The case against Iraq

“This ones for Budha

THE AMERICAN'S GUIDE TO FRANCE:
France is a medium-sized foreign country situated
in the continent Of Europe.

It is an important member of the world community, though
not nearly as important as it thinks.

It is bounded by Germany, Spain, Switzerland and some
smaller nations of no particular importance and
with not very good shopping.

France is a very old country with many treasures, such
as the Louvre and Euro Disney.

Among its contributions to western civiliZation are
champagne, Camembert cheese and the guillotine.

Although France likes to think of itself as a modern
nation, air conditioning is little used and it is next
to impossible for Americans to get decent Mexican food.

One continuing exasperation for American visitors is
that local people insist on speaking in French, though
many will speak English if shouted at.

Watch your money at all times.

THE PEOPLE
France has a population of 57 million people. 52
million of these drink and smoke (the other 5 million
are small children).

All French people drive like lunatics, are dangerously
over sexed, and have no concept of standing patiently
in line.

The French people are in general gloomy, temperamental,
proud, arrogant, aloof and disciplined; those are their
good points.

Most French citizens are Roman Catholic, though you
would hardly guess it from their behavior.

Many French are communists.

Men sometimes have girls' names like Marie or Michel,
and they kiss each other when they meet.

American travelers are advised to travel in groups and
wear baseball caps and colorful trousers for easier
recognition.

SAFETY
In general, France is a safe destination, although
travelers must be aware that from time to time it is
invaded by Germany.

Traditionally, the French surrender immediately.

A tunnel connecting France to Britain beneath the
English Channel has been opened in recent years
to make it easier for the French government to
flee to London during future German invasions, and for
them to offload all their illegal immigrants.

HISTORY
Charlemagne discovered France in the Dark Ages.

Other important historical figures are Louis XIV, the
Huguenots, Joan of Arc, Jacques Cousteau and Charles de
Gaulle, who was President for many years and is now an
airport.

GOVERNMENT
The French form of government is democratic but
noisy. Parliament's principal occupation is setting off
atomic bombs in the South Pacific and acting indignant
and surprised when other countries complain.

According to the most current American State department
intelligence, the President is now someone named
Jacques. Further information is not available at this
time.

CULTURE
The French pride themselves on their culture,
though it is not easy to see why. All their music
sounds the same and they have never made a movie that
you would want to watch for anything but the nude
scenes.

CUISINE
Let's face it, no matter how much garlic you put on it,
a snail is just a slug with a shell on its back.

Croissants on the other hand, are excellent, although
it is impossible for most Americans to pronounce this
word. In general, travelers are advised to stick to
cheeseburgers.

ECONOMY
France has a large and diversified economy, second only
to Germany's in Europe, which is surprising because the
French hardly work at all.

If they are not spending four hours dawdling over
lunch, they are on strike and blocking the roads with
their trucks and tractors. France's principal exports,
in order of importance to the economy, are wine,
nuclear weapons, perfume, guided missiles, champagne,
guns, grenade launchers, land mines, tanks, attack
aircraft, miscellaneous armaments and cheese.

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
France has more holidays than any other nation in the
world. Among It's 361 national holidays are:
197 Saints' days,
37 National Liberation Days,
16 Declaration of Republic Days,
54 Return of Charles de Gaulle-in-triumph-as-if-he-won-the-
war-single-handed Days,
18 Napoleon-sent-into-Exile-Days,
17 Napoleon-Called-Back-from-Exile-Days,
and
2 "France is Great and the Rest of the World Stinks" Days.

CONCLUSION
At least it's not Germany.”

“Ha ha. Pretty funny, Savage.

"they have never made a movie that
you would want to watch for anything but the nude
scenes. "

Hey, La Femme Nikita kicked ass!”

“it's red dogd, ,and no i was perfectly sober.


fox gives both sides. figure that out and you'll be ahead of ted turner.


once again , when i nail a point all ya'll can do is make jokes and try to paint me as a loony dumb$h!t .


[bebops off into the sunset]”

“Hint:

Points are not baseless opinions.

A point cannot be made by saying:

"I'm right and you're not so there!"

Carry on.”

“clue;

you have no retort so you try distraction....




as you were”

“Okay, here's my retort:

I know you are but what am I?

Fall out!”

“what you say is what you are!

you're a naked movie star!”

“As I sit at a Sat Con Control Panel, (Yes folks, the US Gov, due to high Op Tempo has moved me temporarily back to my former post!)...at my higher rate of pay...giggles!

The US Government does not release True Resolution Photographic Intelligence(TRPI). Those of us who have access to "True Rez" have no doubts about what these photographs show.

Has it escaped the attention of the Doubting Thomas's here that these facilities are surrounded by blast deflection berms?

