Red,
Thanks for changing the signature thing.
As a conservative (I admit it), it was really bothersome since it had nothing to do with being conservative.
On to better discourse . . .
redspy said:
Well, American foreign policy is a large contributing factor. The CIA's support of various regimes (e.g. Iran, Iraq, Afganistan) and intervention to suit their own needs..
A factor, yes! A large factor, probably not. We have supported groups off and on to try to keep stability in the area. So one country did not wipe out the other side. I guess this could go to the heart of the oil thing you and BC keep bringing up. Lets think it out.
BC likes to say that we are only over there for the oil. Like we are trying to steal it or something. This is definitely no the case. If it were, we would have never left Kuwait after Desert Storm in 1991.
The US is definitley the largest consumer of oil in the world. So if the supply is interupted somehow, we will feel it the most. It goes into more than just gas, it goes into all of our rubber and plastics too. So it would impact many products.
Our interest in oil is only to keep the free supply of oil flowing to whoever is going to buy it. The US or anyone else. That was BUY IT, not take it by force. In order to keep a stable market, you have to have multiple producers.
If the producers shrink to a small group, now you have a monopoly and can control the market and price. OPEC is such a group. But in order to control the market, they have to
all work together and do the same thing.
Basic economics. Cut production, the price goes up.
If they all agree to cut production, the price will go up. But if we talk one of them into increasing production to make up for the shortage caused by the others, then overall productions has not changed and the price remains the same. Saudi Arabia comes to mind on this issue. They have helped out the world due to our influence a couple times when the rest of OPEC tried to cut production.
On the Arab side, the sale of oil brings in money to that country that is spent somewhere. The Arabs need that money to support their countries too. So they do not want to see it stop either.
The US did not want to see Saddam take over Kuwait, and then maybe someone else too. If Saddam took over the Kuwaiti oil fields he now has extra oil to sell. His monthly cash needs are the same, so he could cut back production and not have it impact his cash needs at all. Thus he could drive up the world price for oil and not harm to himself. If he took over another country, this scenario could just get worse.
So again, we were there in 1991 not to take over the oil, but to kick Saddam out of Kuwait, stabalize the oil market and keep it flowing. Same is true today.
We are not there for the oil. We are there for a different agenda. We will leave and Iraq will still have their oil.
redspy said:
The Israel/Palestine conflict is another major reason. Muslims don't like seeing thousands of Palestinians being killed with American political, financial and military support. Bush talks about installing democracy in Iraq and freeing the people from dictatorship while ignoring the Israeli conflict.
I'm not trying to make excuses of these guys but you have to accept that US foreign policy (regardless of the politcal party) promoted hatred of the US.
The Israel/Palestine conflict is definitely a lightning rod for them. They hate Israel intensly. And since we support them, they hate us for it too.
I don't know if what kind of answer there is too this. Clinton tried to get it resolved as part of his legacy and it only made it worse. Clinton got Nettanyehu (I think) elected (liberal dove). Clinton invited Arafat and him to camp David for a peace settlement. Clinton told Nettanyehu to offer Arafat a Palastinian state in exchange for peace, which he did. Arafat refused this and the killing just escalated after that.
The fundamental Arab and Palastinian position is that Israel does not have a right to exist or live. How can you negotiate on that ?
Probably the best thing that could happen, is if Arafat dies from his current medical problems. New leadership could not be any worse.
Biblically (Gen 16), this problem goes back to Abraham and his two sons Isaac and Ishmael. Ishmael (son of a maid) was father to the Arabs and Isaac (Sarah's son) the father of Israel. They hated each other since the Ishmael was sent away from the house of Abraham. And so it goes today. God said there would be enmity between them and it has.
If you give the Palastinians a state, and they keep their fundamental principle that Israel has no right to exist, they will continue to bomb them. If they have their own state, they would probably have an airport, military etcetera. How do you stop them from flying planes into Israel with bombs ?
The Arabs have tried multiple times to wipe Israel out and lost in each war.
The solution to this has evaded all of the great minds to this day. But the fundamental problem is you can't negotiate with someone who says you have no right to live or exist.
redspy said:
Easy to say but how do you effectively tackle terrorism in a country so large and open as the US? The 9/11 disaster was a result of 19 hijackers, a small support team and $400,000. They used our our infrastructure against us and fucked us over. How do you stop a huge bomb going off in the NY subway or train station? Other than flying travel is no safer now than it was pre 9/11. The Patriot Act has had very little impact and despite rising intelligence budgets we're not really safer. My overall point is in addtion to securing the nation you need to understand why people commit terrorist acts. All the money, military might in the world can't solve the problem alone. Robbing people of civil liberties will be equally uneffective. You need to be smart in this war, not just brutal.
Hard is an understatement. But I do think we are doing a good job. We have not had an attack since then. I am sure Al Qaeda tried since they succeeded in influencing the Spain elections, but with our additional security, they have not been able to yet. They have said they were going to hit us again, but it has not happened yet. But it is just a matter of time.
My wife was a prosecuting attorney for the DA office. Proving something is hard to do. Imagine trying to prove that you told your kids to kill the neighbors cat. How would you do it ? You would have to intercept communications between you and them, since nothing is in writing.
And since our system is reactive (police act
after a crime has been committed) how would you catch someone plotting a crime. Nothing bad has happened yet.
But you are right, you have to balance this with our right unlawful searches too. I know I want them to be able to try to intercept the bad guys plans and it should not impact me since I am a good guy. Other than beating my wife, spanking the kids, kicking the cat, choking the dog (just kidding)