Voice from the Commonwealth Commentary, World Views and Occasional Rants from a small 'l' libertarian in Massachussetts
"If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest for freedom, go home and leave us in peace. We seek not your council nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen." - Samuel Adams
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Praise for Voice
"A smart fellow...I do like, recommend and learn from Barbera's blog." -Roger L. Simon
"Your blog is bullshit"- anonymous angry French reader.
Here is what the Suadi Press agency had to say about the anti-globo demonstration today.
I don't think they would really be happy if the US were to truly - "adopt a Mideast policy that is based on justice and on American, not Israeli interests".
This is just surreal. Papers in the Middle East are calling for their governments to ditch the lying Americans as friends.
Akhbar al-Arab, also of the UAE, suggested the Arabs try "insanity" in handling the Middle East conflict after half a century of sanity had led them to nought. "Fifty years of wisdom and restraint have led to successive disasters. Why then not try a bit of madness, like unpredictable and resounding decisions that could awaken consciences?" the paper asked.
The remains of up to 2,000 of Napoleon's soldiers were found in a mass grave in Vilnius, Lithuania. They were some of the nearly 450,000 that died in the retreat from Russia in 1812.
"There will be no 'J' turns in Crawford." declared President Bush today after his review of the Secret Service training grounds. He got to get behind the wheel of a Camaro and perform some snazzy manuevers..
An Israeli soldier talks about the operation in Jenin. It puts a lot of the actions of the Israeli soldiers into a new light. Of course most media outlets and surely not the UN would wish that to happen.
The G-7 is meeting in Washington right now, to discuss foreign aid and how to cut off terrorist funding. Interestingly, it appears that the Group of 24 developing countries has not gotten Bono's memo, and are actually taking a responsible stance to loans.
Nigerian Finance Minister Mallam Adamu Ciroma, the chairman of the Group of 24 developing countries, said at the conclusion of their session Friday that the poor nations believed it was in their "long-term interest" to maintain the present system of low-cost loans.
Mark Steyn takes on the western media coverage of Jenin.
It seems the Egyptian media for once, in their rush to show Palestinian ingenuity in the face of Israeli 'aggression', tells us the story that Mary Robinson would rather we not hear.
"Omar", a top bomb-maker who managed to escape from Jenin on Wednesday. "Of all the fighters in the West Bank we were the best prepared," he says. "We started working on our plan: to trap the invading soldiers and blow them up." So Omar and his pals booby-trapped more than 50 houses in the camp. "We cut off lengths of mains water pipes and packed them with explosives and nails. Then we placed them about four metres apart throughout the houses - in cupboards, under sinks, in sofas."
That was just the interior decor. Outside, they placed more powerful bombs in garbage cans and cars. But don't worry about all those "innocent" civilians. As Al-Ahram reported, "According to Omar, everyone in the camp, including the children, knew where the explosives were located so there was no danger of civilians being injured."
Guess that casts a different light on the IDF forces making 'civilians' open doors. And apparently it isn't Israel who is cutting off the water.
And while he's at it, Steyn lets us know who's really to blame and why.
In Jenin, it's the UN that breeds "hopelessness" and "frustration", and enables and shelters terrorism. There was no massacre, just the natural consequence of the UN's foetid administration: if you let your charges build a bomb factory, don't be surprised if it blows up.
Howard Johnson explains why equating Zionism to the Nazism is just a tired equivalence. "...you can always tell when a civilised man wishes to embrace barbarism – things not alike all start to look the same to him."
Svend Robinson (recently fired Canadian New Democratic Party's Middle East critic) says that that the Israeli military is guilty of "brutal crimes, torture, degradation, and murder," and said he has "taken sides" in the conflict. "I plead guilty, yes. I am taking sides. I am taking the side of peace over war, I am taking the side of the oppressed over the oppressor, I am taking the side of life over death, and I am taking the side of justice over tyranny."