Wish I could tell you folks what we can really see, suffice it to say that there can and will be public debate over the need for war with Iraq, but trust me, WAR WILL COME, debate or no debate, NATO or no NATO, UN or no UN.

This time the US will go the distance with anyone who will support us, or ALONE, but we're going.”

“While I trust that our military is more in the know than I am, I wonder how this will affect things?”

“Finding no weapons is GW's logic for bombing Iraq. It proves that they are hiding something! Impeccable logic.”

“That is what I call Quantum logic...


It takes a quantum leap to logically come up with that conclusion.”

“Dunadan, check your mail”

“So now, why is it the govt. can't release the photos? If they show what they show, release the photos and lob a few Tomahawks.”

“I think you're probably right Dunadan.


I don't know how many of you are familiar with Joshua Micah Marshall, the blogger who writes the excellent Talking Points Memo. In the somewhat dated Bomb Saddam? -- How the obsession of a few neocon hawks became the central goal of U.S. foreign policy Marshall gives a pretty comprehensive look at the hawks now running the show. I think it’s worth a read.”

“The Nation, which indulges towards another an habitual hatred, or an habitual fondness, is in some degree a slave. It is a slave to its animosity or to its affection, either of which is sufficient to lead it astray from its duty and its interest… The Nation, prompted by ill will & resentment sometimes impels to War the Government, contrary to the best calculations of policy. The Government sometimes participates in the national propensity, and adopts through passion what reason would reject; at other times, it makes the animosity of the Nation subservient to projects of hostility instigated by pride, ambition and other sinister & pernicious motives. The peace often, sometimes perhaps the Liberty, of Nations has been the victim.

- George Washington’s Farewell Address”

“"If we desire to avoid insult, we must be able to repel it; if we desire to secure peace, one of the most powerful instruments of our rising prosperity, it must be known, that we are at all times ready for War."
George Washington”

“Anybody else hear the "Dueling Banjos" tune starting up?”

“Dueling quotations???”

“Dueling Georges.

Remember 'Dueling Brandos' on Saturday Night Live? LOL”

“Dueling dimwits?

Hahah. Just kidding, dudes:)”

“I think if you’ll read the full address that your line was pulled from, Father Goose, you’ll see that Washington was talking about defense of our soil while warning against foreign entanglements. http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/presiden/sou/washs05.htm" target="_blank"> Fifth Annual Message of George Washington

dum da dum dum dum dum dum da dum…”

“Unfortunately Fiddler, the defense of our domestic soil in modern times may require us to 'reach out and touch somebody'. I'm sure that Bro. George was not thinking of that, but there it is. It would be nice if we could just live in isolation and hope that nobody hurts us. The quote, while not taken in full context, remains valid. Si vis pacem, para bellum. I do not want a war but neither do I believe that our enemies will allow us to exist in peace if we just go away and bury our heads in the sand.”

“I hadn't seen the satellite photo of the al-Qaida Eggs!!!!”

“They're terror CELLS. They reproduce by mitosis.”

“"It is better to die on one's feet than to live on one's
knees." --Albert Camus”

“The tree of liberty must be refreshed, from time to time, with the blood of patriots.
Don't know who said it, but it sounds heroic anyway.”

“Camus is cool. I read The Plague back in the late 80s. It certainly gave me a different perspective on HIV/AIDS.

Maybe Reagan should've read it.”

“"The tree of liberty must be refreshed, from time to time, with the blood of patriots.
Don't know who said it, but it sounds heroic anyway."
tahoe
03:01:28 PM
02/20/03

Thomas Jefferson.”

“"Thou shalt not kill." -?

"You must love your enemy." -?

Food for thought, always.”

“I thought this poll was interesting.

I don't know what conclusion you want to draw from this part, but it seems obvious to me.

Those with a high school education or less were more likely than those with a college education to say that going to war was the right decision-75 percent compared to 63 percent. Those educational differences were not evident in the first Persian Gulf conflict, when people with all levels of education were equally likely to say that going to war was the right decision.

The tracking poll of 2,708 adults was taken between March 20 and April 1. The error margin for questions asked of smaller samples within that group was plus or minus 4 percentage points.”

“???????”

“Who's this ViOliN character?”

“The conclusion is ..... going to college does not always equate to intelligence.”

“Phake Violins?

I don't think you can draw much of any conclusion, except that college educated people might value their independence a bit more. After all, 63% of college educated people were in favor.”

“But is it proof that Sad Sack is still alive?

And what about the college educated people who are for the war or the high school educated people who are against it? Guess their opinions don't count?

Or maybe it means we run the country by focus groups made up of college educated people and disenfranchise the rest?”

“People who respond to polls........”

“Wolfowitz: ‘Iraq War Was About Oil’
By George Wright
The Guardian

Wednesday 04 June 2003

Oil was the main reason for military action against Iraq, a leading White House hawk has claimed, confirming the worst fears of those opposed to the US-led war.

