Re: War, a topic we should be writing about -- :::english298forum:::

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Date Posted: 17:16:46 03/25/03 Tue
Author: Colin, rant back at you...
Subject: Re: War, a topic we should be writing about
In reply to: Sarah, still ranting 's message, "Re: War, a topic we should be writing about" on 21:23:08 03/24/03 Mon

Such "posturing," as you put it, is necessary vigilance; I�m merely suggesting that we learn from history, and do our best not to repeat it. This is unfortunately something many people refuse to do; the levels of denial and delusional idealism in the world today are very high. Nobody would have suspected the atrocities that the German people were capable of prior to the rise of fascism, but it was very much their pre-existing nationalist ideals that put such a faction as the Nazi in control of their country in the first place. I don�t think it is far fetched at all to suggest that the current sociological situation in the United States could engender another cataclysm, another �final solution.� I don�t mean to suggest that Bush�s government are fascist, only that it is an alarming shift toward the fascist. The undermining of their constitution � which, aside from a view poorly worded amendments, I deeply respect � troubles me greatly.

As for trials for war crimes, I�m not talking about dissident soldiers, I�m not talking about a few nutty generals (FYI: Calley�s sentence was repeatedly reduced until it was nothing, and then, in 1974, he was officially pardoned by Nixon), I�m talking about the leadership. This war itself is an illegal one, not just any actions taken. Do you honestly believe that Bush, Rumsfeld, or Powell will stand trial? I guess time will tell on this count.

You're right, the US aren't rabid warmongers and I'm sorry if you thought that it was what I was implying; their current hegemonic agenda is routed more in economic intimidation and propaganda. War, in our modern age, is nearly a last resort, but it is a resort that they are willing to take nonetheless, without properly producing evidence and without receiving the support of the other nations around the world. The fact that they don�t respect the international community makes the future look grim; in such a paradigm, globalization is Americanization. And, quite frankly, the excuse that this war is somehow a preemptive defense strategy is preposterous.

Well, you�ve seen Iraqi supporters of the war on CNN? That�s not surprising. I don�t have to tell you why. You�ve seen them on Al-Jazeera? A bit more surprising, as they are known for their anti-American bias, but not totally shocking. Let�s not forget the network was founded with American dollars and that it has been under severe pressure to lose it�s Arab bias in favour of a more American one since 1998. This quote is from a news article, dated Christmas Day 2002, from the Asia Times:

�Iraq yanked the credentials of Al-Jazeera's Baghdad correspondent for stories considered too pro-Western, while Kuwait recently blocked the station from using its satellite link because it considered the channel's coverage too pro-Iraq.�

So, to be honest, I don�t exactly know what to think of anything that comes from them. I don�t trust the source, that�s for sure. Then again, if a foreign power of excessive were to invade your country, wouldn�t you be pretend to be happy to see them? Even in the best scenario, aren�t the US just the lesser of two evils? Should the suffering people of Iraq be expected to make such a compromise?

The US have been conducting themselves admirably indeed, except for the whole illegal war, motivated by the avarice of large corporations thing. From what I�ve seen on CNN and Fox News, they�re doing a bang up job.

I do support the removal of Saddam Hussein from power. I supported his removal during the first gulf war. Why was he left in power then? Who knows. I supported his removal through diplomatic means � I still do. I even supported his assassination. I don't support this war, however. It is illegal. I don�t support the economic sanctions that were placed on Iraq, starving its women and children � both sides were culpable there.

Now that they�ve found chemical weapons plants in Iraq, I�m sure they�ll be able to justify everything. Just like, say, if the police were to bust down my door without a warrant and found me smoking crack (no jokes, please), they�d be perfectly in the right� oh� wait�

My point is that this war shouldn�t be happening because it is illegal, that wars, though sometimes unpreventable, should be fought for the right reasons, and that, if such a war is pursued, it should only be as the last resort. I don�t have much confidence in humanity, but I�d like to think that we are capable of learning, of developing�

Maybe the greater point of all this, and of your concerns as well, Sarah, is that, why is all this effort going into blowing things up when such a large percent of the world lives in poverty, is starving, is dying? This has definitely been my main criticism of the War on Terror� Between 1996 and 2002, 40,000 people died in terrorist attacks around the world. Between now and tomorrow night, 40,000 people will die of starvation. That�s justice for you.

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Re: War, a topic we should be writing about -- Mona, 20:37:53 03/25/03 Tue