Just to be clear, I do not hate the military. I hate the way the government uses the military. I would gladly support the military repelling an invading force here, where it threatens our homes and families. This is simply not the current situation. American tax money should not be spent to occupy, or even free, other countries. At least not until the budget is balanced or until the government can support itself without taxation.
If someone wishes to go ahead and fight in a foreign country for whatever cause or reason, they should do so. Just not on behalf of American taxpayers or the US government. Become a mercenary. As long as you are fighting for what is right, there is nothing wrong with that career choice in my eyes.
Kent -
ReplyDeleteWith all due respect, sir, we are repelling the terrorists who invaded us HERE - in New York, in Arlington and in Shanksville. Where exactly would you prefer to continue this fight? In your back yard, or theirs?
I thought the government said that the hijackers were Saudi Arabians and that they died in their plane crashes.
ReplyDeleteThey were FROM Saudi, but they were Al Qaeda. Are you REALLY going to try and tell us that Al Qaeda doesn't exist in Iraq, Kent?
ReplyDeleteAl Qaeda didn't really exist anywhere as an organized force until the "War on Terror" made it the focus of their holy wrath.
ReplyDeleteNow it exists wherever Muslim people want to feel a part of something important in the struggle against US imperialism. Yes, "Al Qaeda" attracts terroristic nutjobs, but it also attracts the surviving family members of innocent people killed during the "liberation" who just need somewhere to express their anguish. That is human nature: "The enemy of my enemy is my friend".
Um, no. Actually Al Qaeda was responsible for the first WTC bombing as well as the bombings of the US embassies in 1998. And the USS Cole. Nice try. It was actually founded in 1988, and it was quite organized.
ReplyDeleteWe seem to get our information from different sources. I trust my sources; you trust yours.
ReplyDeleteObviously.
ReplyDeleteKent -
ReplyDeleteIf I were you, I would simply stick to your isolationist position and avoid discussing complicated subjects such Salafist and Khomeinist jihadism or the labyrinthine politics of the Middle East. I don't know if it's from a lack of study on your part or the poor sources you rely on for your information, but you are clearly out of your depth. As any terrorism expert could tell you, al Qaeda exists sui generis - it acts upon its own ideology and policy goals, it does not react to the ideology and policy goals of its adversaries. The jihadis, in their own words, have made no secret of their delusional goal of re-establishing the Sunni Caliphate and resuming the war to subject the world to their draconian interpretation of Islam and the Shari'a. AQ hates the US for the same reason the Rashidun hated the Byzantine Empire - because it is the largest and most powerful adversary standing between them and world domination.
As far as al Qaeda's recruitment efforts in Iraq are concerned, it is clear that they have completely failed in this endeavor, as all of Iraq's etho-sectarian groups have turned against the jihadis. Today, AQ in Iraq is a predominantly foreign force that certainly does not represent the fabric, will and aspirations of the Iraqi people.
Whether we agree on the Iraq war or not, the fact remains that AQ is in the process of suffering a humiliating defeat in the central battleground of the so-called "War on Terror", which will severely, if not irreparably, damage both its image and its recruitment efforts throughout the Muslim world.
Anonymous-
ReplyDeleteI am not an isolationist in any sense. I believe this
"War on Terror(ism)" is a case of the US government invading and occupying another country.
As for the rest of your comment.... the future will show who is correct.