PERMANENT STATE OF WAR

[lee635]

"One point of agreement in last night’s terrific discussion with Alan Brinkley and Nicholas Lemann at the World Policy Institute - -the single most useful discussion of the war I’ve heard anywhere — was the increasing importance of the peace movement to the future of this country and the future wars that Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld clearly have in mind for us."

"But it is obvious by now that according to the Neocons’ gameplan, this war is just an opening shot in the attempted creation of a global military empire that has in mind regime change in Iran, Syria, perhaps Saudi Arabia, and one day, North Korea. Rumsfeld tried to fight it on the cheap so that he might be able to argue that the United States could fight simultaneously in many countries at once. Bush is asking for no sacrifices whatever from the general population and is ratcheting up his ridiculous tax cuts for the wealthy and historically unprecedented budget deficits."


MSNBC (http://www.msnbc.com/news/752664.asp)

"After Baghdad, what next? Here’s an idea: Invade Syria."

"When asked whether he was “threatening military action against Syria,� Rumsfeld refused to answer."


MSNBC article (http://www.msnbc.com/news/895509.asp)

[James_F]

Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld clearly have in mind for us

Don't forget Ashcroft... :bang

[RichW]

I still think that Mr. Bush the elder needs to take GWB "out back for a good talkin' to" for hanging around with the wrong crowd. Many of these guys are only one degree removed from Enron.

[waydwolf]

Hmmm...

In NYC, you can see Jews, Christians, and Muslims walking past each other to their places of worship and no one ever seems to wonder, "how long till everyone breaks out AK-47s and starts shooting each other?"

In Belfast, there is no one sufficiently old enough alive to remember a time when Protestants and Christians WEREN'T trying to kill each other and Northern Ireland is ostensibly a first world place.

The world blathers on, "we are the world, we are the children..."

No, WE AMERICANS are the world. We have people representing nearly every religion, ethnic group, nationality, language, etc. from all over the entire planet here. WE AMERICANS are consistantly the ones looked to for rescue and relief from all the problems of the old world.

With every successive generation and new influx of people, we become stronger and smarter and more prosperous.

When all other options have turned to crud, we are the nation everyone wants to move to and not only live here, but become a flag-waving citizen.

Some of the greatest and most emotional and vociferous patriotism comes from the most recent immigrants, many of whom know what crudholes are around the world, what sort of tyrants and despots rule all too many of those mountains of dreck, and what sort of horrors lax attention to history and crimes against humanity perpetrated every day are brought to the world by that immoral negligence.

This world could do worse and indeed so often DOES do worse, than follow America's lead.

This was written by someone descended from over twelve nationalities of immigrants, none of whom wanted to be anywhere more than right here.

[Mike123abc]

I read an interesting article in Forbes. Do you know why the UN is in the US instead of in Geneva? Because at the time the rest of the world was afraid if the UN was not in the US, the US would go back to isolationist and not pay attention to the UN/world. Perhaps the rest of the world knew then what they seem to have forgotten now... the world needs the US to take charge every now and then and solve some problems.

With countries like Syria and Iraq leading committees, it is hard to take the UN seriously.

[Punkitup]

Originally posted by waydwolf
In Belfast, there is no one sufficiently old enough alive to remember a time when Protestants and Christians WEREN'T trying to kill each other and Northern Ireland is ostensibly a first world place.  

Waydwolf – While I total understand your premise I think I would have chosen a different allegory for the point of reference. I am sure it was just a typo on your part, but nonetheless, in point of fact Protestants are Christians. And while I reject violence in any form in the north of Ireland, I understand the Troubles at least in their origins to be a political conflict which by the nature of the opposing sides broke down along religious lines. But today for all intents and purposes what remains are former paramilitaries on both sides who are nothing more then gangsters in their own neighborhoods, spending more time killing each other rather then fighting for any cause long ago made irrelevant by time and change.

Belfast is in fact today a lovely city to visit. The city centre a mix of old world and very modern buildings is immaculately clean, no sooner do the shops and business close their doors for the day then the street cleaning crews go to work. By contrast Dublin the capital of the Republic is sadly littered with rubbish, a factor of growth outpacing infrastructure. The people of Belfast are warm and generous and go out of their way to be considerate of each other. When you’ve had it bad, you really have much more appreciation of when you’ve got it good. I would feel very comfortable in recommending anyone to visit; the area around Queen’s University walking distance south of the city centre is particularly nice area to stroll or lodge in.
 
That being said like any city in America there are outlaying neighborhoods I wouldn’t want to go wandering round unescorted. It would be ill-advised of me to take my car with it’s Republic plate and go tooling down the Shankill Road (unionist niehborhood), in order to pop into a pub for a cup of tea (I don’t drink). Is it because I fear being killed as a Catholic from the Republic and no matter how long I have been in the US still have the accent that would show me as such? No, it’s the same reason I wouldn’t go down The Falls Road (nationalist neighborhood), because while I was inside, the kids outside who still live in crushing poverty would be stripping my car. Mind you though, I would probable be more likly to get an ass-kick’n in the Shankill if they took issue with me.

Economic factors are far more often then not the reason for people immigrating to the US. And speaking just in terms of the Republic of Ireland (the south), while it is true that up until recent history it was the poorest country in western Europe today there are fewer and fewer reasons to leave. The tremendous emphasis on education of the last twenty years, along with recent growth strategies and EU funding, is now paying dividends in a shift away from the strictly agrarian economy of the past toward one of telecommunications, computers, and biomedical interests. It has been just amazing with an economic growth rate averaging 8% per year since 1995. And although things have slowed in the past year and a half, the unemployment rate is still an acceptable 4.7%.  That being said 10% of the population of 3.8 million is still below the poverty level, inflation is 4.6% and the cost of land and housing has skyrocketed. No one I know is getting rich, but they are all by and large much better off then I remember as a child.

A bit about me… I was born in Detroit MI to then Irish nationals. I was raised alternately between Ireland and Detroit. Primary school in Ireland, back to Detroit went to Jr. and senior high school, dropped out, passed a GED, got my folks to sign and joined the Marine Corps at 17. Then I attended a bit of college, before returning to Ireland in my twenties for a while (I will be 40 in July). I have been working here (US) at the same trade for 15 years now. Today I am a dual-national and hold a current passport for both Ireland and the US. When I retire there is a very good chance that I will return to Ireland. I love the United States and will stand up for it till the day I die, but the ease and grace of the Irish countryside and it’s people is something to look forward to in retirement.

I have strayed very far from the original topic, or anything to do with Iraq in fact.
But hey, thanks for letting me ramble.

Pray for Peace
James – USMC 1980-84

"Armed and Curious" (http://www.radiofreerecording.com/armed.jpg) - The George Bush story