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Hear, hear.

What I think sucks most is that humanity never seeks better alternatives.

Over the last centuries what have been your options: rampant capitalist oligarchy masquerading as democracy, absurd communist dictatorship masquerading as socialism, or outright ignorant sons of bitches like Hitler, Hussein, and such!

Capitalist oligarchy has largely proven the best because, of the three, it is one that realizes how little any one person's views matter. It realizes that a lot of opposition can and should be allowed, because it doesn't matter.

After all, capitalism comes with a built-in distraction system (the media) that is done in a such a subtle way no one ever calls them on it.

Plus, how is it if the government does not own the media, that the media still spews the government's line?

Let's do a chart:

Corporations
/ \
Media Government

The government hasn't been on top of the chart since WWII. Once the corporations realized they could dictate terms to the government, everything went down hill.

You get guys like John Foster Dulles -- Ike's Sec of State -- who as a corporate head got the government to conduct his own company's (United Fruit) war in Guatemala.

Cheney and Halliburton look a little too familiar, IMO.

"My view is Saddam was a vicious arsehole who deserved to get the shit kicked out of him"

...Yet as far as we know we haven't touched him. We just bombed a lot of people. It's not a schoolyard fight between 2 guys, it's a lot of innocent people getting killed.
http://www.iraqbodycount.com
Between the cluster bombs, depleated uranium shells, and insuing chaos between the factions over there, bad as Saddam was, if I were in Iraq, I'd take my chances with him.

Yep! Zombified I agree. They did have a certain type of 'freedom' - "if you don't do what we want we'll torture and kill you" - answer: for a quiet life do what they want and you won't get taken into a quiet cell and electricuted and beaten (and killed).
I don't see the US government doing much different in Guantanamo bay. These people might be "terrorists" but they deserve human rights and civil treatment regardless or we are NO BETTER THAN SADDAM. We harp on about our FREEDOM and human rights but if we cannot set an example and put ourselves above these nasty people (no matter who we have imprisoned - even Osama or Saddam) we are the worst kind of Hypocrits - Saddamm I imagine (could be wrong) - never denied the brutality of his guards.

Wednesday (July 16,2003), Central Command chief General John Abizaid conceded American forces were now engaged in a guerrilla campaign in Iraq and said they must adapt their tactics to crush an increasingly organized resistance.

He told a Pentagon (news - web sites) briefing the Iraqis were conducting "a classical guerrilla-type campaign."

"It's low-intensity conflict in our doctrinal terms, but it's war however you describe it," he said.

The death of a U.S. soldier killed in a grenade attack near Baghdad Wednesday, has brought the total of American fatalities to 147, equaling the toll in the 1991 Gulf War.

USA, USA, USA.....

Here comes the factoids:-

North Korea, with only 25 million people, fields the world's second largest army: 1,160,000 men, with 3,800 tanks and 12,000 guns, and reserves of 7.4 million In spite of widespread food shortages and even famine, North Korea continues to expand its conventional forces and weapons of mass destruction.

That about double the size of the US army.

Not to mention the bloody great big air force(though old/obsolete) they have and also the substantial minefield between the North and south that would hamper any invasion attempt.

Sure they could have nukes, but I doubt they would invade even if they didn't.

Couldn't have said that better myself, 8truths!
(To post: 17th Jul 2003 5:52 pm)

Haggis -- doubt they could invade? Sounds kinda like Iraq.

The Iraqi military, in its history, never conducted a single successful large offensive operation until they invaded Kuwait. Come to think of it, they only successfully defended themselves once (Iran).

The Koreans, on the other had, have proven themselves in battle. And don't forget that Oriental government have no qualms about losing millions of dead in order to win, or even to achieve an ugly stalemate.

The North won't act unless they feel it is the best option. But, the dumb part is, they remain incapable of moving forward on unification and peace. Eventually, this kind of thing cannot be good.

Plus, let's be fair: we know N. Korea has nukes. Even while we occupy most of Iraq, we still have yet to have found a hint of their nuclear program.

It appears, for whatever reason, that Iraq complied with UN mandates. I suspect this was based on the theory that the weapons were useless in the hands of the Iraqi soldiers, and Hussein figured it was better to make us look like shit. Nonetheless, there is little chance there are WMD in Iraq.

And, if the US ever does find WMD, the credibility of the claim will be nil unless the US allows UN inspectors in BEFORE the finds are made. Otherwise, there will be accusations we planted them -- and without good monitors to check the origins of the material (all nuclear materials have a distinct fingerprint) no one will care even if the find is legit.

The main point here is credibility is a multipolar world.

The US does not have enough exportable power to enforce its will everywhere. Despite our illusions, we have not reach a monopolar political world. We're stuck in that tenuous area the Brits were stuck in in the early 1900s -- global reach, but now staying ability.

The fact is, if we had to conduct another Iraq war tomorrow, it could not be done without a serious reduction in troop strength in Iraq.

Our ability to act has been injured by the Iraq war, and other countries know it.

That is why last year was a banner year for global weapons sales. Countries are arming to the teeth, because they do not want to be the next Iraq. And, they have seen that diplomacy will not work, because the US intent upon action come hell or high water.

Iraq has taught the world a very bad lesson. We think bullying will scare everyone into obedience. It doesn't work that way.

If you beat a kid up long enough, and nbever show any sign of letting up, he's going to get a knife and stab your ass!

What do you think Sept. 11 was?

Do you think these guys -- after decades of never attacking the US -- just decided this would be a good photo op for MSNBC?

No.

They realized we are the biggest bully around, and if they kick our asses, they will be left alone.

They took down the Soviet Union, and they are convinced they can take us down.

Iraq is an irritant. It will simply make new recruits for al-Qaeda.

And frankly, I believe that is what the neo-coservatives, like Dick Cheney and Paul Wolfowitz, want. They want global war, because it reinforces their values of Americanism, capitalism, Christianity, and the virtues of might over reason.