[Grovenet] Questions About Our Intentions in Iraq...

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

I didn't mention discrepancies, Ed. You must be confusing posts <G>. 

We allowed the civil war to start by decapitating (or just hanging)the Iraqi
government. 

I think we're responsible for stopping it.  

I agree with you about "getting out of the way".  That's what I said (see
below). But I don't believe that absolves us of the responsibility for
rebuilding a safe, secure Iraq. After all, that's what we promised the Iraqi
people when we invaded.

Like I said, it's an opportunity for the USA to be a world leader rather
than a world bully. 

Ron D'Eau Claire 



-----Original Message-----
From: grovenet-bounces at rdrop.com [mailto:grovenet-bounces at rdrop.com] On
Behalf Of Ed Davie
Sent: Sunday, February 18, 2007 3:01 PM
To: Forest Grove local interests list
Subject: Re: [Grovenet] Questions About Our Intentions in Iraq...


Your words, not mine. A lot of discrepancies here. 
I don't have time to go into all of them but for 
example, the so-called insurgency appears to be 
attacking mostly their people. And whether they 
really want us to leave is debatable. As long as 
we are there they have a reason to continue the 
attacks. If we leave, who knows, they may decide 
to resolve their differences. Differences 
remaining after many centuries of "existence". 
Differences that we can't understand, much less 
even help resolve.
We really should get out of the way. It couldn't 
make it any worse.
Ed
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Ron D'Eau Claire
  To: 'Forest Grove local interests list'
  Sent: Sunday, February 18, 2007 2:45 PM
  Subject: Re: [Grovenet] Questions About Our 
Intentions in Iraq...


  To answer your two questions:

  1) The government of the USA sent our armed 
forces to Iraq.

  (We can debate endlessly who within our 
government may have committed
  illegal acts in getting Congress to approve the 
war. Our Senators and
  Congressmen are the ones in a position to get 
answers. In terms of doing the
  right thing for the people of Iraq today, does 
why we invaded matter? If
  Saddam had stockpiles of WMD, would it have been 
proper for us to cart them
  off then leave the country in the hands of the 
thugs who are terrorizing the
  people there now? Most people in Iraq lived 
quite well and securely under
  Saddam's dictatorship. Those people deserve 
nothing less today. It's what we
  promised them. Do we not keep our promises?)

  2) A "defeat" is what the people perceive it to 
be (sort of like debating
  the meaning of "was"). I define defeat as our 
enemies getting things their
  way. In this case, the insurgency wants us to 
pack up and leave the country
  to them. If we pack up and leave, they won. The 
"not-winner" was defeated.
  That would be us.

  (Note that I'm not looking for the USA to step 
forward and do it alone. We
  could, but the costs might well bankrupt us even 
if the American people
  allowed it. It's quite possible that no US 
troops should be in the country
  today. Perhaps no non-Islamic people, troops or 
contractors, should be
  there. But we are responsible for what happens 
there. It's time to change
  tactics, all right. It's time to engage people 
all over the world to help
  fix the mess we made starting with the U.N. A 
prosperous, safe Iraq free of
  the insurgency, even if not under a "democratic" 
government, would be a
  victory for everyone except the insurgents. I 
think that if we could do such
  a thing, it'd be a victory with huge rewards for 
us; it'd change the USA
  from a frightening bully who threatens others to 
a leader among nations who
  inspires others.)

  Ron D'Eau Claire

  -----Original Message-----
  From: grovenet-bounces at rdrop.com 
[mailto:grovenet-bounces at rdrop.com] On
  Behalf Of Ed Davie
  Sent: Sunday, February 18, 2007 2:00 PM
  To: Forest Grove local interests list
  Subject: Re: [Grovenet] Questions About Our 
Intentions in Iraq...


  To answer that, ask how we got into Iraq?
  And what, exactly, would constitute a "defeat"?
  Ed

    If we leave, then, isn't that another defeat 
for
  America? Should we allow
    ourselves to be run out of Iraq?

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