Your aim's a bit off Paws. You might have to adjust your windage a bit for all the hot air blowing.
You sir, were the one bringing up 20th century history. But again you were cherry picking your "facts". History is like a river. You can not dip your hand into it and say this is the river. You have to look at where the water came from and where it is going.
The lesson of Katrina is not, that the government failed (it did), but rather, take care of yourself. Don't wait for the government to act. It was local and state government that failed first and before that, the people themselves. We had a flood in our area during the winter of '64-'65. There was no time to wait for help from the government. Even the kids were filling sandbags. The older people were bringing dry clothes and hot food. I was out on a farmer's tractor, reinforcing a levee to save a bridge.
The pictures of the submerged school busses was sickening. Then there was the Rev. Al passing out signs at the Convention Center, so the "victims" could protest the lack of help. I'm sorry, but if the news van can drive in, people can walk out. The footage of the local police caught looting didn't get much coverage either, did it? Be prepared! Help yourself and each other!
Back to Iraq: (more history)
It's true, that Iraq is a very dangerous place. Our National Guard unit just got back. Most of them say that we have a real chance to change the region. My wife was called to active duty in Jan. of '05 and is stationed in Sacramento, CA, about 700 miles from here. She is a nurse and is responsible for seeing that, whenever possible, the returning wounded and injured Guardsmen are able to stay at home with their families and receive the care that they need locally. The thing that she hears most is, that these guys and gals want to go back and finish the job.
As far as a civil war goes. That is what will happen if we pull out too soon. This is what the insurgents are try to cause by attacking the civilian population. You would give them what they want. My sources (the boots on the ground) say that the locals want us to stay and prevent this and leave when they have full control of their country.
They only way that we can lose this one is the way that we lost Viet Nam---At home. I know. I was there in '68 and we were winning and could have finished the job. We lost it at home in the papers and our leaders did not have the political courage to finish the job. 50,000+ soldiers lost their lives for nothing and millions of civilians lost theirs when we pulled out. The stakes are the same in Iraq. Only now it is the fundamentalist Islamist factions that we are trying to prevent sweeping over an entire world.
Look at history. The whole thing. Learn from it. The Middle East has been at war with the world or itself for thousands of years, predating Islam and the warlords do not give up power easily. Yet there is hope. Look at Palestine. Is it what we expected? No. However, Hamas was elected by the people and they will throw them out, when they want to. Look at Northern Ireland. Who would have thought that the IRA would lay down their arms and join in a political settlement?
Let's see if your aim has improved, Paws.
Rich
You sir, were the one bringing up 20th century history. But again you were cherry picking your "facts". History is like a river. You can not dip your hand into it and say this is the river. You have to look at where the water came from and where it is going.
The lesson of Katrina is not, that the government failed (it did), but rather, take care of yourself. Don't wait for the government to act. It was local and state government that failed first and before that, the people themselves. We had a flood in our area during the winter of '64-'65. There was no time to wait for help from the government. Even the kids were filling sandbags. The older people were bringing dry clothes and hot food. I was out on a farmer's tractor, reinforcing a levee to save a bridge.
The pictures of the submerged school busses was sickening. Then there was the Rev. Al passing out signs at the Convention Center, so the "victims" could protest the lack of help. I'm sorry, but if the news van can drive in, people can walk out. The footage of the local police caught looting didn't get much coverage either, did it? Be prepared! Help yourself and each other!
Back to Iraq: (more history)
It's true, that Iraq is a very dangerous place. Our National Guard unit just got back. Most of them say that we have a real chance to change the region. My wife was called to active duty in Jan. of '05 and is stationed in Sacramento, CA, about 700 miles from here. She is a nurse and is responsible for seeing that, whenever possible, the returning wounded and injured Guardsmen are able to stay at home with their families and receive the care that they need locally. The thing that she hears most is, that these guys and gals want to go back and finish the job.
As far as a civil war goes. That is what will happen if we pull out too soon. This is what the insurgents are try to cause by attacking the civilian population. You would give them what they want. My sources (the boots on the ground) say that the locals want us to stay and prevent this and leave when they have full control of their country.
They only way that we can lose this one is the way that we lost Viet Nam---At home. I know. I was there in '68 and we were winning and could have finished the job. We lost it at home in the papers and our leaders did not have the political courage to finish the job. 50,000+ soldiers lost their lives for nothing and millions of civilians lost theirs when we pulled out. The stakes are the same in Iraq. Only now it is the fundamentalist Islamist factions that we are trying to prevent sweeping over an entire world.
Look at history. The whole thing. Learn from it. The Middle East has been at war with the world or itself for thousands of years, predating Islam and the warlords do not give up power easily. Yet there is hope. Look at Palestine. Is it what we expected? No. However, Hamas was elected by the people and they will throw them out, when they want to. Look at Northern Ireland. Who would have thought that the IRA would lay down their arms and join in a political settlement?
Let's see if your aim has improved, Paws.
Rich
