Sims, you're fun because you know your stuff. I respect that, though I might not always like what you're saying. Now that that's done with...
Yes, the US DID give Saddam Hussein a lot of weapons and a lot money, not to mention satellite imagery of where Iranian troops were, so Saddam could gas them. The US was not opposed to this. Yes, the US knew about the Kurd situation long ago. They didn't do anything about it. Now no one else did either, so the fact that the US didn't do anything doesn't make them any worse than anyone else. Just remember where the weapons, cash, and the knowledge to make the weapons came from. Also, it wasn't the first time the US supported a brutal dicdatorial regime. Oh, by the way, the US also funded Bin Laden when Afghanistan was being invaded by Russia. Al-Quaeda operatives were trained with US special forces methods, and still have Stinger missiles thanks to the US, and they still work.
History, still a bitch...
Why does a part of the Muslim world hate the west? Lots of reasons, and you seem to be right, at least partly. Unfortunately, you approach it from the stereotypical 'western' point of view, IE Muslim people hate America because we have more than they do. You forget about the fact that the US, more than anyone else, has try to force their culture on the entire world. They have succeeded, in large part due to multinational corporations like McDonalds and Disney(Surprise, many terrorists bomb McDonalds outlets, cuz they think it makes a statement). You might not know that other parts of the world have a different view on life, and that they don't necessarily want fast food, chain stores, malls, and what they see as destruction of their views and belief system, all for the sake of progress. Yes, they want clean drinking water(something Iraq had before we bombed the shit out of them), good hospitals(again, Iraq had those before the Gulf War too) a more representative form of government, and a leadership that respects human rights as the muslim population sees them. With the correct form of help(and don't ask me what that is, I don't have all the solutions, wish I did though...), all of this is achievable. Could the biggest problem be the cultural imperialism going on right now? Could it be that instead of trying to fix problems with cooperation, we still see it as an 'us vs. them' issue? Maybe if we looked at ALL the issues surrounding conflicts right now, and had a real, honest, open dialog, we could solve most of the problems the world is dealing with without having to bomb/kill/maim/destroy. And if things STILL don't work out after an HONEST EFFORT BY EVERYONE(including the US. That means that they're going to have to start paying their UN dues, and NOT bullying/monopolizing/blackmailing the security council), then it MIGHT be time for more drastic actions, including, but not limited to, war.
Message to: Jib_This
Message from: NewO
Date Sent: 2003-02-11 17:33:01
ur a dumb shit
'i'm not too bright sometimes, when i turn my mind off school'
Nolan, after I reminded him of what a verb in the past tense was.