theloniusfleabag

If one puts a language translator on these last couple of posts, I'm sure Saddam said the exact same words. Humorous that 'soldiers that follow their leader, right or wrong' could be exalted as heroes in one country, yet called Nazis or Islamic terrorists when fighting for another. I do honour those troops who risk their lives everyday, for it is a grave choice to make. However, Mongol Hordes and US troops still can only be heroes if they accomplish spreading death in the name of whomever sent them. Right and wrong doesn't play a big part in their daily regime. In fact, they are ordered to stop thinking the moment they are recruited. The thinking will all be done for them by 'investors'.

Wow, what a dead topic. It was recently ruled that the US unfairly tariffed softwood lumber. The US then looked at imposing other penalties on 'those rich Canadians' to make the markets fair for 'the poor US'. At least the cast of 'Friends' gets a fair shake for the 20 gazillion per episode for what they contribute to society.

I think logical1 has the inside track on this issue. Separation of church and state must become fact, lest Islam, Judaism, or Catholicism run our lives forever. While I understand the commitment that the Judge from Alabama has for his religion, if it is allowed to steer the law we would therefore legitimize Islamic law as well. Not here of course, but we legitimize power as the deciding factor as to who's law will govern all peoples. The people of the planet, in whatever country, deserve equal and fair representation by notions that transcend religious beliefs. And they are so simple. And they pre-date religion of any sort. (Oh, Piglet,[the god I worship sometimes late at night] forgive me for starting two sentences with the word 'and').

Dear Mr Read, I must agree with most of your post that Saudia Arabia is one of they core issues to the middle east problem.(and I thought you hated root causes!) However, how does one explain that Osama Bin Laden hates it and the US gov't loves it? It has to do with what one worships. Bun Laden hates it because he feels the Saud family despoils 'the land of the two holy places' (he refuses to acknowledge the name 'Saudi Arabia') by selling out to the US and others. The US feels it is a great place to profit, because they worship Mammon, but it is despoiled by Islam. I think the time draws nigh when Islam will be confronted, but it need not be 'nukes first', understanding later'. One day the world will be rid of religious tyranny, and it is up to all of us to ensure that such a notion does not mean to be also 'rid of existence'.

Dear Hugo, I refer to the Pathan tribesmen in Afghanistan, quoting Robert Kaplan. Not the Gucci Muj, either. I assume he shortened the Salat down even further. I am glad that you could clarify that 'Ackbar' isn't the cry of a suicide bomber praising a squid person from Star Wars. In reference to the drug posts, I shall refrain from using the word ignorance to refer to others, since it is not the damning criticism you think it is. In Vietnam, heroin use amongst the troops and subsequently in the US, skyrocketed. Pepsico was busted with a heroin refinery, as was even alluded to in the movie 'Air America'. Why did Pepsi not sue when such blatant 'slander' was implied? Because it was true. In Afghanistan in the 80's, hundreds of tonnes (300)of gold seal Afghani Hashish was found on the shores of Canada, abandonded by smugglers when they thought they might get caught. No worries, though, for there was so much it was all one could buy.( as a former hippie, I remember it well. I couldn't find pot, only afghani hash. Sure was good) [insert you 'flashback jokes here] How were the Stinger missiles paid for? Hashish. Read 'The Soldiers of God' by Robert Kaplan, and Also 'The Politics of Heroin" ( I don't recall the author, I got the book from the library). It includes some great pictures of US Army and CIA helicopters in the compounds of certain 'warlords' in the 'Golden Triangle". Followed by a sharp increase in heroin in the streets of the US. Noriega from Panama, as you may recall, was an 'indicted, criminal, evil, indicted drug dealer' (loosely quoting George H. W. Bush on a rant) when it was proven in court that he was on the US army payroll for 31 years and the CIA's for 15 years. His job? To monitor the cocaine traffic from south and central america into the US, and to ensure the protection of the Panama Canal. When Carter and Trujillo signed the treaty to turn over control of the canal to Panama, (then) President Reagan stated "It's ours, we stole it fair and square". After the illegal invasion of Panama, cocaine and especially crack-cocaine became more popular and available than ever. Near my place of work I see it everyday. I have had to ask people to move off the front steps of my place of work and to 'go smoke their crack elsewhere".

