From: HADCRJAM@admin.uh.edu (MILLER, JIMMY A.)
Subject: Re: Americans just love a good parade
Organization: University of Houston Administrative Computing
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1992 17:45:40 GMT
X-News-Reader: VMS NEWS 1.20

In <1992Jul30.132327.21175@usenet.ins.cwru.edu> aj336@cleveland.Freenet.Edu writes:


> Jammer Jim Miller replies:
> 
> >  I think holding a major % of the worlds's oil reserves is pretty 
> >threatening.

> First of all the Iraqis don't hold a major % of the world's oil. The Saudis
> do - should we bomb them back to the bronze age too - if they 'get out of
> line'? The Russians have a lot of oil (the most) should we invade now?

  First of all, they don't because kept them from it.  No, because the Saudis,
though far from perfect, are pretty nice guys (could use some women's lib IMO).
The Russians don't need tanks any more, they just need the oil bucks to build
a modern country.  I suppose I could have spelled this out, but then I thought
the following paragraph would clear up any confusion...

> >The Saudis and Kuwaiti's buy limos, provide education for free, and generally
> >party around.  Saddam has this nasty habit of buying tanks and then using
> >them for offensive purposes. (Offensive = invading other countries)  Unless
> >you consider Kuwait a major military power...
> 
> We have the largest armament machine in the world - when was the last time
> we 'defended' our shores? 

  WWII was the last shooting war that America defended its "shores".  Or did 
you forget?  Since then, it has existed to deter the Soviet Union from running
amuck in Western Europe.  Now that that's over with its being shrunk.  Or have
you missed that as well?  Also the US military has not been tha largest nume-
rically for some time.  China and/or the former Soviet Union have held that
distinction. 

> The whole military is based on offense! It's ok
> for us because we're the good guys right? 

  Well, you know what they say about the best defense, right?

>By the way, I thought the Kuwaitis
> are our good buddy allies - I thought you'd adore them.

  I may like them, but I don't ignore their faults either.
  
> > In case you haven't noticed, that's a pretty important area over there.  What
> >happens there can affect the US a LOT.  Particulary if it involves Isreal.
> >And if you think a major threat to Isreal would not put Americans into harms
> >way you're incredibly naive--but that's what comes from an isolationist,
> >America Is Evil mindset.
> 
> solationist? America is Evil? Where'd you get that from?

  The whole tone of your post.  But if you're not, well, that's just fine.

> Israel is just an allie - no more - no less. We should not
> risk any more/less than protecting any other allie. 

  Then you have made my point for me-thanks.

> >  Or do you require someone to have snow-white motives to qualify them as a
> >valid do-gooder?
> 
> I like to think that US motives should be driven by ideals, not parochial,
> shortsighted, business interests.

  Then I'm sorry to have to welcome you to the real world, where if you're
very lucky, the two occasionally get to go together.  If ideals are your
only criteria, then I shudder to think at what you might do in the name of
"idealism".  That way leads to as many overturned governments and dead civil-
ians as those interests you hate so much.

> >semper fi,
> Hiel to you too
Hmm, an allusion to Naziism.  How quaint.

semper fi,

Jammer Jim Miller 
Texas A&M University '89 and '91
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