Short answer: Because I do not want to deal with the consequences of inaction.

Because I do not want people to die in another 911. Because I do not want to deal with the economic fallout from another 911 (which includes the risk of losing my job). This isnt obvious to you?


Indirectly, yes. The alternatives will result in me being less secure.

But even if it didnt, I would still be in favor of it because it makes my fellow Americans and immediate family more secure as well. It isnt all about me.



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I didnt say "democracy" because it was implicit; spreading democracy contributes to our long term security. It is a means to an end. So "security" includes "democracy".



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My Political Blog (Last post Feb 14) - My MySpace Page

How many of you that support the war would be willing to lose your life for the cause?

Peace.

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E.Pluribus Unum

People of power have NO good will and people of good will have NO power.

If you think Education is Expensive try Ignorance.

That's a good one. Kind of an "inverse opportunity cost". All right, I'll buy that. Kinda the "perception of of a threat" kinda thing. Yep, that's definitely legitimate, I can see the personal connection there.

Thanks SS - anyone else?

Yeah.

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Blade: "more educated and literate people than Justabubba"

Justabubba: "that would include everyone"

http://politicalforum.com/showthread.php?t=27847

In strictly literal terms, it is a war between barbarism and modernism. The fight between the Islamic middle east and the west has been brewing for decades, if not hundreds of years. You have to pick some place to start.

An unstable dictatorship in violation of UN Weapons agreements and a 1991 ceasefire agreement is a good place to start.

I think really, ultimately, the world will have 2 choices:

1) Submit to Islamic fundamentalism
2) Fight

I prefer the latter. But then, I never promised to be a pacifist. In my paradigm, some wars are indeed worth fighting.

I prefer war to returning to the dark ages.

Is it that serious? in my view it is. You are talking about superstitious fanatics with access to one of the world's most precious commodities. Islamism would already have fallen were it not for the infusion of cash from oil.

I'd prefer to see those assets out of the hands of backward ass barbarians.


I understand that by posting this response, I will be subjected to a long, inane, point-by-point ramble from non, in which he attempts to pick apart my views, line by line. I submit that I am responding here not to start that discussion, which does not interest me, but simply to answer the question as asked. I really have no interest in non's capitulating views.

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I love the smell of napalm in the morning...It smells like victory.

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Bugalugs: "people join the military because they are stupid and gullible."

there is a third option: get the flock out of the middle east and leave the arabs alone.
two major problems with that (a) it is consistent with osama bin forgotten's fatwa, which cites our ME presence as his rationale for instigating terrorist war against the west, especially the USA ... to leave would appear to capitulate to the demands of the bastid responsible for 9/11; and (b) the oil fields, upon which our economy depends, would be beyond or control.

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“Mayor Palin fails to have a firm grasp of something very simple: the truth.”

[Frontiersman editorial, 2/7/97]

Yes, but 3 ultimately leads to 1, because the middle east is not enough. The hardline islamists dictating policy there want an islamic empire that stretches to it's previous boundaries under the khalifate. I'm unwilling to cede major portions of Europe to Islamist control. And, there are the issues you articulated. So, for me at least, there are only 2 choices.

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I love the smell of napalm in the morning...It smells like victory.

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Bugalugs: "people join the military because they are stupid and gullible."

Agreed.

It's "how" you fight that matters, though.

You know, Bushie is on the airwaves right now, trying to convince us that Islamic fundamentalism is something we need to take seriously.

Well yeah - I mean, that goes without saying, right? I'm not even sure why the guy's up there saying that....

But the first rule of engagement is, "understand your enemy". Sun Tzu 101, right? And I don't think Bushie's made it that far yet.

So it's like, if he hasn't gotten that far, then I don't want him to go any farther either, until he's got that part well in hand.

And then, that "understanding" kinda determines "how" you fight, right? I mean, you wouldn't want to attack a sparrow with a howitzer or anything, which is kinda what Bushie's been trying to do - and I mean, it hasn't worked, right? We still don't have OBL, and all we've done is create a god-awful mess over in Iraq.

So yeah, I'd say the "how" part is critically important.

It's hard to disagree that bushie has buggered up the fight. I think in every possible way that he can bugger it, he has. He's stepped in it time and time again. Although...at least Bushie understands that Islam is a threat. The Democratic party actually thinks you can use traditional deterrents with people who have nothing to lose (and spiritual rewards to gain by killing us all).

However...in spite of Bush's ineptitude...and this is a huge however...

This is a war that has been like a tax bill coming due for decades. We can fight it on the front of our choosing, or we can wait for them to grow stronger, more powerful, and bring the fight to us. That was a mistake we made in WWII that cost millions of lives. I'd hate to see us do the same with Islamism.

I agree with the decision to go to war. i agree with the decision to remain at war. I do not agree that Bush was the right guy to lead us in the job, but I'd prefer a badly fought war to political capitulation.

Hopefully, his replacement will be superior.

I do worry, however, that the Vietnam war took the stomach out of the left, and that no candidate from the left will have the cojones to do what needs to be done. Bush does not lack cojones, I will give him that. If only he had similar brainpower.

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I love the smell of napalm in the morning...It smells like victory.

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Bugalugs: "people join the military because they are stupid and gullible."