"Sounds like "I didn't say what I said and I'll say it again" to me."
After re-reading the original, I'll retract that post but I still don't like what Frist said. Of course he pretty much had to because it's true.
Personally, I think we overestimated the Muslim populations of these nations. We thought anyone in their right mind would choose freedom over oppressive theocracy. We were just wrong. Like the Palestinians, I think most Muslim countries, when given the chance to choose, choose very poorly, in accordance with what their Imam wants. By Frist's logic, we need to open dialog with the Imams of Iran and offer them government positions to solve the nuclear issue there. Not what I would call a good idea. They live to mislead and lie to us, just like the Talibanis.
The two schools of thought for our current conflict are "cut and run" and "stay the course". The former won't work and the latter isn't either. The "Course" is a touchy-feely PC crap war where we handle the enemy with kid gloves and grant too much comfort to our prisoners. How many American POWs are there? ZERO because our enemy doesn't take prisoners.
You don't win a war by winning hearts and minds. You win wars by killing the hell out of the enemy. We are not playing to win, we are playing not to lose, which is the surest way TO lose. The longer this war drags on, the more PC it gets and the weaker our side gets. Ultimately that will mean a "X" in the "L" column for America. I don't want that but the way we are "fighting" this war, I'm afraid it's coming.
Anyway, that's my "I quit smoking 3 days ago and everything is pi$$ing me off" rant. ;-p
And dead-on accurate.
This is an important part of the problem. There is little to no encouragement for anyone to think on their own. Only clerics and scholars have the right to interpret Islam.
Kudos to you for quitting the butts, and for the useful rant.
"We thought anyone in their right mind would choose freedom over oppressive theocracy. "
we being the US government; to me trying to force republican government on those countries is likely to have the same result as it would have in most if not all of europe up well into the 17th century if not later - they will vote in theocrats and despots.
There is a reason the US has in the past and present (egypt, pakistan, saudi arabia, kuwait and the gulf states, jordan) been happy with secular despots or with monarchies in the middle east - they keep control of their populace and pursue foreign policies much more favorable to the US than popular wishes would have them do, or than any conceivable alternate government form would.
Good for you! I did it a few years ago - here are a couple of tips that may or may not help:
1)Don't try to picture yourself as a non-smoker. Don't try to picture yourself not smoking after eating or not smoking while talking on the phone, or not smoking while driving.
If you start to think "How will I be able to drive for 2 hours without smoking" - PUSH the thought out of your head and just tell yourself to get through the day. Don't let yourself think about it.
2) Get yourself a babyfood jar and fill it with cigarette butts and water. Keep it with you at all times. Anytime you think you want to smoke - pull out that jar, unscrew the lid and take a big whiff. Believe me, you won't want a cigarette after seeing and smelling that jar.
Good luck - I know you can do it, because if I (who smoked 2 packs of Kools a day for 20 years and never wanted to quit, never tried to quit and had no intentions of ever quitting), if I could quit - anybody can!
Well said and I agree completely.
We should have sent 250,000 troops into Ashcanistan, killed every single Talibani, installed a puppet gov't and then left with the warning that if they ever do it again we won't be so nice next time. Ditto for Iraq and its savages.
I also agree that Muslims have shown that they WANT theocracy, oppresion and the jackboot of dictatorshiop on their necks at all times. They LIKE oppression, murder, and savagery of almost every form imaginable.
We did indeed overestimate the people of Ashcanistan and Iraq. We should never again promise to 'liberate' or 'free' anyone. They like the rancid cesspool they live in. In the future, if we ever have to attack another muslim country, we should simply bomb them into the 7th century (and I mean that in every sense) and then KEEP them in the 7th century, where they are no longer a threat to us.
Its too bad, really, but this is what these savages like, so let them have it.