iraq a just war?

[August]

Skybird,

The usual attempt to discredit anyone who is against you because he is not with you by insisting on his bad intentions and bad wishings for the worse.

Please don't trot out this phony indignation ploy with me. Besides not being aimed at *you* personally, what i said is nothing compared to the arrogance you display in nearly every post here. Perhaps you think i've forgotten your little German language Disneyland slam when i first came here or your consistant negative stance in all things American. Well, i haven't and you're certainly not doing anything to help it.

You like to call the American people blind and ignorant to the failings to our leaders, yet what you fail to realize is that many of us see people like yourself in the exact same light. Like Bob Marleys Sheriff John Brown, you're far to ready to believe anything that reinforces your preconcieved reality and far too quick to discount as lies and propaganda anything that might challenge it.

Wrong. The assumptions that had been voiced where worded much more precisely, and I'm sure you know that. "Clear and immediate danger". Wrong. " "Possession of B-C-wepaons" Wrong. "Close to A-wepaons". Wrong. "niger deal". Wrong. Mobile wepaoin laboratories. Wrong. "Mases of WMD stored." Wrong. "Missiles reaching london in 30 minutes". Wrong. "Direct links to Al Quaeda". Wrong.

Every one of these issues has an equally strong argument for the opposite viewpoint, (well nearly every one since i've never heard about the London missile thing - meh), so i'm not going to expend the effort to refute your way overly simplistic "Wrong" judgements, item by item. Suffice to say that i disagree with your opinions as much as i disagree with your amazing idea that allowing Saddam to remain in power was better for the Iraqis in the long run.

Violance and terror is spreading both towards North and South. the silence in Basra and British sector seem to be over. Since months Kurdish cities has been attacked, not as often as in the centre of the country, but to say Kurdish territory is pacified is false. Britsh troops oin the south are on higher state of alerts than before. Some months ago there was a discussion if we already have a civil war in Iraq, or if it is close to that. No matter what - a war zone it is - years after Bushs premature victory parade on that carrier. Today violance and death toll in Iraq is higher than it ever were under Saddam, war with Iran excluded. In fact I fail to see the diffrences between between back then and now. Look at the detoriating supply situation with water. Food. Electricity. Living conditionas for many, many people definetly are not better than before - but the opposite.

I will agree that the forces of those who want a divided Iraq, are still both present and active in the country, but from what i hear, mostly from real life guys like the "Sergeant Jim Sixpack" in your example are mostly irritated at what they see as overly negative reporting that distorts the true situation in the country and worry that because of it they'll be pulled out before they can finish the job.

Plenty of voices have told your country in advance that it will come to the results we now see. The warnings of attacking Iraq had been numerous, and liud, and clear. The bad news today is no news at all -it is a consequence that had been forseen by many. So don't complain, and do not shoot the messenger. Start shooting those that brought you into this.

Well thank you very much for your unsolicited opinion. Be assured we won't shoot you for giving it, but don't hold your breath waiting for us to follow your recommendation that we shoot our leaders. We're not going to do it.

Here's an unsolicited bit of advice in return: In America, leader and country had better be one or "we the people" will toss them out on their ears. We're very critical of our leaders and hold their every action up to the public microscope, which may seem odd to an outsider such as yourself, but don't mistake our internal self critique for the idea that we'd ever accept our leaders doing anything but representing the best interests of our nation.