I really didn't want to get into this, but the last reply just got
me. I will not debate the war. No one likes it and I was aprehensive
about even a valid pre-emptive strike despite my post 9/11 fears.
However, Skip, whatever our faults here in the US, I find nothing
sad. I also refute your contention about US manifest destiny; I do
not believe that it true for the past century. Every war or proxy
battle we have fought in this century, whether right or wrong, was
for philosophical and not geopolitcal reasons. Our hearts were in
the right place but our heads may have been up our ass. No one likes
war, least of all the people it falls to fight it, including the
generals. Some would have (and tried to) had us not fight WWII. Over
the years we have tried to listen to our fore fathers' warnings "not
to meddle in European affairs." I thought from the beginning that
Iraq was more about strategic position rather than WMDs. Say what
you want, no one, not the UN, not France, not Russia, no one,
disagreed about their existence; only the methodology of what to do.
Will Iraq work? I don't know, but if it does we will all look back
differently. Should Iran be next? Thank God I am not in charge. I
never served in the military. I do not look for conflicts lightly
recognizing that someone will have to shed their blood. Hopefully,
if called, I would be man enough to serve or refuse to serve and
suffer the consequences if that's where my conscience led me. We all
wish that it was an indentifiable country that attacked us. That
would be easy. Two small nuclear devices have kept us kamikazee free
for 64 years. While it is healthy to question your government
(please don't question Jefferson, he was a two-face bigot who would
have this country in eternal civil war), don't look past the good
this country and its people have done. It was the European powers
carving up of the Middle East and Africa that gives rise to many of
the problems still in existence today, most notably, at least in
Africa, the French (ugh!). Even today, the US gives more
humanitarian aid to Africa than all other countries combined. Can we
do more, certainly. Sorry, but I find little sad about this country,
problems yes, but nothing sad. I may be a fool, but we are that
light on the hill. I am not popular in Europe, but Europe died long
ago.
--- In AsburyPark@yahoogroups.com, "SkipDragon" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> There is a sad element to America's mythology of self; its
> wholehearted unquestioning acceptance of a doctrine of manifest
> destiny, which views the world as ripe for the taking. Sadly it
is
> this view that our `C' student president seems to embrace as
> justification for preemptive war. As the last great power it is
> George's view that real men must do what men must do, no room for
> nuance, subtlety or alliance; rather this is the time to fulfill
> America's promise.
>
> Unfortunate news for our over achieving `C' student, is that
> this style of governing only worked when time, space and economic
> self-sufficiency provide us relative advantage. For despite great
> reviews and jingoist self-congratulations and despite a surfeit of
> natural resources, this nation has never been all that clever or
> resourceful. Our outdated business model reinforced by myth of
> `can do', every man an island, survival of the strongest and
> damn the
> torpedoes can't match European and Asian models of cooperative
> tasking to achieve a greater societal good.
>
> Sadly we've become legends as dinosaurs in our own time. For
> those of you still enamored of the might of the last `super
> power',
> consider this, no nation no matter how powerful can turn its back
on
> the rest of the world, when that world possesses 95% of mankind.
>
> It is a numbers game.
>
>
> --- In AsburyPark@yahoogroups.com, "jerseyjohn99"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> wrote:
> >
> > Skip,
> >
> > you make it seem coincidental that these guys all happened to
board
> > a plane at the same time intending harm against "The Great
Satan".
> > Is it also coincidental that there have been NO homicide
bombings
> in
> > Israel since the funding for them dried up when a peaceful old
man
> > was found hiding in a rathole on the outskirts of Tikrit?
> >
> > Shall we restore Iraq to its rightful dictator & allow the
people
> of
> > Israel to suffer again?
> >
> > --- In AsburyPark@yahoogroups.com, "SkipDragon" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote:
> > >
> > > Nineteen really stupid and naïve guys from 4 different counties
> > > decide to collect their expected reward of a harem of virgins
and
> > > throw their lives away by killing 3000 innocents.
> > >
> > > That act of lunacy forces the `peaceful' United States to
> > > invade, conquer and determine the destiny of a 5th nation not
> > party
> > > to this horrible event. What did I miss?
> > >
> > >
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