He then goes on to call for an investigation into the Jenin 'massacre'. Why don't these people call for an investigation into the terror attacks into Israel. When was the last time the vaunted 'International Community' stepped in to fully investigate and bring to justice the source of terror that brings on the military response from Israel?
I wonder what 'realism' Mr Lahoud means. The one that by the terms of the UN brokered peace states that in return for Israeli withdrawal from Southern Lebanon (an area not which is expressly not inclusive of Shebaa Farms, which is considered part of Syria) all incursions and cross border violence would be brought to a halt? The objective observation tha Israel has abided by the terms of the deal while Kassam rockets, snipers and Hizbollah cross border incursions (under the uncaring eye of the UN) continue with no moves by the Lebanese/Syrians to end it?
Will talk about this later. The UN is upset about Human Rights in Iraq. And it is all our fault. Saddam wants to cooperate. We just won't let him apparently.
Update. Oh this is grand. The UN Human Rights Commision debated the resolutions concerning human rights issues in Iraq. The countries weighing in were - Iraq, Kuwait (who complained about POW's), the Russian Federation, Sudan, Algeria and Libya. Who chaired this event? Abdul Azziz?
There was also a no-action motion passed on a resolution concerning the deplorable human rights situation in Zimbabwe surrounding the 'election'. Look at the list of countries that voted in favor a no-action:
In favour: Algeria, Bahrain, Burundi, China, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, Togo, Uganda, Viet Nam and Zambia.
And of course, a resolution was passed to look into the situation of Lebanese prisoners in Israel. This is how the voting broke down:
In favour: Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Bahrain, Brazil, Burundi, Cameroon, Chile, China, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, Togo, Uganda, Uruguay, Venezuela, Viet Nam and Zambia.
Against: Guatemala and Peru.
Abstentions: Austria, Belgium, Cameroon, Canada, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,
How much longer can the illusion hold that the UN can be truthful and fair organization? The Assembly and all of the Commisions are dominated by representatives of nations that are ruled by unelected regimes. The perpetuation of freedom and democracy represented by the West and a handful of allies is not in the best interest of these nations and they will never go out of their way to support a representative democray anywhere in the world for fear of losing their own death-grip on power.
When the Commision on Human Rights can't even pass a resolution to look into the massacres and oppression carried out by known felons like Robert Mugabe and Saddam Hussein, yet calls for the investigation of a Democray that has oversight committees that looks into and tries its own people for crimes found, we must know that the day is coming when we will have to face a UN Assembly that is openly hostile to and openly works to subvert the free nations of the world.
The UN Commission on Human rights doesn't like freedom of speech. Thay have expressed 'regret' over the Supreme Court's decision yesterday, concerning 'virtual' child pornography. They fear that even though it is not really child pornography it may endanger children. Don't they have more pressing concerns to pass resolutions over?
I won't blather about my views on this Steve Den Beste does an excellent job summing up what any logical person should feel about this.
Interesting way to view the differences between US and European military capabilities
“I’ll use a Microsoft analogy: If America keeps buying the latest upgrades, they aren’t designed to work with last year’s model,” he says. “The U.S. doesn’t buy equipment with a view to working with allies. If America keeps buying 6.0 and you’re trudging on with version 3.0 then, well, the two sides can’t work together.” James Mulvenon, a national security strategy at the National War College, says that for now the model appears to be set. “The U.S. provides fire power to defeat enemies while afterwards others go in and establish a civil society,” he says. But Mulvenon stresses that as the war on terrorism moves beyond Afghanistan to lands not so directly linked to al-Qaida or Sept. 11, things will get more difficult. “The jury is still out for how long Europeans will be willing to play this role, and the U.S. has to be intelligent or Europeans will rebel against us.”
So, let me get this straight. If the US contiues to improve it's military and make it better and more efficient, the Europeans and our other allies may not like it and eventually just go home in a fit of petulance?
When the war is over,” a European diplomat based in Washington complained, “we’re expected to clean up the mess with European peacekeepers and European aid packages. That is simply unacceptable.”
