In this case it is bullying. How would you like to be the innocent citizen, in this case, lost his wife and children in this freaking war. During the cold war with Russia, there were quite a few close encounters. Why didn't any of the presidents performed a preemptive strike? Sure the situation was different and Russia would have striked back with everything. The world is full of cruel dictators like Saddam. If we don't like the way he behaves, then it is all right to attack a nation in the name of self-righteousness. But we would not have a preemptive strike if the other side is strong, right! What kind of bull**** is this!!! Look what this has gotten us into. We are between a rock and a hard place. This war is draining our economy like a vacuum. Killing our brave soldiers who could not see the enemies. We made Iraq a nation of unemployed, 75% of workers are unemployed! How would you like to be one of them living in Iraq.

It is easy to make declaration when we are in the comfort of our homes or in the Whitehouse. Where is our empathy for others? This war is morally wrong. We will live to regret it!

N-u-c-l-e-a-r w-e-a-p-o-n-s

Why did we pick on Iraq?

U-n-a-b-l-e- t-o f-i-g-h-t b-a-c-k

O-i-l

P-N-A-C

J-u-s-t b-e-c-a-u-s-e

If this is a menu, I'll take #1 and #2 with a strategic plan from #3.

I'd also add that we knew he was an especially evil man who had expansionist goals and a lot of money and he was unconcerned about spending the lives of his soldiers and citizens.

Roll them all up to take out the trash.
We'd have NEVER done it if he'd had nukes. But then, he'd never want a nuke, would he?

Botnst

Since when?

Clinton did nothing when the FIRST WTC bombing happened. Clinton did nothing when Osama bin Laden was offered to us practically on a silver platter on MORE that one occasion. There's been a LOT of "doing nothing" going on for too many years. THAT is why there are terrorists everywhere you turn, and instability in the Middle East--as if that were anything new!

"Heavy-handed approaches" worked just fine in WWI....WWII....and many other times. *******-footing around like you are apparently advocating that we do now gets you into messes like Vietnam...

Mike

__________________
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1979 300 SD
350,000 miles
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1982 300D-gone---sold to a buddy
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1985 300TD
270,000 miles
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1994 E320
not my favorite, but the wife wanted it

www.myspace.com/mikemover
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www.myspace.com/doubledrivemusic

A contract employee with whom I work is an ANG soldier. He's in his early 30's and used ANG money to get a university education. His Army job and civilian job are the same, he works in GIS (map-making with a computer). He just came home from Iraq, having been there since June in the Al Falujah area. He's lost about 30 pounds or so, I'd guess. He's scheduled to go back in two weeks.

He came to a Thanksgiving potluck we had at work yesterday, a surprise visit. He was formally introduced to us by his task manager, which was nice. People immediately stood and gave him a lengthy, heart-felt "Standing O". It plainly meant an awful lot to him to have that kind of greeting from his friends and colleagues, many of whom are just as admantly opposed to the war as some of us on this forum. I was proud of my colleagues, especially those who feel such strong opposition. This man has a bad job to do. Sure, he'll get his job back. But whose going to give him back a year of his life?

I hope you all will have an opportunity to welcome these men and women home for their two weeks' leave and let them know that we are proud of them personally and wish them all the best.

Botnst

This dude ain't pussy-footing around either. He's got a powerful recruitment tool at his disposal thanks to our taxpayer funded misadventures in the Middle East.


Botnst, I'm glad to hear my fellow anti-war compatriots down South are capable of making a distinction between opposing failed policies, and supporting the poor souls charged with carrying out those policies. I'm ashamed of the classist and arrogant tactics of 60's era activists who scorned and spat upon Vietnam soldiers returning from the war. I think the spitting thing has been overblown, but the nasty sentiments existed nonetheless. There's no excuse for that kind of $h!t.

Since I work for a federal agency we're not allowed to electioneer at all and the culture is such in my office that political discussion is quite taboo. But we've all known each other for a long time and so the calculus of interpersonal relationships reveals everything. We listen to NPR until overwhelmed by some mad Hungarian composer's non-melodious aural perversity or until the talking heads get too offensive to some of us. Then its either classic rock or classic country. We're a Bartok-free and hip/hop-free sound zone.

Jeez Botnst, so close to the "Big Easy" and your public radio station plays classical? Up here we have two regional NPR stations. One plays jazz [ www.kplu.org ]and the other is an all talk/news format [ www.kuow.org ]. Both are excellent resources with webstreaming capabilities. Check em out sometime.

I assume 'classic country' means 'real' country, not that pre-packaged corporate swill they pass off these days.