Re: vision2020-digest Digest V98 #235

[Robert Hoffmann <escape@alt-escape.com>]

At 07:31 PM 12/17/98 -0800, you wrote:
>Most of the people -- in congress and in Moscow, Idaho -- who criticize
>Clinton for ordering the military action in Iraq would have criticized him
>for not acting, if he hadn't.
>
>Don H. Coombs
>

Actually, there are quite a few people here in Moscow, Idaho, and across
the nation, who are not only for "inaction" in this case, they are for
lifting the economic sanctions against Iraq.  With an estimated 100,000
Iraqis dead in the 1991 air campaign, and around 1 million dead (according
to U.N. figures) due to lack of food, medicine, sanitation, etc., I condemn
any "principle" that can allow this to continue.

Let's face it, in 1991 the United States proved beyond a reasonable doubt
that it could absolutely crush the Iraqi military should Iraq invade or
threaten its neighbors.  It has before, and it can again.  Iraq can pose no
threat anywhere near the full wrath of the U.S. Department of Foreign
Intervention.  That being said, I think a prudent and compassionate person
would allow sanctions to be lifed on Iraq.  I don't necessarily advocate
the "let's just keep our fingers crossed, and bomb them later if necessary"
approach, but it seems to be a much more rational approach than the one
which has killed about 6% of the Iraqi population--men, women, and
particularly the most vulnerable to hunger and disease, children.

And while we are focussing on Iraq, there is another Sadaam Hussein whom no
one is watching--someone who is being supplied with arms by the U.S. and
its allies, who is building a military complex full of weapons of mass
destructions, and one day, he will exercise this power on his neighbors,
and the U.S. will again swoop in, repentant of its mistakes, and pound the
hell out of the rascal.  Who is it?

Take your pick.  There are too many candidates to list here.  But as surely
as it happened with Noriega and Hussein in the past, it will happen again,
because the U.S. arms policy promotes the spread of deadly technology
throughout the world, in such excess, that we are pre-programming such events.

Sweet dreams,

Robert Hoffmann                      115 N. Jackson St., Suite D
Alt-Escape Adventures                Moscow, ID  83843  USA
http://www.alt-escape.com            Phone: (208) 883-0642
	             Fax:   (208) 883-8545