The US deputy defence secretary, Paul Wolfowitz - who has already undermined Tony Blair's position over weapons of mass destruction (WMD) by describing them as a "bureaucratic" excuse for war - has now gone further by claiming the real motive was that Iraq is "swimming" in oil.

The latest comments were made by Mr Wolfowitz in an address to delegates at an Asian security summit in Singapore at the weekend, and reported today by German newspapers Der Tagesspiegel and Die Welt.

Asked why a nuclear power such as North Korea was being treated differently from Iraq, where hardly any weapons of mass destruction had been found, the deputy defence minister said: "Let's look at it simply. The most important difference between North Korea and Iraq is that economically, we just had no choice in Iraq. The country swims on a sea of oil."

Mr Wolfowitz went on to tell journalists at the conference that the US was set on a path of negotiation to help defuse tensions between North Korea and its neighbours - in contrast to the more belligerent attitude the Bush administration displayed in its dealings with Iraq.

His latest comments follow his widely reported statement from an interview in Vanity Fair last month, in which he said that "for reasons that have a lot to do with the US government bureaucracy, we settled on the one issue that everyone could agree on: weapons of mass destruction."

Prior to that, his boss, defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld, had already undermined the British government's position by saying Saddam Hussein may have destroyed his banned weapons before the war.

Mr Wolfowitz's frank assessment of the importance of oil could not come at a worse time for the US and UK governments, which are both facing fierce criticism at home and abroad over allegations that they exaggerated the threat posed by Saddam Hussein in order to justify the war.

Amid growing calls from all parties for a public inquiry, the foreign affairs select committee announced last night it would investigate claims that the UK government misled the country over its evidence of Iraq's WMD.

The move is a major setback for Tony Blair, who had hoped to contain any inquiry within the intelligence and security committee, which meets in secret and reports to the prime minister.

In the US, the failure to find solid proof of chemical, biological and nuclear arms in Iraq has raised similar concerns over Mr Bush's justification for the war and prompted calls for congressional investigations.

Mr Wolfowitz is viewed as one of the most hawkish members of the Bush administration. The 57-year old expert in international relations was a strong advocate of military action against Afghanistan and Iraq.

Following the September 11 terror attacks on the World Trade Centre and Pentagon, Mr Wolfowitz pledged that the US would pursue terrorists and "end" states' harbouring or sponsoring of militants.

Prior to his appointment to the Bush cabinet in February 2001, Mr Wolfowitz was dean and professor of international relations at the Paul H Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), of the Johns Hopkins University.”

“Man, Wolfowitz has been making comments lately that make me think he will be resigning soon...forced or voluntarily.”

“He's the idealogue of the group now that Perl's gone.”

“What Wolfie said was that because Iraq is swimming in oil, they were more of a threat than NK. Even with sanctions, they had the means to finance a lot of crap that the North Koreans, with an economy that's on life support, can't .”

“I was thinking along those lines too, Rosey. The administration can't be too happy about blatant comments like this...”

“At least that's how I read it. And Perle is not gone, he's just no longer chairman.”

“You libs have got to stop spinning.”

“LOL@violin!

Let me try:

The guardian? We're listening to the GUARDIAN now?! Please. Quotes taken out of context can mean anything.”

“Actually, Vio... That was extremely bacpac-esque... You're making me wonder.”

“It's all Bush's lies, I said so from the start.

"So dubya will be the Pretender of the U.S.

He is nothing but a scumbag anyway.

He was arrested for theft in 1968 and lied about it.

DUI in 1972 and lied about it.

DUI in 1976 and lied about it.

History of drug and alcohol abuse and lied about it.

Refused to take a drug test in the National Guard (fear of failure?) and lied about it.

Was AWOL for 18 months and lied about it.

Entered into business deals with known organized crime figures.


That's three strikes and you are out. In 42 states dubya would be classified as career criminal.

This loser is nothing more than a clinton clone who happens to be a republican."
gordon
03:35:54 PM
12/08/00

RE: The Fat Lady is Clearing her throat”

“From US hawk admits invasion was illegal

International lawyers and anti-war campaigners reacted with astonishment yesterday after the influential Pentagon hawk Richard Perle conceded that the invasion of Iraq had been illegal.

In a startling break with the official White House and Downing Street lines, Mr Perle told an audience in London: "I think in this case international law stood in the way of doing the right thing."

President George Bush has consistently argued that the war was legal either because of existing UN security council resolutions on Iraq - also the British government's publicly stated view - or as an act of self-defence permitted by international law.

But Mr Perle, a key member of the defence policy board, which advises the US defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, said that "international law ... would have required us to leave Saddam Hussein alone", and this would have been morally unacceptable.”

“Phew! Thank heavens. God told us to. For a minute there I was worried that there was no reason to invade, but if God told us to, it's alright.”