Quote from Madison:
I would recommend that mocking another's view is not conducive to persuasion.
Believe it or not, I'm not trying to persuade you. It is obviously apparent that I will have zero success in persuading you and the other appeasers to my point of view. The reverse is just as true.
I note that you did not say WHY we should not ask the Iranians.
I did not say WHY because the very idea of asking the Iranians, the Saudis, and especially Al Queda is so ridiculous. It would be like Frodo asking Saruman and Sauron to help him destroy the Ring.
Are articles linked to from 'pacifist/appeasist' websites less credible? how are the administration-generated facts you refer to more credible? on what basis? is the Washington Post a 'pacifist/appeasist' website?
The Washington Post stopped being a wholly objective newspaper sometime ago...as for the whole issue of credibility and "facts" please see my response to Josh_B.
waging a preemptive war on a people 8000 miles away without any evidence of past or future threat to the US
If you honestly believe there is no future threat to the US then you are even more blind than I thought. 9/11 must have never happened, Saddam is a peaceful guy who loves us, and this can all be solved with an apology from the US and hugs all around, right?
As to what to do - there are some things that could be done that are so obvious that to not see them amounts to either denial or gross stupidity. Start with Josh_B's post above - he has listed quite a few good ones.
Again, see my response to Josh B - I thought most of his points were not only wishful thinking but incredibly unrealisic. Gross stupidity and denial? Heh, well that's exactly how I see you and your ilk. Your The-US-is-at-fault-for-everything-we-should-apologize-to-the-world-then-they'll-leave-us-alone doctrine is to me the height of ignorance. You undoubtedly think the same of me.
To you and some others I'm probably coming off as a warmonger. In my view, our very existence is threatened and we must act forcefully to ensure our very survival. If that makes me a warmonger in your eyes, so be it. I am not naive enough to believe that our government has always acted the "right" way, but I do believe that as a nation we have made greater contributions to the world at large, indeed we have been its savior at times, than we have made mistakes. I believe that the fundamental character of this country is noble and great, and that there are those individuals and nation-states abroad that seek our destruction precisely because that character is a threat to their ideals of dictatorship or religious fundamentalism.
To me you, Candle, and others are hopelessly naive appeasers and nation-haters who are blind to the threat that faces our country and ungrateful for the sacrifices our uniformed men and women have made over this past century to keep the world free and our way of life preserved. I see in your points of view a dangerous denial of the character of our enemy and a hatred of your own government that chills me. You seem to view the world through rose-tinted glasses, oblivious of the realities and dangers we face.
Again, you no doubt feel I am the hopeless, naive, and blind one here. We're never going to agree on this issue, and our tone may get strong at times, but I'm not taking any of this personally. I love a good argument and all in all I'm having a darned good time.
Si vis pacem, para bellum -
If you want peace, prepare for war.
Good trading!