And when the war is over US troops will still be stationed as peace-keepers in over 100 countires and up to 8 of our 12 carrier groups will, at given moment, be patrolling and keeping peace throughout the world. Maybe we should find this "unacceptable" and rebel against the Euro- and UN-o-crats and ask if we can change places.
In an unexpected move Saddam disagreed with the UN and EU. Stating:
"Palestinians are not killing themselves out of despair but they are turning themselves into bombs because they lack bombs and weapons," Saddam was quoted as saying during a meeting with officials and engineers Monday. "If they had planes, artillery, tanks and missiles they would not need to turn their bodies into bombs or missiles."
US Senate pushes to support Israel, by introducing two bills. One to give Israel more emergency funds and one to put sanctions on Arafat. And while they were at it they banned Iraqi oil.
India and the US opening up the way for eventual closer relations? I think for future prosperity and security this is a must. And it should be something that comes naturally. India is the largest democracy in the world and for all it's problems has massive potential and resources.
Seeing that the UN Human Rights Commission just passed a resolution supporting the use of 'armed struggle' to establish a Palestinian state, I find it suspicious that Kofi Annan is calling for UN troops to be deployed in the Middle East.
Kofi Annan is 'concerned' that the US investigate the Chairman of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission. With the the UN's recent record and new revelations about the corruption and slavery that UN officials have been party to, I would think that Kofi would learn to be more cautious with statements like this.
Okay, I will take my turn at playing President of the United States and give the solution I would force on the Palestinians and Israelis. Of course neither side would agree to it, but that is not what the US is being asked to do, we are being asked to play Daddy and solve it. Nobody will be immediately happy with it and the plan would take years to bear fruit, but what else can we do that doesn't involve walking away or getting involved in a full on war.
1. A force made up of US (as an American I hate to do this, but as an informed American, I don't trust anyone else's armies) troops supplemented by Asian, Indian, (Christian) African, Commonwealth (Canadian, UK, Australian or NZ) and/or South American, creates abuffer zone between Israel and the Palestinian territories.
2: As soon as they are on the ground and established, all Israeli troops leave PA areas. Jerusalem is made a DMZ completely under the control of troops. The US and supporting forces then disarm the entire population of the PA territories and it becomes illegal for anyone besides peace-keepers to carry weapons. Anyone caught doing so is sent to prison for a long time. Known terrorists are arrested and tried. Arafat is exiled.
2a: The borders are closed and all imports and movements in and out of the territories are monitored by US and support troops. Any aid or material support given to the
Palestinians must first pass though the US.
3: A US monitored election is carried out to establish a ruling council to rule the PA. Borders are negotiated to the point of intransigence and then established based on security for Israel while giving the Palestinains as much as possible. The settlements necessary for Israeli security are agreed upon and compensation is given for the land. There is to be no right of return, all refugees will be compensated and have homes built in the PA areas or are assimilated into the countires where they presently reside (those countires won't be too keen on it, they have to get over it. Millions of refugees integrate into every country around the world) and are compensated for it.
4: For every week that there is no terrorist attack a settlement will be handed over to the PA and populated by refugees. And concurrently, for every week there is no terror x dollars will be spent building infrastructure and homes for the Palestinians. For every terror attack either 1 more settlement will remain/ the Israeli border moves 50 yards to the West/ or another 10 yards further West in Jerusalem. For every Israeli incursion into the US patrolled areas another settlement must be given up.
5: Once this process has begun a training program will begin for the entire Palestinian population. Those who will be police officers or teachers will be sent to Israel to work with their counterparts and develop programs together (keeping in mind rule #4). In the meantime schoolbooks that accord with the Oslo accords will be printed and taught by the teachers approved and regularly monitored by the US.
6: As the Palestinian economy comes to life and some degree of self-sufficiency (I figure around 5 years) is achieved regular elections will be held to establish a permanent governing structure. This government writes a constitution and establishes a rule of law with the police force that has been training with the Israelis.
7: Thereafter, progress is reviewed by the President and findings and recommendations are made and ratified by the Senate every five years.
