[Rhodes22-list] 04 Politics from the Past

[Wally Buck]

Ed,

I miss Brad. I think he is a gright guy! I respect the way he makes his 
points  Debates help me keep an open mind if the person can make his points 
without resorting to silly name calling. Compare Brad's remarks to Steve's 
(not Slim) and you will get my point. Steve supply's little facts, no common 
sense, and quickly resorts to acting like a child. It is funny in a way but 
shows there is not much upstairs.

Wally


>From: "ed kroposki" <ekroposki at charter.net>
>Reply-To: The Rhodes 22 mail list <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
>To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
>Subject: [Rhodes22-list] 04 Politics from the Past
>Date: Sun, 5 Sep 2004 07:03:38 -0400
>
>There are still a few on the list who might remember this old sailor and 
>his
>flames on politics:
>
>From: brad haslett [mailto:flybrad at yahoo.com]
>
>This is still my e-mail address.  I'm in China right
>now and am leaving for the good ole' USA tomorrow.
>We've been here three weeks, bought another apartment
>in Beijing. and did some sightseeing. But, I'm more
>than ready to go home and take the S2 out for a sail.
>Fall is the best sailing season for Tennessee.
>
>OK, let me guess.  War in Iraq, Jobs, blah, blah,
>blah.
>I'd love to get in on the discussion but I'm not sure
>the list really wants me.  Facts are stubborn things.
>The current unemployment rate is 5.6 percent.  When
>Clinton was re-elected in 1996 it was 5.4 per cent.
>Not bad for W considering he had to guide the economy
>through the dot-com bubble bursting followed by 9/11.
>Fighting overseas outsourcing is like fighting
>gravity.  Pass all the laws you want but it won't
>change reality any more than legislating against
>Newton's laws of gravity will.  The Kerry-Edwards
>ticket has yet to outline how they will increase jobs.
>  One of the reasons countries like China and others
>are kicking our ass economically is that they have few
>people like John Edwards suing the shit out of
>everyone for dubious reasons and running up the cost
>of goods and services, plus, raising barriers to
>starting a new business.  I suppose Kerry's advice
>could be to just marry into big money instead of
>making it the honest way as he's done twice.  The
>Democratic ticket this year is the same as always,
>promote class warfare, make people feel like victims,
>fund the same programs that have already proven not to
>work and start some more to make people feel the
>government is responsible for their well being instead
>of themselves.  It seems really odd to me that a
>country like China, which still claims to be
>communist, is shedding social programs as fast as
>practical and some people in the US want to start more
>social programs and then bitch about our economic
>performance.
>
>Iraq.  A hundred years from now when they publish
>history textbooks, the "Bush Doctrine" will be touted
>as a turning point in American history and Bush will
>be applauded for his forsight.  The Middle East has
>been a cesspool of violence for at least six thousand
>years, but in the last fifty it has taken on a more
>dangerous role because of the discovery of oil there
>and the wealth it brought.  They have over two thirds
>of the worlds oil supply and can only increase in
>power. After the run-up in oil prices in the late
>70's, most of the Arab states, especially Saudi
>Arabia, started massive state welfare programs, free
>education, healthcare, unemployment, etc.  When the
>price of oil fell in the 80's they could no longer
>afford these programs.  When millions of Muslim males
>are told that their "entitlements" are going away and
>it may interrupt their drinking coffee all afternoon
>while bitching about the evil West, all hell breaks
>loose.  Mix in a fringe element of a religion that is
>not exactly progressive anyway and the next thing you
>know, idiots are flying airplanes into buildings
>looking for their 69 virgins or whatever.  Maybe if
>they had gotten laid more while here on earth they
>wouldn't have been so eager to die, but then that
>would  entail treating women with a little more
>respect, something they are loathe to do.  Anyway, I
>digress.  Read Tommy Franks book "American Soldier".
>Saddam needed to go for a host of reasons and Bush had
>the courage to do it. Alone.  The French, Germans, and
>Russians all were too economically intertwined with
>Iraq to risk their own assets and having them in an
>alliance would have made it impossible.  Remember the
>first Gulf War?  We didn't take out Saddam then
>because of an alliance.  The US is the worlds
>superpower and we have a responsibility to use it
>while we still have it.  Israel sometimes behaves like
>a spoiled child but they are our friend and wouldn't
>exist surrounded by enimies but for us.  I mention
>this because it is amazing how one small country in
>the same region, WITHOUT OIL, is so productive
>compared to their neighbors.  Amazing what democracy
>and capitalism can do!  If, and this is a big if, Iraq
>can use its wealth to rebuild itself along more
>democratic lines, it could be the turning point for
>the whole region.  The other options?  There are no
>other options.  Even if we could magically eliminate
>our need for oil and leave the Middle East to its sand
>and religion, we'd still have Islamic fruitcakes
>blaming us for their problems.  We won the Cold War
>against communism but it took fifty years.  Was it
>worth it?  Let me ask the Chinese workmen here today
>hanging pictures.  The war against terror will
>probably take just as long.  We sat through the 90's
>while our buildings, embassies, and ships we're
>attacked and did nothing.  This war will take a long
>time to settle and Iraq was a good place to start.
>Before I leave this subject, I met a guy on the train
>from Quingdou to Beijing last night from Libya.  He
>spoke very good English and I was thankfull for the
>conversation.  He said he had never been to the United
>States because he couldn't get a visa but hoped to
>soon.  We stayed away from politics mostly but he was
>obviously happy to see his country rejoin the modern
>world.  I seriously doubt Libya would have changed its
>course without the Iraq war. As a father of a 19 and
>22 year old son, I grieve every time one of our
>soldiers is killed or injured.  My youngest is talking
>about leaving college for the Marines. Nothing would
>make me happier than to find a peacefull solution to
>the terror issue.  Unfortunately, wishfull thinking
>and "sensitive talk" won't hack it.  Enough for now, I
>could go on for days.
>
>That ought to be enough to piss off Stan and the gang
>for awhile.  Did I guess right on the current issues?
>
>Brad
> >
>
>
>
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