Good Grief! This forum is truly a slice of humanity.
-
First several caveats - my writing can become disjointed when I am emotional and upset, so bear with me on this. Second, I am only 5'8" tall, and well over 230 lbs. (But I do have big bones, honest). I truly don't measure up to SteveS's monumental and impressive proportions, so I guess I am a lessor person and perhaps my comments therefore will not carry the weight of his.(I do have a large nose which is a good target.) But I'll carry on in any event.
-
I subscribe to the position that once it is determined that Bin Laden is the guilty party (and we are just about there), we should demand the Afghan government turn this slimeball and his cohorts over to us, say within 48 hours. If they don't, then we "go in" and get him. Whatever it takes. No holds bared - it would be a war. There will be casualities on both sides, heavy ones, including civilians. That is a sad fact of war. Just like those massive casualities during WWII from the bombings, both in Gemany and the UK.
-
I fear a war in Afghanistan. Ground troops will be necessary and our casualities will be great. Look how long the Russians toiled there, took massive casualities and finally slunk away in defeat. And that's with sharing a border which made logistics far easier! Having been assigned to the American Embassy in Islamabad during the 1970s and driven numerous times over the Kyber Pass and thru the Kabul Gorge to Kabul, I can tell you that the Afghan terrain is rugged, very rugged. It is already a waterless moonscape!
-
No doubt, this action will bring out the radicals and radical regimes in Iraq, Iran, Sudan, and possibly Syria. We may very well be at war with those countries at the same time as well. I would not be surprised.
-
We will not be able to carry on this war by ourselves. Without a doubt, we will need our allies. Recently, our strongest ally has been the UK. This morning, at 4:00 am, I picked up on CNN Tony Blair's address to his Parliament (As I type this, it is being repeated on CNN). It is a powerful statement of support, lock step with the US. I requested a copy of his address from the British Embassy and would be happy to email it to anyone interested in reading it. By the way, the British Parliament was called back into session for this crisis, only the 18th time in British history. We are lucky to have the Brits as our allies.
-
Other countries will be stepping up to support us as well, in which some the Moslim faith is the primary one. Turkey comes to mind, as does Morocco, and Nepal. I mention these countries specifically because during previous wars, the Turks and Nepalese fielded some of the most feared fighting forces on the side of the allies. The North Koreans were petrifed of the Turks during that war. The Turks and Nepalese would be on familiar ground fighting a war in Afghanistan. Other countries will be with us eveidenced by NATO invoking Article 5. (I think this is the correct reference).
-
It disturbes me, then, when I hear calls that ALL aliens, both resident and non-resident, should be booted from the US. (On the other hand, I strongly believe that ALL illegal aliens should be booted with NO AMNESTY and that Army troops should be used to patrol our borders!). I am a second generation immigrant - all four of my grand parents came over on "the boat". If the same "deportation of aliens and their families" mentality prevailed at the begining of WWI and WWII, the outcomes of those wars might will have been different. (Check your history books on who developed the jet engine and atomic bomb!!) Legal aliens are what make this country great. I would venture to guess that we have very few native americans on this forum. The rest of us living in the US are decendents of aliens; you too, SteveS. (well, I guess those arriving on the Mayflower and boats shortly thereafter were not issued resident alien visas
). But you catch my drift.
-
Let me say one other thing about Arabs and Moslims - - I had a three year assignment in Damascus - yes Syria. Yes, the ruling party, including Assad, were anti-American (Although Assad had his children educated in US Ivy League schools). His party comprised about 15 percent of the population. The remaining 85 percent, were for the most part very PRO AMERICAN. The single bombing that occured in Damascus was at the Russian Embassy! (This was during the early 1980s). However, this 85 percent lived in abject fear of their government. How many of you remember the Homa uprising? When an anti-government movement began gaining weight in the city of Homa, (I believe it was Syria's fourth largest town) Assad put it down. He LEVELED the city and killed most of the citizens.
-
In spite of this fear, the pro-American Syrians we knew and worked with were our friends. On more than one occassion, they called or visited our apartment to reassure when there were pro-government demonstrations. Sadly, when Assad's goons would go on a rip and begin rounding up families for alledged transgressions, we Americans would find their family antiques in the Sook (market) as they cashed out their belongings and fled the country. My point? You cannot make generalizations that all Moslims and Arabs are the bad guys. That notion is foolish, ignorant and stupid.
-
Well, that's it. Sorry for the long post, and if any of you are still awake, I welcome your comments.
-
Chuck
83SC
[This message has been edited by patalive (edited 09-14-2001).]