Posted on 03/14/2002 5:07:26 AM PST by HairOfTheDog
I bet it is not possible to end terrorism no. Not the way we will do it. We have people on this planet that simply cannot live together. We can let them walk all over the weak, we can obliterate them, or we can try to make them pay dearly for their aggressions while trying to allow them a space. I think the third is what we are trying. It will probably not work, because I don't think they are playing by the same rulebook. But I can't blame us for trying something.
We understand how you feel John. Really. I got called a "liberal woman" because I thought it was silly to organize a campaign to send the kids in Virginia Halloween candy when the snipers were still on the prowl and parents were hesitant about Trick or Treating...Cash would've been a different story...
I'll set out lunch. :)
It's make your own hoagie day in the Shire. Plenty of cold cuts (ham, turkey, pastrami, salami, corned beef, etc) and different kinds of cheese (American, Swiss, Provolone, Munchee) plus all kinds of goodies (bacon, lettuce, tomato, hot peppers, green and black olives, onions, etc.)!
Fresh bread to the left and pints to the right. ENJOY!
I must respectfully demur. The thread has remained free of political opinions with which you disagree. Carton brings up Middle East politics frequently.
If I were the interviewer, I would have asked him this.
Viggo, I think you have a fundamentally flawed understanding of events that prevents you from seeing what is before your eyes. But, that's okay... so do many others.
Following the Gulf War, many believe that Iraq was decisively defeated. After Iraq's defeat, a new threat of Islamic terror spread after the withdrawal of the Soviet Union from Afghanistan.
But, according to Saddam Hussein's own words, the Gulf War has not ended. He is still fighting it and has been fighting it since 1991.
So, Viggo, there seems to have two phenomena happening... the ongoing war with Iraq and the spread of Islamic militancy. Both these things are going on at the same time, (the 1990s) and in the same space (Sunni Muslim Middle East)
Viggo, have they merged? This is an important question that no one asks. But must be asked for understanding whether we are going to your for oil as your t-shirt seems to suggest, or because Iraq sponsors terrorism.
Let's consider an incident that happened in Egypt. Now, by 1997, it seemed to the intelligence communities that Egypt had beaten back its post-Afghanistan challenge. Then on November 17, 1997, more foreign tourists were killed in one day in an attack at Luxor than were killed from 1992 to 1997.
What's that got to do the argument. Everything. Without Egyptian backing, the Arab League would have never voted to support Iraq's ouster from Kuwait as it did in August 1990.
So, is it a coincidence that the attack occurred as the first crisis over UNSCOM ended. More crises would follow, as Saddam moved deliberately to end weapons inspections. When the next crisis began in early 1998, Egypt, through the Arab League, took a strong position that it not be resolved by force. There has been no major terrorist attack in Egypt since.
So, what happened at Luxor? If Iraqi intelligence had joined with an indigenous militant group, wouldn't the ensuing attacked likely to far more lethal that what that group might do on its own?
What's interesting, is that the subtle hints that Iraq was involved in Luxor were missed by those who held the Clinton line that militant islamic militancy are loose networks not connected to any state. It was not missed by the Egyptians.
Viggo... if you want to understand the relationship between Iraq and al-Qaida... you could do a little digging. You would only miss them if you have a strong need not to know.
The terrorists have hit recently in Bali and Mombasa. These attacks come when it looks like Iraq is going to defy the UN again. But what's the point of them? To get Europe and the Middle East to do just what they have done since militant Islamic militancy rose in 1992. Ask yourself, Viggo, who has benefitted the most from this flawed understanding of events. I'll give you a hint. Iraq.
But, I do want to thank you for coming on the show. Do some research, get back with me. I would like to discuss it further with you when your understanding of the situation is deeper than 4 words on a t-shirt.
Next... Benjamin Netanyahu. But, first this commercial message.
"You hear about constitutional rights, free speech, and the free press. Every time I hear these words I say to myself, 'That man is a Red, that man is a Communist!' You never hear a real American talk like that."
--Jersey City Mayor Frank Hague (1938)
Yep. I have a hard time associating with moderate soccer-moms and country-clubbers. They've co-opted the name.
I personally come closer to libertarianism or classical liberalism
I started describing myself as a libertarian after so-called conservatives failed to live up to the principles they espoused -- (i.e. small government, pro-freedom, etc.)
But, there was nothing Islam could do about it until the oil began to flow and the money came in. Now, they have the means to fight... and they fight... shoulder to shoulder... pursuing the same goals and the same ends using the same means.
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