And of course before any of this is done, Saddam's regime is taken down.
When I saw the title of this article, I thought 'uh-oh'. Someone else telling us to give all our wealth away. But, it is actually a well thought out piece. The author does not fall into the trap of denouncing the US's foreign aid policy based on the percent of GDP. It is mentioned, but offset by pointing out that in real dollar amount we are second to Japan, who is going to lower their aid over the next few years. Unfortunately, he does not bring up private capital flows and it's relation to development in developing and transition countries.
Nor does he say that poverty caused September 11th. It did not. Bin Laden and the men who carried out the attacks were not poor, but the masses in the streets cheering and calling for Jihad are. And we would be foolish to not address the issue. We say "poverty does not breed terrorism" then we turn around and rail against Saddam for his handouts to the families of terrorists because we fear it will bring more. Being poor does not make one desire to become a terrorist, but being poor and fed a daily diet of hate-filled rhetoric and offered some cash rewards for participation, at some level, in terror could definitly be a route to terrorism. Militant Islam is an issue that needs be addressed but, there are other preemptive measures to be taken to innoculate people from a terrorism. Helping countires become more prosperous and self-sufficient should be a part of that.
This is where I most deviate from from the Libertarian line. I firmly believe that foreign aid is important and should be used to help countries that show the desire and determination to enter the world economy as a self-sufficient nation. It should be tailored to each nation. A single cure all will not work everywhere. Argentina does not need our money, they need a team of government and economic advisors to set things straight. Someplace like Afghanistan needs alot of material support in the near term, which we and the world are trying to provide. Additionally, the US has announced that we will be working on getting the agriculture to the point of self-sufficiency in the near future. Make no mistake, I do not hold the Kofi Annan and Bono line that we should hand out everything we have and expect to recieve no compensation for loans made. And of course we should make no massive aid infusions to governments that threaten or provide havens for those who threaten us. Basic direct humanitarian aid should be given, but nothing more.
By aiding these countries achieve a productive place in the world's economy or even an ability to survive and proper domestically, the end result will help America. They will no longer need assistance to survive and any competition (provided our government stops with the anti-competitive tarriffs) will help stimulate our economy. And any nation that meets the basic criteria of not being a state that is a terrorist or harbors terrorists and is at least neutrally disposed toward the US would, once, self-sufficient be a place where the lure of terrorist's money would not hold sway.
The UK did, in fact, have detailed plans for atomic weapons in the Public Records Office. At what point did someone think to themselves that this is a bit of information that should be out there for anyone to access?
Another story of hope in Afghanistan. Hundreds of thousands of refugees are returning home in hopes of a better future for their country. Hopefully these people will create the momentum to rebuild the country and give it some stability.
Constant repetition has apparently made it dogma. Tom Daschle has made the 60 vote 'super-majority' the new rule for any legislation that he dislikes. He has done it enough times that the Times now reports that proponents "...of new exploration would fail to get the 60 votes they need to win under the Senate rules." . The next sentence states: "Some of the vote-counters suggested that the proponents might not have even a bare majority of 51 votes." The Times repeats this theme more than once in the article. Validating the new standards set by the Senate Majority Leader.
A 'bare majority' may not be reached? At least Mr. Daschle is allowing a vote on this one. Republicans need to do a better job of getting people outraged at this. 60 votes is not what is required to pass legislation, it is not a precedent that should be set.
Conventional war is not the only aspect of the current 'war on terrror'. It seems this can't be repeated enough. The nay-sayers will carp on this as proof that the 'war on terror' cannot succeed. Back in September there were worries that Somalia would be a hotspot and the new base for al-Qaeda. There were scare mongers telling us that now would have to bring the 'war' there, too. It turns out patience and operational intelligence have paid off in Somalia. Doesn't fit the Rambo/Cowboy steroetype, does it?
