On Mon, Mar 03, 2003 at 11:38:28PM +0000, Paul Walker wrote: > On Mon, Mar 03, 2003 at 06:03:42PM -0500, Erik Reuter wrote: > > > > I'd like to hear an anti-war proprosal for removing Saddam from > > > power in Iraq. I would very much support such a course if it > > > sounded like it had even a fair chance of success. > > > > Paul? Are you going to defend your statement with a proposal? Or is > > it just hot air? > > Er... I do have things to do other than answer Brin-l email!
Like answering other Brin-L emails? :-) I saw you answering other emails that came in AFTER my question, so I reiterated to make sure you didn't miss it. > Giving someone slightly more than an hour before hassling them is > considered polite, I believe... urging a reply != impolite > > the chance of him being removed is much less than P. You have > > effectively increased Saddam's chances of remaining in power. Sounds > > pro-Saddam to me. > > The problem here is that I just don't agree. Okay. Then I guess we are about to see your proposal how there is a better chance of removing Saddam from power compared to going to war. Let's see... > The main bits that concern me are possible consequences - for example, > the fires that he started last time actually used up a noticable > amount of the worlds oil reserves, actually in the %ages (rather than > 0.000x%), and that the follow-through won't be sufficient to hold > things together in there. Not here... > It's also going to make things somewhat dicey in that region for a while to > come, since people understandably get upset when foreign powers decide to > change governments in someone elses country. Not yet... > But, if you really want a proposal for getting rid of him without > bombing the country, sending in the SAS (or Green Berets, I think you > have?) would be a good start, I'd have thought. Taking people out with > minimum collateral damage is what they train for. Ummm, how is this NOT war? I haven't seen any "anti-war" protesters urging such action. I agree that such action would minimize collateral damage. However, it would also cost a great deal of lives of our soldiers. While I think civilian Iraqi lives are as valuable as our soldier's lives, I do NOT think infrastructure is as valuable as our soldiers lives. Of course, if the infrastructure is destroyed and not rebuilt there will be a cost in Iraqi civilian lives long-term, but I strongly support rebuilding it. Anyway, I am still waiting for support of your statement that anti-war != pro-Saddam. Sending in elite troops constitutes war. > Somebody on another list also had an interesting idea - airdrop food > and supplies. Don't send them through the government, as is the > normal practice, but give them direct to the people. Attach labels > (pamphlets, whatever), saying where they came from - "US food drop", > etc. No other strings. Now, of itself this probably won't get rid of > Saddam - with the best will in the world you need something more than > a rock-cake to oust a dictator. But it should mean that you're better > received when you do eventually go in. Sounds reasonable. But it does not support your statement. You admit dropping the food, alone, is unlikely to increase Saddam's chances of being removed. War is still necessary for that. > It'd also be interesting to see a measure of consistency. For example, > if we're going against Saddam because he's an Evil Overlord - as > opposed to "because he has bad weapons", which I believe was the > original reason - then okay. As long as we then follow up for all > the other countries with regimes which are equally repressive. Saudi > Arabia is actually extremely harsh, for example. Iran, where people > have recently been sentenced to jail-time for dating online. Straying even farther from supporting your statement... By the way, is it so hard to understand having multiple reasons to do something? Eliminating a tyrant AND enforcing UN resolutions AND making the world a safer place AND encouraging democracy? I conclude anti-war == pro-Saddam, your statement was wrong. -- "Erik Reuter" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.erikreuter.net/ _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
