"But the world isn't like that."

[vze422fs at verizon.net]

At the risk of sounding simplistic, I must remind you that Bob Dole once
said about Saddam Hussein "We can do business with this man." It often comes
down to this. Who will play ball? The business of America is business.
Slaughter your own people all you want as long as you don't fuck with our
bottom line. Is there are more repressive regime on earth than the People's
Republic of China? Do they threaten their neighbors? Do they possess weapons
of mass destruction? Do they kill dissenters and jail foreign nationals who
speak out? Do they crank out Nikes at slave labor rates? Would they be
harder to roll over than Iraq? Have the Republicans been sucking up to this
"most favored nation"? Saddam can't hold a candle to the Chinese for rampant
assholery, but they will do business. There is no impending (excuse me,
ongoing) invasion of China.

The hostility towards Iraq has nothing to do with democracy, sovereign
integrity, or even Islamic fundamentalism. It is only marginally about oil.
It has nothing to do with Al Qeda or terrorism. It's about business. George
Dubya and Dick Cheney are honorable businessmen, aren't they?

I have yet to hear a plausible justification for the invasion of Iraq. All I
hear is jingoism and half truths and I'm sick of it. Sorry about ranting to
the choir Bandwraith but I've just about had it.

on 10/13/02 10:10 AM, Bandwraith at aol.com at Bandwraith at aol.com wrote:

> 
> In a message dated 10/12/02 3:43:33 PM, jbor at bigpond.com writes:
> 
> << This is incorrect. >>
> 
> Iraq is only one issue on which the Bush Administration
> has thumbed its nose at the world community and gone
> on to advocate a dangerous unilateralism.
> 
> <<No, I'm not. As I understand you, you're talking about a US Declaration of
> War on Iraq, which so far has not been made.>>
> 
> The U.S. congress has little to do with intiating American
> aggression around the world which has resulted in the deaths
> many thousands of innocent people. The only real power that
> congress has in foreign policy is economic. They can cut off
> funding. That's it. Bush is correct when he states that he
> does not need congressional approval to enter into histilities.
> The recent debate in congress was a purely political exercise
> to make it appear to the UN, the world, etc., that Bush has
> the moral backing of the majority of us. We will be expressing
> our views on October 26, in Washington D.C., unmediated by
> our elected officials.
> 
>>> "Stop the bomb/ing" I can agree with, and this is what most nations which
> are represented at the UN, including, I think, the US, are working towards.
> Clearly, appeasement is not the solution.<<
> 
> The current US administration has made it abundantly clear
> that it is unconcerned with the opinion of the UN, excepting
> if that body chooses to support US- as defined by Bush- policies.
> Bush and his allies have used the term "appeasement" in
> their attempts brand the position of the world alliance, fragile
> as it is, as afraid to confront a threat which it is attempting
> to equate with Hitler.
> 
> That is simplistic. What policies of appeasement in the name
> of self-interest and corporate greed led to Hitler? What cadre
> of Generals, Admirals and CEO's have led to the creation of
> Iraq, the hegemony of the Bathist party and the dictatorship
> of Hussein? We refuse to appease those forces, even if it
> requires the rejection of simplistic rhetoric.
> 
> regards
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> Subject: Re: "But the world isn't like that."
> From: j >>
>