"These shameful attacks toward the Nativity Church, who can accept it internationally? Who can accept it internationally? This is my question to the whole world. This holy sacred place how this can be accepted from the whole world." Right words, wrong speaker, denouncing the wrong people. It is inconcievable that anyone can mix up who is the wrong party in this situation. Anyone who storms a Curch/Synagogue/Mosque/Temple of any sort, breaks down the doors and takes everone inside hostage should be immediately denounced. To turn the situation around and for it to be echoed by other nations and even the Vatican, is puzzling to say the least.
A little glimmer of hope for the future of Afghanistan. Just like the media's phasing out images and reminders of September 11th they have stopped telling us how life is getting better for the average Afghani.
Just how bad is it in France right now? I remember shortly after September 11th when all of the multi-culturalists were apprehensive that it would result in a huge backlash against Muslims and Arabs here in America. After all, the average benighted American couldn't possibly understand that the Muslim or Arab person that they saw on Newbury St. wasn't responsibe for the attacks. Surely the average American would be clamoring for putting Arabs and Muslims into camps. Where are the same people telling France that they have to understand that the Jewish guys playing soccer across the street aren't responsible for what is happeing in the West Bank (Arafat is)? Where are American scholars getting on TV and writing in newspapers that the French must be careful to protect the Jewish people among them?
Bush threatens a veto on the budget to prevent runaway spending. It is good to see him take a stand. He has the political backing right now. He should use it on issues that are important. I was disappointed he did not come out stronger for his judical nominations and the stimulus package. I hope this is a sign that he is getting back to the core of his policy.
Thor Heyerdahl fell into a coma. As an anthropolgy major I had the opportunity to come into contact with his writings. They are incredible and moving and Thor is a truly a man who deserves to be remembered as revolutionary for changing the way we look at the spread of mankind.
Being a Catholic here in Boston, I really should share some thoughts on the scandal that has its roots here in the Hub. Knowing that Bernard Cardinal Law is part of the problem, I hope Andreww Sullivan is right that the meeting at the Vatican siganls his eventual demise. Beyond this I am still in some turmoil, there needs to be change, but at the same time, our Church is not a democracy where we pick and choose the tenents we want to believe. At the same time there are definitely some things that need to change, I just don't feel I am ready to share my thoughts on it yet. Other than to say that the Justice Department and State Attorney Generals need to be involved and those who knowingly covered up and allowed these priests to continue their crimes should face the law of the land.
I have a great deal of respect for the Bishop in Ireland who admitted that to begin the process of healing he had to step aside. It showed a great strength and willingness to put his faith before himself. I find Cardinal Law's behaviour an indication that he thinks himself bigger than the Church and his faith.
The AP has is a good primer on the situation under each Cardinal.
Having said that, I grew up in an Italian (I am third generation) family and spent a number of years in Catholic schools and for it recieved a fantastic education that was imparted by a fantastic string of very good and wise preists and nuns who loved their calling. Despite the views that non-Catholics have of what must happen in these schools, there is an atmosphere of tolerance. We openly learned and discussed other religions in a positive light. We were treated as young adults responsible for our actions in and out of school.
Not sure how strictly the administration will enforce this. But it is still a quite move in the right direction. It would give the admistration a pretext to break relations with the PLO, allowing Israel to push out Arafat and look for new Palestinian leadership. Or Jordanian stewardship.
No need to scour Afghanistan for nuclear plans or try to hire Pakistani nuclear scientists for outrageous sums. Apparently the British government is just giving it away.
Between the support of terrorism against Israel and the final raticfication of the ICC, I am beginning to believe that the US should reduce their role to observer at the United Nations, and take the money they pay in dues and create a US run organization to parallel the UN. The constant stream of invective, inanity and mistreatment that comes from the UN should not be countenanced by the US. Especially since the vast majority of the money used to fund these programs and resolutions comes from US taxpayer dollars.
