What are hippies smoking these days? Let me explain a few things to everyone:
Let's chew on this first: What if America wasn't the world's only superpower? Say Russia won the cold war, or China was in charge. The world would be a much better place then, wouldn't it? No big bully US pushing people around, right? Ask anyone from East Germany who climbed over the Berlin wall (you can't talk to all of them, a few of them we're shot trying to make it over) what they think about it. Ask anyone else who lived under the Iron Curtain too. Ask the free Taiwanese what they would think of a Chinese superpower. Hell ask the Chinese themselves, especially the ones who seal themselves in cargo containers and suffocate coming to the "Big Bully" USA. I don't know about you, but the USA is my "big bully" of choice. Things could be worse.
This whole argument regarding why we're using diplomacy with N.Korea and not with Iraq is just ridiculous. Put down the hash-pipe and think about this amazing new revelation: America HAS been using DIPLOMACY with IRAQ for the last 12 years! We've been using sanctions, UN inspections from 1991-1998...etc..etc...and so far the only thing that seems to get Saddam's attention is dropping precision-guided munitions near his Winnebego. We had James Baker in 1990 attempting to use diplomacy with Saddam. We've had the UN on Saddam's ass for years, but nothing but SHEER BRUTE FORCE has ever worked Think about this, why are UN inspections even happening now? Is it because Saddam out of the goodness of his heart let them back in? Wrong! It's because we threatend to kill his ass personaly! Food for thought folks. For the last 50 years N.Korea has been contained through diplomacy alone. Obviously, this tactic does not work with Iraq. So, it's back to the old status quo.
N.Korea has nukes that they can hit Seol with (and just to be assholes about it) Hiroshima or Nagasaki as well. Seeing what jerks they are, why would we allow someone (Saddam) who has shown his willingness to use WMD on all his friends to get his hands on a NUKE?
Another thing: Oil powers the world folks. So when someone does threaten the world's oil supply (like Saddam did in 1990) then THE WORLD is put at risk. It's just that AMERICA is the only country that has a military that can really do anything about it. If you think you have a better idea at stopping Saddam from doing this again without using force, by all means, tell the State Department your idea...I'm sure they'd like to hear it. Maybe they could drop you with your "No Blood for Oil" sign and your acoustic guitar into baghdad and you can stage yourself a little protest on Saddam's behalf. Good luck! Personaly, I'll take some US Marines with me.
Oh, and if we're after Saddam's oil, why didn't we just take it in 1991, when we had nothing but desert seperating us from Baghdad? For a bunch of greedy imperialist, we sure do some stupid shit! We freed Kuwait and left. Doh! Now we got to go back and do it again, and this time risk WMD strikes, maybe even nukes? Doh! Doh! Next time I get some gas, I'll say a prayer of thanks to all the American boys in the desert risking their life for my 10 gallons of cheap gas.
And for the really philosophical: It's not that we all don't know how bad war is. We do. It's nothing new and noble to say "War is Hell". Ask any vet this and they will tell you the same. Really! It's just that in some parts of the world they don't seem to understand that simple fact, and resort to terrorism and violence to get things done. Here in Amercia you can write your senator and sing really catchy protest songs and people sometimes PAY ATTENTION to you and you can actually change YOUR GOVERMENT. Really! It happens! If you're an enviromentalist you can live in a tree for years and no one will shoot you and kill you to get you out of it...Don't try this same thing in a country such as N.Korea, China, Iraq, Iran...etc. But honestly, these tactics don't work against other goverments. They'll get you killed. So don't cry when we have to bomb Saddam or whoever else. Holding hands across America doesn't prevent airplanes from flying into buildings. Just doesn't work. We don't want to kill innocent Iraqi civilians. Do the crack-smokers and hippies really think this? We try everything in our power to minimize this.
I'm sorry folks, but a fact is a fact: War works. It got Saddam out of Kuwait, Hitler out of Europe, the Japanese out of the Pacific, and stopped a whole host of other bag guys from doing bad things. I wish the world worked differently, but it doesn't.
And to all you WW2 vets, I'd like to apologize on behalf of some of the people in this country who obviously haven't learned the painful lessons of your past(s) and can't seem to find the honor and self-respect in themselves to stand up for what's right like you and others did so long ago. I know none of you wants anymore wars. I also know you sacrificed so much only to see all of us so unwilling to do the honor and job of doing the same ourselves. I'm ashamed.
--Rich
