[thechat] name of Operation Infinite Justice to be changed

[spinhead]

Bill, I genuinely appreciate your feelings. I'm saddened to have to tell you
that, as an old guy who's seen a bit of human nature, I think we're in for
(best case) a VietNam with live coverage, or (worst case) Islam versus the
West.

Even with deep fervent religious beliefs which prepare me for either (or
neither (or both,)) I'm still scared.

spinhead


----- Original Message -----
From: "Bill Haenel" <bhaenel at twcny.rr.com>
To: <thechat at lists.evolt.org>
Sent: Friday, September 21, 2001 11:49 AM
Subject: RE: [thechat] name of Operation Infinite Justice to be changed


> > >What's changed in 50 years is that about 30 years ago, we went
> > to Vietnam.
> > >At that time, large numbers of Americans stood up and said WAR SUCKS,
WE
> > >DON'T WANT WAR. Have Americans changed their minds since then? Or will
we
> > >hold true to those ideals that so many spoke out for during our
> > presence in
> > >Vietnam.
> >
> > But is that because
> > a) War which kills people we know is an inconvenient thing
> > b) War which kills people we know is a non-ethical thing
>
> This seems to me to be a particularly cynical and hopeless outlook(?).
>
> I was under the distinct impression it was because of something much more
> significant than inconvenience. Maybe I was just taking the bait. Maybe
I've
> been had. I don't know - Does your question come from a loss of faith in
> Humanity, or just Americans? Or are you posing the question just for the
> sake of doing so? I sense incredible suspicion in your question, Martin.
Am
> I reading you right?
>
>
> > >We've seen wars that require a small percentage
> > >of our volunteers only.
> >
> > The thing is, this war will not be a Gulf War, or a Falklands War, a
> > "Roll up, Roll in, Roll Over" kind of a war where it's all concluded
> > quickly and easily, without much in the way of (our) casualties.
> >
> > It's going to be much closer to Vietnam:
> > *) Difficult Terrain (actually more so, because there's nothing
> >     to defoliate or burn to make it easier)
> > *) An (at best) indifferent population
> > *) A dedicated, experienced enemy, difficult to distinguish from the
> >     rest of the population
>
> I really, really hope you're wrong. I really, really hope that we're not
> going to have anything like what we have previously known "war" to be. I
> really, really hope that we're smarter for our mistakes in Vietnam, and
that
> we will understand that we have to be much more careful with this than we
> were then. I want to see people be intelligent and creative with this.
>
> I refuse to believe that there is no hope for a better way. Why should I
> cloud my world with doubt and fear instead of illuminating it with hope
and
> encouragement? We don't have to have a typical hand-to-hand, bomb-to-bomb
> war, and I do not wish to let anyone think that we do. I want to be one of
> the people who thinks positive - not blind, just positive. In fact, I want
> to be the guy who demands that we do something better, something smarter.
It
> just doesn't have to be the way it's always been.
>
> I'm gonna call GWB right now, and tell him so.
>
> BH
>