The UN Human Rights Commission apparently endorses Jihad. Even the Germans couldn't abide the resolution. "The text contains formulations that might be interpreted as an endorsement of violence," said Walter Lewalter, the German ambassador to the commission. "There is no condemnation whatsoever of terrorism." The Candian representative took a hard stand too "The failure of the resolution to condemn all acts of terrorism, particularly in the context of recent suicide bombings targeting Israeli civilians, is a serious oversight which renders the resolution fundamentally unacceptable," said Marie Gervais-Vidricaire, Canada's ambassador to the commission. "There can be no justification whatsoever for terrorist acts."
This is despicable. I support the formation of a peaceful Palestinian homeland, but for a UN Commission to call for more terror, is just the ultimate in irresponsibility and malicousness.
Why is it that it is very clear what the 'Arab Street' chanting in massive Anti-Israeli Anti-American rallies mean when they chant 'Give us Jihad'. Are they chanting they want a spiritual journey of conquest as the apologists on TV always tell us? The very graphic placards explaining just who they want dead and costumes (little girls dressed as suicide bombers) lead me to think otherwise. We all know it is a charged word that can hold different meanings in different contexts but why is America denounced when using crusade and no mention is made of calls for a jihad? Again it goes to infatilizing Muslim corwds. By doing that people are implying that it is alright that they use it to mean a Holy War against the West, becuase they are not a sophisticated as we are so they can't be denounced for it.
And on chanting crowds, why do we never see Tibetans and their supporters out waving guns and little kids dressed as suicide bombers and placards calling for death to Jiang Zhamin? They are a third world people that are oppressed and occupied.
I want to be black-balled by the anti-warbloggers, too. In hopes of that I tender my solution to the Middle East.
I just had a revelation. The clouds parted and the voice of God/Allah/Jehovah spoke directly unto me (Don't give your dessert to your brother. Give it to me!). I have the solution to the Palestinian issue. It works out great. It makes the Palestinians feel good because they win and the Israelis feel good because a bunch of anti-Semites get it and the Palestininas leave them alone. The Palestinians declare war on France. When the French immediately tender their surrender, the Palestinians move in. They get their homeland and all the EU nations that are so supportive of the Palestinian cause get them as their new neighbors (with the occasional EU Presidency held by President-General Arafat). The Israelis get rid of them as neighbors and the anti-Semite French get humiliated again. Then the Israelis can turn the entire West Bank into a mined DMZ to keep out the rest of the Middle East.
Jackie Mason takes on Starbucks. Old, but definitely a keeper.
If I said to you, "I have a great idea for a business. I'll open a whole new type of a coffee shop. Instead of 60 cents for coffee I'll charge $2.50, $3.50, $4.50, and $5.50. Not only that, I'll have no tables, no chairs, no water, no busboy, and you'll clean it up for 20 minutes after you're finished."
Without the toppling of the Taliban, Pakistan never would have taken the course it has since September 11th. Collusion would have contintued with the Taliban, al-Qaeda and the ISI. The border between them would have remained non-existent for the land-locked Afghanistan and thousands of Pakistanis still would be training for Jihad in Kashmir and other parts of the world. But along with this politcal shift has come a more ideological shift. Pakistanis here in America are calling for a more active role in the reformation of the country. Musharraf has been making some very bold moves that could well lead to a more representative and open country (with a little backsliding now and then).
Another story that highlights the fact that the war in Afgahanistan is not a unilateral US action. Now the British troops are on a major offensive as the Turkish troops are about to take over the peacekeeping responsibilities.
The Dutch are owning up to their responsibility in the massacre at Srebrenica. It's an action every organization and government should take note of. I don't know if resignation was the right choice, but it is encouraging to see a government actually admit and take responsibility for what happened during its watch.
Didn't Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., Medgar Evers, Ralph Abernathy and nameless millions struggle for years to end separate but equal . As Jay Nordlinger, of NRO, points out: Forget separate graduation ceremonies and dormitories: How could we overlook separate drinking fountains, separate bathrooms, separate sections on the bus?
Some will scream that this is just racist blather. But it is really happening. Every day there are more steps to divide us and make each group more insular and distant from one another. Project the events that have already transpired and think about the not-inconcievable future that it could lead to.
