Sorry, Barry - but I disagree with just about everything you're saying concerning "issues" in the Middle East. Our current situation has much more to do with what has been done in the PAST (BEFORE Bush) and more to do with the perceptions the muslim world has concerning our meddling in their affairs. They use our association with Israel as the means to prove their point, but they actually despise us on our own merits.
Unfortunately, we've done a fantastic job of feed those flames ourselves. Back in the 50's, 60's, etc. (when Bush was frolicking around in his diapers) we were about setting up puppet governments in many of those countries. We backed them, we funded them, we supported them. Democrats and Republicans equally!!! Whether it was to stop the spread of communism, or to satisfy our growing need for oil, good or bad (at the time) that's what we did. We even backed, supplied and supported Sadam Hussein at one point.
Well - we're paying the price now. So what do you suggest we do? Before you say we should engage in a dialogue with these people - understand - we would have to break all ties with Israel in order to even begin a discussion. And then remove all of our forces from ALL middle eastern countries - allow all of the countries autonomy - let them do as they please... (i.e. develop nuclear weapons, set up theocratic states like the Taliban did in Afghanistan, etc....).
Yep - let's be isolationist in ideology - let's pull all of our factories, businesses and other enterprises out of all of those countries. That's what the terrorists want...
Let's close the borders to travel to those regions I mean, after all, we don't want to piss off the locals by sharing western customs with them (i.e. - woman allowed to walk around with face, hair and legs exposed). That's what the terrorists want...
And after all of that, if you're so naive as to believe that's what it's going to take to gain peace in the middle east - brother, you have your head buried in the sand up to your armpits... The radical muslims want to establish a muslim empire - one that is capable of reaching out and smacking down those that offend them - and that's what you'd be allowing them to do...
Our biggest enemy is our own greed. But we don't view it that way. We see it as the fruits of our hard work. You cannot possibly convince me you are willing to give up all the things the American society has afforded for you - nice cars, houses, air conditioning, plenty of food, nice clothes, EDUCATION, free press, free thinking, free expression of ideas, vacations, sweet smelling perfume/cologne, Nike/Adidas/FUBU tennis shoes, Ray Ban/Maui Jim/Oakley sunglasses, fine cigars, fine wines/scotch/booze, etc., etc., etc. And unless and until you do - and you are on equal footing with these nutballs - we're going to suffer their wrath. You see they - along with a lot of other nutballs in the world - honestly believe you have those things because you exploited them, plundered them, raped them, robbed them, etc. of those things. They honestly believe they will live their paltry existence until such time they are in heaven - with 27 virgins and all of the things we've had all of our life. We are the devil - they are the righteous...
So let's go ahead debate whether those bastard Republican's, and their "big business" agenda, is better/worse than the righteous Democrat's and their "social" agenda (funded by big business) iin curing the world's ills...
Until then - we have no choice but to battle them on their soil - a place where they are coming in droves to confront our well trained/well equipped army. You know - WAR...
Or - I suppose we could always pull our troops and set them up around our country and wait from them to fly more planes into our buildings - or car bomb population centers - or... Well, you know... We
are a soft target inside our own borders, after all...
Originally Posted by ggiese
Sorry, Barry - but I disagree with just about everything you're saying concerning "issues" in the Middle East. Our current situation has much more to do with what has been done in the PAST (BEFORE Bush) and more to do with the perceptions the muslim world has concerning our meddling in their affairs. They use our association with Israel as the means to prove their point, but they actually despise us on our own merits.
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