War in Iraq is upon us

[radio]

also think in many respects that most of these people being my age, are also merely afraid to be picked for the draft to be sent away to die. i was, and still am afraid my number will be picked. but, i have made the decision, that i will go unquestioning if i must,

I just had to post here to bring this thread back. I think it's something people should reread - embarrassing as it is.

It just goes to show why a free media is so important. We should look into getting one in this country. (check out Democracy Now!)


You just gotta love that initial post. - my how easily we are fooled.

[Colt357tw]

Here is a quote regarding terrorist from an international infamous person that I had great respect to: "How can we escape from the trap that the terrorists have set us?" he asked. "Only by recognizing that the war on terrorism cannot be won by waging war. We must, of course, protect our security; but we must also correct the grievances on which terrorism feeds.... Crime requires police work, not military action."

From a person who was capable to bring down a national bank, this might worth some minutes of thinking.

As far as I understand, US had change her policies toward immigrates and privacy of her own citizens, whether this is good or bad it is not for us to judge. However, when this Administration started to negelete Posse Comitatus Acts on purpose in the name of "security" it had forced me to think about something we all learned in US History class back in high school: Why Burr can kill Hamilton in a public duel and get away with it?

[bigben2k]

...but we must also correct the grievances on which terrorism feeds...

Well put.

I suspect that this will be ignored, and that terrorism will remain for the decades to come.

[radio]

Sure, the powers that be profit from it greatly. Why solve a problem when you can make money from it. I heard one military leak talking about the Bush administration now considering forms of government in Iraq other than democracy.

Democracy is that last thing they want for Iraq anyway, and now that their government is slightly democratic, the hawks are scared to leave. I can hear them now - "All that work and lives lost, and most importantly all that money spent (even if it did go to our corporate friends) and we will still loose control over all that oil."

Re addressing grievances... I have to agree that we probably will not. The first week after 9/11 I thought their might be a chance when everyone including our media was asking "why do they hate us." Sadly this type of free thinking was quickly shutdown. Few people will even venture the question anymore - much less look for a real answer. So we are sure to have eternal war on whom ever the powers that be choose. We should all know by now that Iraq had absolutely nothing to do with 9/11, still that's where our brother and sisters are. It is having an impact on terrorism, just not in the right direction.

So much for Operation Iraqi Liberation

[bobkoure]

Well, if they're going to do that, why not pull apart the disparate parts of Iraq that the Brits shoved together for administrative convenience in, hmmm... pretty sure it was under Disraeli, although that might have been simply perpetuating something the sultinate (Ottoman empire) had done.

Consider Pakistan - right after separation. The various provinces, etc, didn't have anything in common, other than a shared religion - and they became an Islamic republic.
Interesting (at least to me) that part of the "grievances" West Pakistan was seceding over were the restrictions imposed by an Islamic republic - even though almost all Bangladeshis were/are Moslems.

So... if we want at least some parts to form a more "Western" democracy, maybe we need to not force disparte peoples to live in the same (proto) democracy.

Bob

PS: You might want to start a new thread for stuff like this. The comments in the beginning of this thread (four years old?) have clearly been overtaken by events - and you're making it very difficult for folks who (then) saw "WMDs" as BS to not go into the whole "I told you so" thing, which is just going to piss folks off, won't contribute to the general discussion, etc... Let past political statements rest in peace...