Subject:
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Repost, for the benefit of those on newsreaders
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Fri, 27 May 2005 16:02:06 GMT
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Viewed:
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1770 times
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Someone expressed frank misgivings about the formatting of this post:
http://news.lugnet.com/off-topic/debate/?n=26936
What can I say? The FTX shows up just fine on my browser. But because I am a
kind and generous soul, I am reposting in plain text
-----repost begins here-----
Here are a few thoughts--not sure how feasible they are, and some will require
greater diplomacy than is currently available to the administration.
1. Get rid of Bush.
His handling of this entire debacle has been nightmarishly inept and
short-sighted. His removal would go a long way toward demonstrating that we have
recognized his many errors and are willing to pursue a course different from the
madness he initiated.
2. Apologize for our mistakes to date.
Should be self-evident, but it hasn’t happened so far.
3. State our mission goals clearly.
Why did we start this war? All of the reasons given to date have been shown to
be false, so it looks more and more like our intent is just to kill as many
Muslims as we can. If we have another objective in mind, we should declare it
concretely, and we should articulate a means by which we may objectively assess
our success or failure. An exit strategy would also be helpful, as would a rough
timeframe so that it does not appear to be a deliberately eternal war.
4. Eliminate all “crusade” overtones.
That means Boykin and his ilk must be formally censured. That means that
everyone who refers to “our God” or “their God” in the context of this stupid
war must be formally censured. It means that any serviceman or woman who
desecrates a Quran must be formally censured. It means that every public
official involved in the conflict must act and speak with courtesy and
consideration of the differences at play here. Our blindness makes our national
egocentrism indistinguishable from deliberate hostility toward other cultures.
5. Act with humility.
It’s bad enough that we lied to get into this war. Dubya’s subsequent arrogance
(and that of his subordinates) has made it impossible to hold the so-called
“Coalition” together, and it certainly hasn’t made us any new friends in the
aftermath of the invasion.
6. Remove corporate profit as an incentive in the theater.
In a true Free market this wouldn’t be a problem, but we’re nowhere near that
market, and government-santioned corporate corruption, waste, and theft are
rampant. Since this was an unprovoked (and, some argue, an illegal war), the
subsequent profiteering only makes the war seem more obviously in the service of
corporate greed. Corporate involvement, if any, should be 100% transparent and
100% accountable. A for-profit war is nothing but corporate-run mass murder.
7. Allow broader access to reconstruction contracts.
Though France and Germany opposed our initiation of the war, they shouldn’t be
excluded from the bidding process if they have something to offer. Narrowing the
field to only those who were cajoled into joining our war makes it seem that the
war was intended for (generally American) corporate profit.
8. Secure the assistance of Arab nations.
This requires more diplomacy than we have, I know. Arab nations have been
largely excluded from the shaping and rebuilding of post-war Iraq, and our
continued failure to appreciate the extant cultural differences makes their
exclusion all the more costly and apparent. Additionally, the inclusion of Arab
nations would further demonstrate that this is not a war to put the middle east
under US rule.
9. Hand over the reins.
Despite providing the overwhelming majority of military forces, we are clearly
unable to manage the disaster we have wrought. If we truly are part of a
Coalition rather than an Empire (with a few lackey nations), we should be
willing to submit to the authority of another power. No other nation would
command US forces, but the US would not be in charge of the whole quagmire.
10. Let them choose the government that they want.
Dubya and co. endlessly prattle that “Freedom is on the March” and “We’re sowing
the seeds of Democracy.” That’s all crappy sloganeering. If we really respect
the freedom that we pretend to have given these people, we should support no
candidate, we should offer no rules of our own, and we should clearly not object
if the resultant government is entirely contrary to our wishes. Otherwise we are
clearly showing our disdain for freedom and for another nation’s sovereignty.
11. Do something about Israel.
No, Israel’s not 100% wrong in all things, and yes, Palestinians are not without
blood on their hands, either. But if we had to pick one thing (other than
cultural imperialism (as opposed to militaristic imperialism)) that enflames
Arab rage against the US, it’s our unwavering support of Israel no matter how
many children they murder or Palestinian families they evict or walls they
build. If we’d only step up and say that Israel has sometimes acted
inappropriately and without matched provocation, we’d increase our credibility
markedly. And we should require them to return our nukes, too.
-----repost ends here-----
Dave!
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