With Bank of America now being investigated, the collapse of Enron, etc, when will people learn that the 'mighty USA' is selling "The Emporer's New Clothes"? How many more scandals will it take before it is realized that the US dollar has value only because people believe it does? I expect to be buying a business at the end of the month, and am seriously considering taking US dollars vs Canadian 'at par' at best. Some of the most respected companies are proving that their worth is far less than what is actually the truth.

Dear Mr. Nuclear, Iraq is not yet proven to be a provider of anything but rhetoric to 'terrorists'. Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, provided the majority of the 9/11 hijackers. Saudi Arabia, who was and is a good friend of the US. 'Allahu Akbar' means 'God is great' by the by, which is repeated 34 times, along with 'Subhan il'aha' (God is pure) 33 times and 'Hamd-u-lilah' (Praise be to God) 33 times so that God's name is repeated 100 times, 5 times per day. At least that is how the devout muslims of the mujahadeen perform the service, even when fighting under the auspices of the USA. With regard to drugs, the US truly does want to stop evil Marijuana from Canada, but fails to mention that BC bud is being traded pound for pound with crack-cocaine and being brought back to Canada. Funny how wherever the US goes to fight a war, that nations drugs flood North America in very short order. Especially when the US is selling arms to local regimes who have no cash to pay.

Dear logical1, I am afraid that after re-reading my last post, I cannot 'dumb it down' any further. Try reading it slower. I apologize if that seems juvenile, but the spirit of this board seems to be,' if you can't understand something, attack it with name calling'. You are one of the few noted exceptions. One of the things that America is based on is the hyper-overvaluation of 'resources' such as entertainment. Truly, something of little or no actual value in relative terms regarding survival, yet it is America's #1 export. With the US being trillions in debt, and their largest export being people playing 'make believe', they are moving the foundations of what was once a great country onto the very dangerous foundation of 'a house of cards'. The US dollar should be below the peso right now, if it were not for the fact that they can,will and have killed those who oppose them.

Dear Scribbler, Fast Ned, There are many Palestinian Arabs, or Semites, that enjoy and respect the democratic institution of Israel. There are also many who wish to see no such thing as Israel. Whitewashing an entire population with racial slurs such as 'the retarded palestinians' cannot give an arguement one iota of legitimacy, and in fact is the same notion 'terrorists' must have about westerners and 'infidels'. The same notion the Jews have about the 'goyim'. The notion that one kind of people is 'superior, chosen or less than' any other is ridiculous.

Dear Hugo, I do not recall such a vast membership in 'the coalition of the coerced' at the time of invasion. One of us must be mistaken.

Dear KK, You forgot (or purposely neglected) to add Mammon as the idol of worship in America in in your quote of my post. America does not embrace democracy, freedom or liberty outside their own borders IF it does not 'enable them to worship Mammon'. Brutal dictators and regimes are supported, encouraged and sometimes trained by the USA if it is in the USA's interests to do so. If those dictatorships squash the locals and trample democracy, and it leads to more US multinationals 'maximizing profits', then they are supported by the US. If a country wishes to have it's own people be employed and get rich from it's own resources, and it's own labour, it is a hideous communist regime which needs a good squashing, in favour of a US-friendly regime, brutal dictatorship or not.

Dear Mr. Read, I know who my friends are. The US has no friends, nor are they expecting to aquire any based on their actions. They have no concern except themselves, and do not wish to have support unless it is in the form of military alliances or cash donations. Most of the world suported them after 9/11, sending troops to Afghanistan because they believed a threat existed there. Not only to the USA, but to the free world. In Iraq, the threat was being addressed by the UN inspectors under international support. All eyes were on Iraq, and Saddam had little time for foolishness. The US, however, threw away all the support it had garnered in Afghanistan by deciding it did not need anyone else, and invading a country without the support of anyone (save the UK) for it was the mightiest superpower. Where are they now? Asking for help. Should the rest of the world help, or spank the petulant child? Are they the 'prodigal son' of morality? Or an bunch of greedy bastards? I think they are proving which one.

Oddly enough, America is based on Idol worship. From actors and soap opera stars to pro athletes refusing 15+million dollars a year, the US expects every nation to worship the same idols it does. Mammon. Even more odd, the Taliban, bastards though they are, fought against idol-worship. Could it be that mankind shall ever polarize itself, with the middle ground unattainable?