If there was ever proof that we need to abolish the IRS and institute a flat income tax (and I am nowhere near the top one 1%) it is this. If the IRS bureuacracy itself does not even know the tax laws or is knowingly violating them and it is costing us millions or possibly billions of the dollars that the government takes from us every week, the only way to insure that there is no abuse is to make it so that there is no way to abuse the system. The Laffer Curve has proven itself in Russia and other countires that have moved to a flat tax. If we can get over the scare tactics of claiming that it just enriches the rich and look at the true value of a flat tax, we can move into a prosperity and increase in real tax revenue that would allow our nation to maintain the economic advantages that have been 225 years in the making.
A little piece of attempted misdirection? So, a member of Congress accusses the President and his administration of have advanced knowledge that September 11th was coming and that they allowed it to happed so that their friends could profit. And Dick Gephardt and Nancy Pelosi are upset that the Republicans haven't spoken out about James Traficant, who is now a convicted felon. But don't mention Sen. Toricelli .
Update: Republicans took up the challenge that they aren't speaking out about Traficant.
To those who say war just propogates war, remeber what Nathan Bedfore Forrest told his men as he faced them for the last time as their leader. This was a man who was fanatical in his devotion to the South and his hatred of the Yankees. A man completely untrained in war, barely literate and despised by his enemy for his brutal and unorthodox methods. A true guerrilla leader, he often faced an opposing force, larger, better mounted, better armed, better fed and less weary than his own. Yet emerged victorious time and again, the only soldier on either side who started as an enlisted private and attained the rank of Lieutenant General. A man who was a slave owner and trader before the outbreak of war and the first Grand Wizard of the KKK after the war.
In the face of the undeniable defeat of The Cause at the hands of the Union troops, he told his men:
"Men, you may all do as you please, but I'm a-going home. Any man who is in favor of a further prosecution of this war is a fit subject for a lunatic asylum, and ought to be sent there immediately."
Forrest was also a man who in his final years called for the dissolution of the Klan, denounced the racial hatred it espoused, spoke out for an end to racial discrimination and spoke in favor of social and political advancement for the freed slaves.
Sometimes, war and overwhelming defeat can ensure safety and indeed change the outlook of individuals.
RE: Email war. I pulled the post for now. Just to be fair to everyone involved I wanted to get permission from everyone.
I'll give a bit of commentary on the gist of what I see from the anti-war faction. It seems very easy for them to forget the lessons of the past. For them, since everything is relative, history really has nothing to teach us. It is a waste of time to try and use what has happened as a possible roadmap to the future. Even if that history is a month old. We hear "War will just make more terror". But will it? They argue that we only need look at Israel and the recent renewal of suicide bombers despite military operations. First off, we must set aside that they only see the conventional war while ignoring the the other aspects that are still ongoing. Almost every day we read of more money being seized or some new operative arrested. But, let's stick with conventional war.
Is the conventional war in Israel a parallel of the US war in Afghanistan? Israel occupies (rigthly or wrongly) parts of the West Bank. This constant presence leads to the newly minted embittered youth and seemingly bottomless well of homicide bombers (along with the nascent desire to extirpate the Jewish state). In Afghanistan there are no suicide bombers, the US doesn't wish to occupy any territory there or enforce any serious controls on the people and their daily lives. So, it can safely be assumed that waves of angry Afghan suicide bombers will not be reaching American shores any time soon.
The anti-warriors will point to the bordering belligerent states, see our response has only led to Israel, based on our example, to bring us to the verge of an all out war in the Middle East. Did this model hold up in Afghanistan? No. Victorious US actions led to tens of thousands of disillusioned Pakistanis going home cursing the day they heard the name Osama Bin Laden. Momentos bearing his likeness no longer sell on the streets of Pakistan. All of these men who were fooled into believing Bin Laden's rhetoric and joining the Jihad, have had the scales dropped from their eyes. They are not even out protesting against Musharref's alliance with the US and the continuing usage of Pakistani bases by US troops. How maany of these would have been good prospective terrorists until facing the overwhelming force of the Unites States. While the restive populations of the bordering Middle Eastern states have alway borne animosity toward the Israeli state, therefore it would be presumptive to assume that our military action is leading to their loud denunciations of Israel.
