The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #38912 Message #556000
Posted By: Big Mick
21-Sep-01 - 02:41 PM
Thread Name: X-Ed is here to STAY!!!!
Subject: RE: X-Ed is here to STAY!!!!
He called you a fool. What he should of said is that you are speaking foolishly. You do manage to cover it with some fairly cogent points, but the predicate upon which you build your argument is flawed. Your premise is that people are acting like it is the fault of the U.S. that it was attacked. That isn't what is being put forward. If you look at my posts, and others, in the threads you will see advocacy that we go in, in a precise way and as many times as is necessary, and get these bastards. But then, and now, we need to make a concerted effort to understand the whys of the attack. For example, I would point out that I hate everything that Saddam Hussein stands for. But the embargo we put on Iraq killed thousands. Imagine your own children dying because of it and then imagine your feelings. Unfortunately, you will likely come up with "I would hate Saddam" as a reasoning. But that is because you won't put yourself in their position. All we really had to do was embargo the oil producing and refining equipment, in a no horseshit manner, and we would have cut off his money. Without his money, he only has the stick and not the carrot. And ask yourself, X-Ed. Why is it only a heinous, "the world needs to respond", crime when it is perpetrated against us? If the rest of the world were to take a "It is between Bin Ladden and the U.S." attitude as so many Americans have taken in the past, what would be your response.
I pose most of this to provoke thought. I firmly believe that the nature and scope of this atrocity demand a strong response. I support that President in his desire to bring them to justice. But methodology for doing so could change my view. Cruise missile attacks on a people who are already reeling, and have very little to do with all this, would change me.
And one last question. In the "War on Terrorism" who gets to decide what a terrorist is? Would Menachem Begin, George Washington, Padraic Pearce, Chief Joseph and others fit the definition?
Enought rambling. Gotta get back to work.
All the best,
Mick