Re: [OT] Bruce Perens talks to BBC
On Wed, Jan 28, 2004 at 10:09:57PM -0800, Steve Lamb wrote:
> Mike M wrote:
> >I am not going to defend .gov's oil policy. My point is there has to be
> >an oil policy. You can't disengage and think things will just turn out
> >alright.
>
> Why does there have to be one that includes invasion?
There's two things going on (honest):
(1) Changing the Arab psyche: from the Greeks forward, the Arabs never
fought like men. They believe if merely to survive is victory. I base
my statements on John Keegan's "A History of War" from the introduction
of Chariot battle tatics, and again with the Mongols, and again with the
Crusades. In Baghdad it is called being an "Ali Baba." Short answer
is, it only worked with the Mongols, by exceeding them in cruelty.
Or, in plain simple terms, we are picking one bully and beating the sh*t
out of them. The intention is we won't have to do it to everybody.
Trust me, with that culture, it will *work*.
(2) The oil thing. Yeah, there's some of that. But do me a favor and
separate out (1) from this in your rhetoric. Most of us are really
going for (1). Trust me, enough of us have our eyes open checking and
balancing forces here, (2) is not what's driving this. (1) is.
The best thing you can do about (2) is change cars, the the oil
companies will become other kinds of companies. Arabs didn't used
to be important 100 years ago. It will be that way again.
Actually, that will probably fix (1) as well. Focus on that. Stop
worrying about monsters in the closet.
> >My concept of "local" and "nation" are changing. I'm pretty sure we're
> >not going to see eye-to-eye on this one.
>
> So you believe that any time any nation has a problem with out we
> (meaning your nation) does something it is perfectly OK for them to invade?
>
What are you, new?
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