perfidy

Well, there were quite a few posts from you, and I read each. A few things to which I'll respond. First, about al Qaeda and the Republic of Ireland. I did write that the Republic of Ireland might be harboring al Qaeda members, not for sure. The source for that are members of the Taoiseach's government who stated in fall of 2001, at that the outset of the "fer us or agin' us" statement on foreign policy. Ireland has always had a very liberal policy when it comes to dissidents and activists of various sorts, adding a nod and a wink. So it's possible, that's all I meant. 

Secondly, this whole thing is a gamble, no matter how you slice it. Mr. Buckethead has offered an optimistic vision with military success followed by political success. But as I tell my students, few things ever go precisely according to plan. I'm not saying that the optimistic vision won't pan out, it might, but if it doesn't? What if the Iraqi troops and general staff don't fold? What if it does come down to street by street and house by house urban warfare in Baghdad? All the military technology in the world could get bogged down. You've got to go in with infantry in that situation, and that's where things can get very, very ugly. Even if the initial military campaign is quick and decisive, what about the occupation? More U.S. troops will probably die at the hands of suicide bombers during the occupation than in combat. The U.S. could be perceived as an illegal occupation force in Iraq, and could be further isolated diplomatically. 

Continuing on the pessimism theme, and on to the inapplicability of the Golden Rule to foreign policy. It's my opinion that the American empire is in decline, because the minute that internal borders have been compromised, it's only a matter of time. It's pretty clear that most people in the world hate the United States. Whether they're justified or not, if the U.S. empire goes down quickly, other countries are going to be looking for some payback. Maybe other countries can't attack us now and dictate things about our weapons, but that day might come, and we just might have to pay the piper. You can call me Chicken Little, and that's possible, but you never know. It does, in part, depend on how you look at it. I don't think other nations and their citizens are going to quietly applaud if the United States eliminates Hussein. They see us as arrogant, not a preserver of global harmony. We're throwing our weight around. 

As to the Palestinian problem meriting our attention, it does. But not in the way the United States has gone about it. The United States government has played favorites with Israel. We've been a bad Mom. A good Mom would say, "Both of you shut up, and sit down. I don't care who started it, knock it off." But we continue to favor the Israelis, while they allow American murder suspects from Maryland safe haven. 

Of course, back to previous topics, these are all mights and maybes and worst case scenarios. They might not even be germane to the subject. But frankly, I won't be participating in anti-war demonstrations. Not because I think the war is a-okey dokey, quite the contrary. I can object to this war until I'm blue in the face, and so can anyone else. The fact is, nobody is going to listen. This decision was made a long time ago at the highest levels of government, and come hell or high water, it's going to happen. There's nothing me, or anyone else in this country, can do anything about it. Nice "republic" we have here. I don't mean this as a personal attack on anyone else's opinion, I hope it isn't perceived that way, but I'm getting awfully frustrated.