I must agree with Mr. Read's penultimate post that the issues of rebuilding are far more complex than 'an executive order'. There have been several comments throughout this thread that have been based on ignorance, and I shall try to clear them up. Dear Hugo, Albert Speer was a great man in the most horrific of circumstances, and I urge you to read his memoirs. "Inside The Third Reich, The Memoirs Of Albert Speer" was indeed a condemnation of a regime by a man caught in the middle, for he started as a simple architect, yet he was the ONLY ONE who did not try to deflect the blame from himself. The Russians counseled the death penalty, but he got 20 years. He felt he and all the others deserved it, and he wished only to deflect the blame from the German people, not from the Nazis. Dear FastNed, America supports brutal dictators such as Gen. Suharto, 'Papa Doc' Duvalier, Manuel Noriega, etc when it is in their economic interests to do so. When the US does not profit from a dictatorship, they hold it up as an example of 'evil' I must hold the US up as an 'example of evil' for they only serve profit, not 'democracy' or 'freedom' like they claim. They even support SLAVERY, in this day and age, when they can get away with it. (The manager of a factory in the south pacific producing goods for JC Penny was recently sentenced to 10 years in prison for it). To suggest that the goal of democratizing Iraq, anathema to Islam, is a misguided venture and a waste of effort to say the least. Only by 'lifting the carpet' shall you find the cockroaches, but so many of America's and the USSR's dirty secrets are also under there it will not be done in our lifetimes, unless someone with the intestinal fortitude comes along. To those that think the US should get support from the rest of the world in paying he bills for a war that the US/UK alone started, I can say only this: If one is to throw morals to the wind in favour of greed or power, the only thing left to keep that in check, however saddening, is the law. If one throws the law out also, in favour of their own personal goals, only the basest element will be on you side. Amoral lawyers and profitters shall be your bedfellows in hell. (not that I believe in that 'heaven and hell claptrap)

Well said, Black Dog. There are truly choices and actions far above those exhibited in the world at large today. I once wrote a letter to the editor of my local paper, defending the writings of another 'concerned citizen'. His folly was to suggest that we need logic and reason to carry ALL of us forward. He was criticized (as was I) by both the editor and a Muslim cleric, for that solution 'being a dead end'. Zealotry, and to some extent faith, need no logic or reason. Only overwhelming power. It is eventually this master that they will come to serve.

Dear Mr. Read, While I find it amusing that your posts are mostly juvenile name-calling, and the opinions you profess are mostly regurgitated Rush Limbaugh 'infotainment factoids', I will endeavour to explain why the existence of Israel in fact should not be supported. Zionism in it's basic framework is the founding of national borders based on religion. In that regard, it is no different from the Taliban wishing to rule Afghanistan, or Islamic Law ruling Kuwait or Iran. A better example would be the creation of a new nation, lets call it Allahstan. For argument's sake, lets say a group of Muslims said "Allah promised us the holy land, on which to dwell" Unfortunately, it is smack-dab in the middle of Israel. Who would be right? Would they then have the right to build a nation on the 3000 year old scribblings of some zealots? Does Israel have more rights because their scribblings are older? Either there is a root cause, adherence to wacky religions, or there is only Nietzche's and Hitler's and Stalin's 'Will To Power' left to rule. Or, as reasonable human beings, we could bring all this out into the open. Israel may be democratic, but that will only last as long as they keep winning. The second an Islamic party leads the polls, democracy will come to an abrupt halt. I am a firm believer in democracy, and a devout opponent of Islam, Judaism, and Zionism. That is to say, religion is fime as long as it is kept to the individual. Faith is better than religion, for you don't have to tithe for the sake of building golden temples or calfs.

Dear FastNed, They voluntarily dismantled the 6 acknowledged bombs. Have you read "The Samson Option" yet? In a nutshell, Israel threatened the US with going nuclear in the Six-Day War. The US was compelled to offer materiel assistance to avert this.

I almost forgot to mention, If Iraq allowed inspections, was subsequently (Along with the UN) disbelieved, invaded, and occupied, just how many 'delivery capable WMDs' were found there? Zero, you say? Israel will not allow ANY inspections whatsoever, only offer vehement denials and charges of anti-sematism when questioned.

