

Yes, victims exist.  There are a staggering number of victims in the world and
more each day.  I think on balance, intervention would create more victims,
including American ones.  Since the first responsibility of the US government
is to protect Americans, I think they serve that role best by staying away
from Bosnia and other regional conflicts.


Of course not.  The Jews were not trying to carve a territory out of Germany
either, and except for small-scale resistance and a few larger uprisings, did
not have an army or a government.


I see the pattern of atrocities as a fairly often practiced tactic of a
colonizing power - driving away and/or eliminating the population of an
area they want to control.  The US tried basically that in Vietnam, the Iraqis
in Kuwait, the Israelis in Palestine, South Africa, etc, etc, etc.  It sucks,
it's ugly, and it's saddening.  But it is not genocide.

It is not my impression that the Serbs want to eliminate every Muslim in
Yugoslavia.  I still say the Bosnians are getting their asses kicked; they
should surrender and evacuate the areas they can't hold.


I am a staunch Republican, BTW.  The irony of arguing against military
intervention with arguments based on Vietnam has not escaped me.  I was opposed
to US intervention in Somalia for the same reasons, although clearly it was
not nearly as risky.


Well, one thing you have to remember is, the press likes a good story.   Good
for business, don't you know.  And BTW, not "everyone" wants to help the
side that is less like us.

I never said the two sides were morally equivalent, I said neither one is
innocent.

There are just too many good reasons to stay away:

1) The Europeans are perfectly able to deal with this dispute on their borders
   in any way we do it.  Put another way, we have no assistance to offer the
   Europeans which they do not already possess themselves.  It is not good to
   promote the idea in anyone's mind that the United States is responsible
   for cleaning up every bloody mess in the world.

2) Clinton is not the man to lead this country into a military adventure.  Full
   stop.