Posted on 06/05/2007 8:14:50 AM PDT by toast
Yep, let’s put a knife in the back for true ‘Freedom Fighters’ and give amnesty to illegals.
Silliness.....
I agree with you completely. I have to wonder if our founding fathers were still alive; would they be charged as terrorists. Just a thought.
The problem is that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce doesn't want anything to upset its textile arrangements with the Commie Laos government. And, as we know, the Bush Administration takes its orders from the Chamber. Trade and cheap labor uber alles.
Wow, Vientiane (the capital) sure has grown since I was there in the 60s and early 70s! The tallest building back then may have been five stories at most. I guess it could be brought down with a grenade launcher today (if it still exists).
“State Sen. Mee Moua, DFL-St. Paul, said she never had the impression Vang Pao backed a violent overthrow of the Laotian government.”
Being a bit “diplomatic.” Vang Pao’s been attempting to overthrow the communist Lao government since 1975, and has made no secret of the fact.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People TO ALTER OR ABOLISH IT, AND TO INSTITUTE NEW GOVERNMENT, LAYING ITS FOUNDATION ON SUCH PRINCIPLES AND ORGANIZING ITS POWERS IN SUCH FORM, AS TO THEM SEEM MOST LIKELY TO EFFECT THEIR SAFETY AND HAPPINESS.”
There seems to have been a lapse in the recollection of high school civics somewhere.
An order from Bush to the Justice Department to call off the dogs and some pardons to follow might be a tiny first step in repairing his credibility among conservatives, if that's still possible.
Didn’t anyone tell you that is just an outdated, quaint old document? Besides, the Declaration of Independance has no force of law. s/
Funny you should mention that. That's exactly what the libs are doing.
Remember the ‘silly’ domino theory? It astounds me that liberals still criticize the moral legitimacy of the Vietnam War in the face of the Cambodian genocide and the fall of Laos.
Why yes, it should.
Odd that we stop these guys who could do good even if they get slaughtered by the Commies in Laos yet allow illegals, Islamo terrorists to waltz into our nation almost with out stop to overthrow our type of democracy!
Bush’s remarks in 2002 in Prague speaking about Czech President:
http://www.nato.int/docu/speech/2002/s021120b.htm
“And speaking about character, your life has shown that a person who dedicates himself to freedom can literally change the course of a nation and change the course of history. And I’m honored to be in your presence again.
“The people of the Czech Republic must understand that your President is greatly admired in America. I’m proud to call you friend.”
If bush walked the walk he’d lend the same report to Gen. Vang Pao.
Wow, where do I begin...
I can’t even begin to imagine what the effect of a full scale civil war or coup in Laos would have upon the SE Asian region, particularly China, India, and Pakistan. If this thing spirals out of control, we are going to end up cleaning up the mess. And how much credibility and respect will we lose if the world knows that we let this happen? And I’m not talking about the perfidious Chirac and Schroeder types. I mean allies like Thailand, Japan and South Korea. “Oh, Uncle Sam, you actually know about this coup and didn’t intervene? Well thanks so very much for the bloodshed that is generating millions of refugees and is rapidly spilling into Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. Oh, hey, China called. They say that they will knock Laos out of the planet if the two sides don’t stop using their territory to stage attacks on one another.”
And there is no guarantee that a) the Laotians will flock to this guy’s side or b) he won’t become one of the people we have to deal with in the future. History is filled with guys who wanted to do good but end up becoming the very evil they abhor.
I highly doubt the average Laotian yearn for freedom or change as strongly as the Iraqis or the Afghanis. Laos isn’t exactly Iran, Sudan, or Burma. In the event of a conflict, they might even flock to support the government, prolonging the war, instability, and bloodshed. Not to mention all the fun human rights abuses each side will gleefully inflict upon one another.
This is not even to mention that all the Jihadists in the area would love to have an unstable nation awashed in weapons and armor to stage their little playgorund in.
If the government of Laos still emerges the victor, let’s just say “miffed” will be an understatement when it comes to US foreign relations. This will negatively effect such important issues as the WOT (again), law enforcemnet in regards to narcotics, prostitution, human terafficking, child-sex trade, and trade. Do I even need to mention that not only will Laos hate us, the other countries in the region will be less trusting and willing to coperate with us for letting such a situation go out of hand?
People, this isn’t a Tom Clancy novel where this man and his compatriots will kill the big bad Commies and all the Laotians will flock to his side as we celebrate the birth of another free nation. This will make Iraq look like a playground. We are fighting less than 5% over there. A Laotian civil war will alienate the entire region and if we end up going in there I can guaratntee you we will not be fighting less than 5% of the Laotian population. Imagine an entire country that contains hundreds of cities like 1993 Mogadishu, entire areas where “Yankees” are persnona non grata.
The comments in this thread display a profound shortsighted ness. I’m pretty sure the last thing the President, America, or the world needs right now is a bloody coup that could destabilize the entire SE Asian region.
These guys would never be convicted by a jury I was on. This case is ripe for jury nullification.
There may be practical benefits to throw these guys in prison, but do you believe that putting them in prison is just. Do you believe what they wanted to do- to liberate the oppressed people of a communist country- was morally wrong? If you were on the jury, could you convict them with a clear conscience?
The question is do the circumstances require a liberation? Would the situation be better or worse if we allowed them to proceed? Would the Laotian people even support a liberation? There is a very good reason that Laos is neither named as an Axis of evil nation nor implicated by Sec. Rice as one of the countries with serious rights violation (this was in 04-05, and the nations mentioned included Syria, Burma, and the Sudan). His plot would make more sense, and be more fitting, in a nation like Burma.
It can be assumed that this guy would probably not become a Castro or Mao (evil wise, not ideologically). Of course, there is no guarantee of this. Regardless, his actions may end up causing more harm than good. “The road to hell” and all that. It is easy to sympathize and understand his intentions but we must also keep the consequences in mind.
With all of that, I’d probably opt for a light sentence in a minimum security facility. But he and his compatriots must be on a form of parole after they’re released. We can’t risk another reprisal of this incident. At the same time, it would be good to have these guys on retainer, in the event that Laos takes a drastic turn for the worse. If that is the case, not only will he have the full sanction of the government, he will have access to the best arms and weapons America has to offer.
But ultimately it’s not up to me. There will be 12 other people other than an of us in that court. Hopefully the outcome will be best for all parties involved, here and abroad.
I’d have to study the thing considerably, but my gut reaction is to wish them God Speed...
and loan them a few million $$$ worth of arms and transportation.
Choose the Right. Let the chips fall where they may.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.