FastNed, I suggest you do some reading. The Samson Option by Seymour M. Hersch, former editor of the Washington Post for starters. The French may not have aided in developing a nuclear program, but certainly abetted in setting up the Dimona reactor and provided experise on how to build enrichment facilities. Strike one, FastNed: for I said France AND THEN South Africa... helped build (perhaps for semantics' sake i should have replaced 'build' with 'develop') nukes. Strike two, FastNed: show me one book, Un Mandate, US intel report that even suggests South Africa is sitting on nukes and I will eliminate this strike. Strike Three, FastNed: what constitutes possession of 'illegal WMDs'? If Israel did have 200-400 devices capable of being deliverable nuclear weapons, by how much does that exceed the maximum allowable amount according to the US government's official stance? About 100% I would say. 3 strikes and you're out (of your big league!)

The Jonathan Pollard case is deeper than some might see. The information passed by Pollard was nuclear targetting info to be used by Israel. The Israelis were quite upset that the US intel would not give KH11 time for strictly Israeli purposes. So they went through Pollard. One of the biggest reasons for keeping him locked up is so that no one has any proof Israel has nukes. Israel refuses to sign non-proliferation accords based on denial of possession of nukes, but most everyone knows that France and then South Africa helped build and test them. The US would be obligated to act against Israel for possessing nukes, and Israel has plenty of contempt for the US, as you can see if you visit any of their news sites. Pollard is locked up for what he could prove, not for what he passed. On the topic, the US has directly and indirectly created more terrorists to help it's own cause than they are currently fighting. Clinton, while being a grade A fool, realized when he tried to push health-care reform through senate, that the president does not run the country. Business does. The biggest legitimate business that the US has is the military. Not just their own, mind you, there are lots of tin-pot brutal dictators out there that depend on the US to control those oppressed countries. Where do you think all those juicy profits come from? Certainly not from countries that have free populations that want to profit from their own labour and resources. America has a right to own them. Even if they have to support brutal dictatorships.

Dear Craig and Hugo, You two make me giggle. Were it not for the actions of the US, especially the CIA in dealing with and against terrorists, the US might have a smidgeon of credibility. Selling Stingers to the Mujahadeen at $75,000 (even though they could only pay in hashish and opium) in the 80's, how could they be surprised to see them on the blackmarket at $200,000? The Taliban, as ruthless as they were, committed the most major of crimes against the US by cutting off the supply of opium, a billion + dollar a year business for whomever controls it. I wonder who that could be? Here is some proverbs from the Pathan tibesmen in Afghanistan: Women have no noses, they will eat shit. One's own mother and sister are disgusting. Women belong in the house or in the grave. Sure am glad the US saw fit to make those guys well armed, but as long as it served US interests, it's all good. Until it comes back to haunt everyone.

I find it odd indeed that the 'road map' for the Middle East was 'printed' in Saudi Arabia, for no Muslim nation can print Israel on a map. Iraq, Kuwait, in fact all Islamic nations refuse to acknowledge the existence of Israel, and instead refer to it as 'the Zionist Entity'. I myself am pro-Jewish yet anti-zionist. There is no notion of 'separation of church and state' in the middle east, be it Jewish or Muslim. Israel would drop democracy faster than you can say 'Matza-ball soup' the second they become the electoral minority. Hence the wall. One can only say 'Israel has the RIGHT to exist only if one believes that G-d himself decreed that they do. Very difficult to prove in court, so it is up to people such as Uzi Landau (who was quoted this weekend saying in regard to the targeted killings of militants 'We should be killing them at a faster rate) to enact the will of Man, under the dubious auspices of 'the will of G-d' (or Allah, whomever you favour).

Logical one, you must bee joking. Cease trade based on human rights? America would collapse. Countries that oppress the citizens are the #1 trading partners BECAUSE there are no labour or human rights standards, not in spite of the fact.

Good lord, man. Selfishness the greatest of virtues? It is that variable which sunk the USSR. Not that it shouldn't have been, for the leaders were all selfish. Given the direction we are headed in, we will se 5 billion 'nations of one' and say that this is workable. Impossible! Besides, the US is nowhere near the what western media describes it as. They were materially an asset but strategically and operationally a shot in the foot vs fascism. Besides, most of America was and is still fascist.

Good lord, no one need to go into paroxysms over this one. Racial quotas are racial quotas. It bothers me to hear the words 'reverse discrimination' when there is no such possible thing. Any job interview can be 'directed' to produce any findings sought by the company to fit any prerequisite, but once one has brought racial ideology into the mix as a 'legitimate' variable, one taints the whole thing.