[Vision2020] Tet Offensive

[Sunil Ramalingam]

Pat,

I tried to make this point to you before, and obviously failed.  I tried to 
make it again to Tony, and it's obvious you still don't see what I'm trying 
to say this time either, but I'll try again.

Japan has a very homogenous population.  Iraq's population has three 
different competing groups with major fissures.  That means that it is very 
difficult to find agreement, if for example, one of the groups thinks it can 
get a better outcome outside of the system we are trying to impose. This is 
something the government should have considered.  It is the type of subject 
that should have been part of the discussion in Congress if it was a reason 
for the invasion.

There is no similarity between Japan and Iraq, and wishful thinking and 
platitudes like "Maybe it can work out' are not good enough.  I think we 
need more than that when we risk lives and treasure.   We need some 
practical reason to believe such a policy might work.

Since I don't support our government killing Iraqis, I don't support Hussein 
doing it.  How strange of you to make that suggestion.  Are you suggesting 
the reason for our intervention was humanitarian?  Why haven't we invaded 
Sudan?  There's certainly a humanitarian disaster going on there.

I don't think we invaded for humanitarian reasons.  Hussein was a butcher 
from the beginning, yet we supported him.  When he was gassing the Kurds, we 
tried to blame the Iranians for the use of gas, when they were also victims 
of the same cruelty.

Sunil


>From: "Pat Kraut" <pkraut at moscow.com>
>To: "vision2020" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
>Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Tet Offensive
>Date: Sun, 12 Nov 2006 21:51:59 -0800
>
>I can't think of one in Asia either before Japan but they are now.
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Sunil Ramalingam" <sunilramalingam at hotmail.com>
>To: <vision2020 at moscow.com>
>Sent: Sunday, November 12, 2006 10:06 AM
>Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Tet Offensive
>
>
>Yes, blindingly brilliant, once I remembered that the Confederacy was made
>up of a mixture of Sunni Arabs, Shiite Arabs, and Kurds, who had once lived
>under the US Constitution.  That was why we were able to have them accept
>the outcome of the Civil War.
>
>Now, can you point to a single place in the Middle East where democracy was
>imposed by a foreign invader?  You seem to be saying that is the reason for
>our illegal invasion of Iraq.  If that was the reason, why was that not 
>part
>of a national debate before the invasion?  Shouldn't we have some 
>assessment
>of whether it's been done before, and whether it's possible now?
>
>I don't expect you to answer that question, but if you're going to accuse 
>me
>of clouding the issue, you should be honest enough to try.  Suprise me,
>won't you?
>
>And since you also talk of uneducated third worlders in a tone that at best
>is patronizing and at worst racist (your use of the word 'raghead' cements
>that view), don't you remember that supporters of the war claimed that
>transformation of Iraq would be easy because of its highly-educated
>population?
>
>Sunil
>
>
> >From: "Tony" <tonytime at clearwire.net>
> >To: "Sunil Ramalingam" <sunilramalingam at hotmail.com>
> >Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Tet Offensive
> >Date: Sun, 12 Nov 2006 07:47:19 -0800
> >
> >Thank you Sunil.  I thought that particular post of mine was particularly
> >brilliant.  Kind of you to acknowledge that.
> >
> >Best,  -T
>
>
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