Several points need to be responded to.
I'm sure UNICEF is a worthy organization. I'm referring more to One-World type rulings that would take rights and freedoms away from American citizens. Such as, the right to keep and bear personal arms, the freedom to drive the vehicle of our choice, the exorbitant overpricing of gasoline, the sole purpose of which is to make it more expensive for people to use. The fact that our gasoline is cheaper than the rest of the world's only means that you are paying too much. Given the choice, most people will choose to drive the larger, nicer and better appointed vehicle. Yes there are a few self-righteous people who willingly choose to deprive themselves by purchasing and driving tiny, efficient but uncomfortable, impractical and dangerous vehicles in the name of "saving the environment". Every other year there is a new study out showing that humankind has very little to no effect on the ozone layer, weather patterns or overall state of the environment. But I digress. The principal topic of our discussion was Saddam and Iraq.
In regards to the US being involved in WWII only after Pearl Harbor, remember, our war at that time could have been only with Japan. Instead we chose to also get involved in Europe. Yes, Russia, England, France and others were involved as well but don't forget too that France was already in German hands and England was taking one heck of a beating as well. Many agree that if the US had not gotten involved taking Germany's attention away from Russia England would have fallen as well in spite of Churchill's 'to the last man' speech. As far as Russia is concerned, perhaps Germany had the right idea at the time. Remember Communism anyone?
Regarding France and NATO; I beg Your pardon but I never stated that France was in NATO. Merely that Europe owed a debt that has so far been paid in a large part with ungratefulness.
Regarding France's participation in Bosnia/Yugoslavia. Is it safe to assume that you are French? I notice a slight defensiveness when it comes to France. Please keep in mind that I am not a French basher as I am 1/4 French myself. As an American however I do feel anger that France (and Germany), did not become more involved and as a matter of fact was quite obstructionist in UN involvement in Iraq. Was it because of France's heavy economic investment in Iraq? How about the fact that Iraq had a great deal of French arms? Or perhaps the fact that France was involved in trade of materials to Iraq that was banned by the UN?
As for faces to danger in battle. Remember, it is not a soldier's duty to die for his country, rather it is to make the enemy's soldiers die for his. A paraphrase of a quote by General George S. Patton, to give credit where it is due. While the French are dying brave, we are fighting smart.
Regarding the price of oil, again, the fact that we pay less for it just means you are paying too much.
And as for Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program, whether we received bad intelligence or whether the arms truly did/do exist remains to be seen. There is some speculation that the arms remain buried to be unearther later, that the arms may have been secreted to a friendly nation for safe keeping, (Syria perhaps), or that perhaps they were still only in the development stage.
A secondary purpose for our involvement in Iraq is to deal directly with the Arab people instead of power hungry often cruel dictators. If we can make Iraq a prosperous democratic nation ruled by it's people instead of a dictatorial madman, perhaps the rest of the Arab world will see that America is not the enemy or the 'Great Satan' after all. We are now giving the Arab people an opportunity to recreate itself just as we did in the American Revolution and you did in the French Revolution. Instead of griping about the terrible things that the US has done, and don't you do that every time the US steps in somewhere?, give us a chance to do what we did for Germany, Japan, the USSR and many other countries.
I hope now that Saddam has been captured that the Iraqi people will begin to stand up for themselves and start creating their own nation, friendly to the US but independent from it. Apparently they feel shame that they had to be liberated rather than doing it themselves. Well, OK. What are they going to do about it now though?
When it comes to bin Laden, the fact that he has not been caught yet means nothing. We will now be focusing more attention on that matter I'm sure. Remember too, he may have been killed during bombing runs and buried under tons of rock. I'm sure that the US's detractors will claim convenience should that turn out to be the case. Apparently there are tapes out there showing him to still be alive. If that is the case, it's only a matter of time. We did find Hussein.
And finally, Bush dangerous? Not to the American people? And not to the world I think. The world sees what the American media wants it to see and the American media is anti-Bush in it's philosophy and reporting. Bush did not steal the election as I think you are implying. Rather, the Gore machine and the Florida Supreme Court attempted to rewrite the US Constitution in order to get their man in. The US Supreme Court finally had to step in and put a stop to it. The Gore machine did everything it could to invalidate the election by cheap tricks, illegal maneuvering and manipulation of the media. Not only did Gore lose the election fair and square, he also lost his own home state of Tennessee. The media was also complicit in Florida when in the middle of the afternoon of election day declared Gore the winner in Florida attempting to discourage Bush voters from even turning out.
Bush is only dangerous to terrorists, Communists and Socialists who feel that big government is the answer to the world's problems. Government has never "given" anything to anyone. It has only taken from one and redistributed to another. Government doesn't have anything to give other than a structure for the redistribution of wealth.
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president since G. Ford.
