--- Deborah Harrell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > --- Gautam Mukunda <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > <snipped a lot> > > 2. Being ruled by Saddam Hussein is not, in fact, > > good for the people of Iraq > > And protesting the war is protesting to keep > Saddam > > Hussein in power. There isn't a middle ground > > alternative. It does not exist. The war happens > > and Hussein is overthrown, or it does not and he > is > >not. > > > > No third choice. > > But there is a subset of the "war" option: > essentially > unilateral US war, or UN-sanctioned military > action/war > (with the US of course being the major player). I > think I already wrote this, so apologies if a > repeat: > all of the people I know who are against unilateral > US > action (well, unless a 'smoking gun' showed Saddam > connected with the Tower bombing) support > UN-sanctioned action. Reasons include physical > support by other nations for rebuilding Iraq, and > the > appearance of a 'world decision' rather than 'US > bullying.' > > Debbi
But there isn't an alternative. Saying it doesn't make it so. The UN is not going to support a war - or, more accurately, _the only circumstance_ in which it will is if the US makes it clear that, with or without UN approval, the war is going to happen. There can't be any doubt about this. For the last 12 years not only has the UN done nothing, but two Permanent Members of the UN Security Council (France and Russia) have continually done everything they can to water down the sanctions regime and free Hussein of all constraints. No one disputes that. So saying UN-sanctioned military action is an alternative is simply not true. UN-sanctioned military action is even a possibility only because the Bush Administration has made it clear that it will, with or without UN approval, do this. So if that's what you want, then you've been protesting the only thing that might possibly bring it about. Even _with_ that, it's unlikely that the UNSC will actually pass an _18th_ resolution condemning Iraq. In which case, what? Sit on our hands because the French governments wants it that way? I mean, the idea that a country with France's record even has a say in this sort of thing would be a joke if it weren't so tragic. So, in the world of the possible, what is the alternative? Gautam __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, more http://taxes.yahoo.com/ _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
