports about. The Iranian fundamentalist would have fixed things up in a hurry in Kuwait if they had their way. So there has been some conflict in the region. Not really surprising under the circumstances. And yes in fact Saddam did send his troops into Kuwait and attempt to reunite Iraq. There really didn't seem to be much resistance to the idea by the people of Kuwait. And it seems that Saddam was lead to believe that as far as the U.S. was concerned this was an internal Arab matter and not something that would threaten the average American or the U.S. in any way. Then all of a sudden there was a great outcry and a need for the world to intervene and separate Iraq once more. And it was at this point in time that Saddam became a great evil villian as opposed to an ally against fundamentalism. The dethroned Ali Sababs had to have their Kingdom restored and "their" wealth protected and many thousands of Iraq people had to die at the hands of young Americans. Why? And then the ability of Iraq to defend itself had to be destroyed. And instead of offering to buy back all the weapons for cash the U.S. demanded that all these terrible weapons that they sold to Iraq must be destroyed. And if all demands includung the head of Saddam were not met immediately then the people in Iraq would be starved into submission. Hundreds of thousands of people have died at the hands of the U.N. in the name of Sanctions. I know for a fact that Canada has a long way to go to comply with all of the U.N. Instruments that they have put their name to and I would suspect that other countries are the same. But Iraq children must die to show that the U.N. now means business. Where are the Marines when people need protection in Angola from UNITA who do not comply with the U.N. decrees. Why didn't the cruise missiles hit Uganda and Rwanda when their soldiers turned up in the Democratic Republic of the Congo? Why does the U.S. love to have a holy war going with Saddam? Who would replace him? Would they be any different or would the situation be worse in Iraq? I am suggesting that perhaps from an Arab perspective the U.S. has much less justification for their actions against Iraq than any participant in the area needs to have. They were born into that mess and grew up in it. To escape it they would have to leave their country , family and community. The U.S. on the other hand has made a clear choice to involve themselves where they could choose to not involve themselves. And they have not been totally clear about what they want. Many young Iraqi soldiers are not afraid to die. They have demonstrated that by the thousands. So it can not be said that everyone in the country is scared stiff of Saddam and that Bill Clinton needs to set them free. And if Saddam is playing games-he is sure not the only one. And if there is to be peace and prosperity in the Middle East it will not be acheived by undermining the credibility and honesty of the U.N. If someone needs to wag the dog they should at least have the decency to not cloak themseves in the U.N. to do it. It is totally pointless to assasinate Saddam or drop a million bombs on Iraq without even having formulated a what then?