The thousands of dead al-Qaeda in Afghanistan will no longer be available to Bin Laden and his Lieutenants. And their camps will no longer be churning out more terrorists. The immediate negative impact to further terrorism due to this can't be overstated. By Mao's dictate, Afghanistan was a big pond for the terrorists, it is now drying out and with the ongoing multi-discipline actions only puddles will exist throughout the world. And if we had tried other methods and bided our time while attempting diplomacy how many more Afghanis would have been murdered at the hands of the Taliban and their 'guests'? Once they had finished off the United Front, who could we have turned to in hopes ousting them? How many more recruits would have made their way through the training camps?
The terrorist leaders in Israel work relatively close to the action and their operatives, constantly there to recruit, support and plan terrorist attacks. The leaders of al-Qaeda are now on the run with no safe permanent bases, everywhere they go they will be suspect, everytime they cross a border there will be a chance of being caught. Steady communications with their superiors and operatives will not be assured. And they will be spending at least as much if not more time assuring their own security and future movements as they will planning more attacks, recruiting and training new agents. Every killed or captured leader in an organization structure like al-Qaeda, given the new reality of their geographic and communication instabilities, will isolate cells and further erode commincation links and their ability to carry out more attacks.
And maybe most importantly is the perception of the US in the Middle East now. Many still smolder in their hatred for America, but where are the huge rallies and calls for Jihad against the US? Indirectly as a result of continuing support for Israel, they call for our demise. But they no longer point to what will happen to us when we face the faithful in Afghanistan. While studing history at UMASS, one of Stephen Oates' favorite expressions when talking about the causes of the Civil War was that a large pice of the 'root causes' came from the 'Perception of Events'. The Southerners saw the election of Lincoln as part of a concerted plot by the Abolitionists to end slavery while in the North they saw everything (prior to Secession) as a call to war in the name of preserving slavery and spreading it to the territories and eventually the North. Nothing that the more moderate on either side said could convince the other that the preception just was not true. By refusing to act militarily America and its allies would have been perceived as weak within the ranks of the Islamic Fundamentalists. The constant exhortations of Bin Laden, Saddam and the fundamentalist Imams against the soft and decadent West that was incapable of retaliation would have encouraged thousands to flock to Afghanistan to join in more operations against the 'small horse'. But where are these people to go now? With Bin Laden and Zawahiri on the run, Atef dead and Zubayda in American custody where can those wishing to carry on the Jihad go to train and dispached on their missions? It would seem that Bin Laden now has only the existing pool of terrorists or the smaller numbers that can be trained in much smaller and less secure venues than were available in Afghanistan.
All of these factors directly lead to less terror. We have empirical evidence that our war in Afghanistan has stopped and reduced terrorism. Thousands of dead terrorists, camps that can no longer train terrorists, dead and captured leaders, and foiled plots (Paris, Singapore, Rome and Prague to name a few) and leaders uncertain of what is going on outside their immediate sphere of control. These are just a few of the things that have been brought about as a direct result of the conventional war in Afghanistan.
Those who look at the issues from a detached and sanitized view, see this more as a guerilla war against the US. They don't acknowledge the extreme fanatacism and basic incoherent hatred that do not always respond or react in the way a true guerrilla leader would. Bin Laden and his associates will not react the same way as Washington, Jefferson Davis or even Mao Tse Tung and Che. Our military will never be defeated on an open field by the armies of al-Qaeda or any allies they may find. As our techniques evolve and we tighten cooperation with friendly nations and force semi-friendly nations to stop offering refuge, now that Afghanistan is no longer a free port the terrorist leasders will find themselves with disrupted communications and broken links, they will become more and more desperate. I do not doubt that we will have more attacks here in the US, but as a result of the action in Afghanistan it will be much more difficult to carry out successful operations and it now becomes a war of time.
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