Iraq again...

[pat grimshaw]

I acknowledge that some of the men look très sexy through the lens of a camera. I did have a short affair with one a long time ago but most of them have the intellect and the sexual finesse as a goat.

They think like goats and they behave like goats.

 

[oakpope]

I inherited a French WW2 rifle. Been trying to decide if I should sell it. Never been used. Dropped once.

Oh that joke. Which was funny. Once. A long time ago

 

[nyctopgam]

The US is thinking about sending more soldiers and will rely on us Aussies. Todays news say President Barack Obama has said he would “not rule anything out” and "Aussies know how to fight. I like to have them in a foxhole when we are in trouble."

We never learn, do we? I'd say Obama is just posturing. He'll leave this for the next President, if time permits.

Too bad oil interests keep the US involved in the Middle East mess. Otherwise the only sane thing for the US to do there is stop supporting Israel and get out and stay out.

That will happen when the US is no longer a superpower and become sensible like the cheese eating surrender monkeys and other former colonial powers who once had global ambitions too.

Or it implodes thanks to banksters and domestic terrorism and it reverts to its isolationist and exceptionalist nature.

Until then, staying in the Middle East is only a useless and costly involvement. The region will always be a hotbed of wars with or without us. Quarrelsome lot they are.

 

[pat grimshaw]

...Quarrelsome lot they are.

You're lucky you're not importing many of them. We've had 3 rapes, a leper and a self-immolater.

 

[SLOPPYSECONDS]

not worry nice folk watch world cup ans all a alright cause
_cue anime_

anyway

thankyou

 

[zombiekiller]

What if we make them have anal sex with each other? Teach them to make love, not war.

 

[Kulindahr]

I thought it was the other bespectacled guy

I know -- they were against it before they were for it.

 

[Kulindahr]

Do volunteer, Pat. Think of all the Muslims you could kill!

He'd be perfect.

 

[lambdaboy]

Just remember while Sadam was not a nice person, none of this happened when he was in Power. Bush and Blair should be in jail for what they did which was kill more innocent people than Sadam did not to mention our service men and women.

 

[palbert]

Not going to source this:

The highest Shiite cleric has called the citizenry to arms to defend the holy sites (not necessarily the government). Obama is considering military action: use of air power, possibly into Syria as well; no troops on ground.

Who bought all those nice looking trucks and SUVs?

So now the Syria conflict has expanded.

 

[Alnitak]

Nothing is wrong with them.
They are from a fundamentally different culture, that is all.

Violence is not normal or healthy for any culture.

 

[MoufOfKhaos]

Oh cool, more war. At least it gives CNN something to cover other than that damn plane.

 

[darden]

I feel like we really just need to let them have at it and redraw the borders of the country (away from the seemingly arbitrary borders drawn up by Britain/France following the fall of the Ottoman Empire.... you can't force 3 ethnic groups with a virulent hatred of eachother to stay together as a country unless you've got an oppressive dictator like Saddam to crack down on any dissent)

 

[palbert]

I feel like we really just need to let them have at it and redraw the borders of the country (away from the seemingly arbitrary borders drawn up by Britain/France following the fall of the Ottoman Empire.... you can't force 3 ethnic groups with a virulent hatred of eachother to stay together as a country unless you've got an oppressive dictator like Saddam to crack down on any dissent)

I agree. The country, as is, will never work.

 

[Special K]

I agree. The country, as is, will never work.

I second that. What is happening in Iraq today mirrors the conflict that Yugoslavia experienced in the 1990s during its tumultuous break-up. I imagine that in the years to come, a similar fate will befall Iraq as that which befell Yugoslavia. And I also imagine that it will be for the best, on account of the fact that some people just cannot co-exist.

 

[pat grimshaw]

Violence is not normal or healthy for any culture.

Other people disagree.

The native people in my country would have regular battles with the neighbouring tribe to steal women for procreation. Wiki says Exogamy benefits the offspring by avoiding the chance of the offspring inheriting two copies of a defective gene, and also by increasing the genetic diversity of the offspring, improving the chances that more of the offspring will have the required adaptations to survive.

The people within the tribe say its healthy because they're getting Lebensraum. (German for "habitat" or literally "living space") was an important component of Nazi ideology in Germany. The Nazis supported territorial expansionism to gain Lebensraum as being a law of nature for all healthy and vigorous peoples of superior races to displace people of inferior races( Wiki).

 

[bike10]

I recall George Bush doing his Top Gun routine claiming MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

 

[RaKroma]

I recall George Bush doing his Top Gun routine claiming MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

You do know we have a Commander In Chief who is serving his SECOND term and his name is not Bush? At what point will he have to take responsibility for current failure in leadership? The current administration is so inept on global affairs it is shockingly scary. Obama has surrounded himself by clueless staff, is responsible for sacking most competent generals, has installed dumb and dumber at State Department who don't know what is happening under their noses. This administration back stabbed Iraqi Army from the get go. It was not the Bush administration who weakened Iraqi military. It was Obama's stubbornness to not head advice from military staff that actually understood Iraq at the time Obama was forcing a haphazard withdrawal. And Obama's refusal to continue arming Iraqi Air Force has created the conditions we see now.

 

[oakpope]

It was not the Bush administration who weakened Iraqi military.

Thanks for the laugh.

 

[Kyanimal]

It was, indeed, W's administration, through Cheney, Rummy, and Brenner, that completely dissolved Iraq's (accomplished) military, and the civilian infrastructure, right down to school teachers, in their "De-Baathification" of Iraq! It didn't matter that in order to even have a Job, of any kind, that you had to be a card carrying member of Saddam's Baath Party, whether you agreed with the Party, or not!

Let's not just invade the country, on false pretenses, "Because he tried to kill my Dad", in W's own words, but let's also pull the civil foundation right out from beneath what's holding everything up! THAT was just plain Arrogant, Stupid, and Ignorant! And, THAT is what Obama inherited, along with a U.S. inspired Global Financial Meltdown!

I happen to agree with Obama's approach in that through we Have the FORCE, using it, to determine Others' behavior is not, necessarily, a Great Idea!

It's been Proven, countless times, throughout History, that the Colonial/Forceful approach simply doesn't work, and generally causes more problems than it solves!

Once again, we're seeing the aftermath of "Frat Boy Idiocy", "Cowboy Diplomacy", that was NOT deployed by the Current Administration.

What's going to play out? I really don't know, nor does anyone else. Iran is now sending some of their elite (Shia) Republican Guard units to help the Iraq "government" fight the Sunni militants. Who knows what THAT is going to lead to?