Alarming News: I like Morgan Freeberg. A lot.
American Digest: And I like this from "The Blog That Nobody Reads", because it is -- mostly -- about me. What can I say? I'm on an ego trip today. It won't last.
Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler: We were following a trackback and thinking "hmmm... this is a bloody excellent post!", and then we realized that it was just part III of, well, three...Damn. I wish I'd written those.
Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler: ...I just remembered that I found a new blog a short while ago, House of Eratosthenes, that I really like. I like his common sense approach and his curiosity when it comes to why people believe what they believe rather than just what they believe.
Brutally Honest: Morgan Freeberg is brilliant.
Dr. Melissa Clouthier: Morgan Freeberg at House of Eratosthenes (pftthats a mouthful) honors big boned women in skimpy clothing. The picture there is priceless--keep scrolling down.
Exile in Portales: Via Gerard: Morgan Freeberg, a guy with a lot to say. And he speaks The Truth...and it's fascinating stuff. Worth a read, or three. Or six.
Just Muttering: Two nice pieces at House of Eratosthenes, one about a perhaps unintended effect of the Enron mess, and one on the Gore-y environ-movie.
Mein Blogovault: Make "the Blog that No One Reads" one of your daily reads.
The Virginian: I know this post will offend some people, but the author makes some good points.
Poetic Justice: Cletus! Ah gots a laiv one fer yew...
One Question is Answered, Another One is Asked
Coalition troops have been in Iraq for twenty-nine months now. That’s two and a half years that there has been no practical purpose, none whatsoever, as to debating whether or not they should be there. They’re there. That there are people who still want to debate this, is meaningless. The only way out is through.
Iraq’s new Constitution has been passed through the Parliament and now goes before the voters on October 15. Logic has spent two and a half years recognizing the irrelevancy of asking whether we should, or should not, be in Iraq; I expect in the next three months popular opinion will catch up to logic. If that’s the case, we will soon stop seeking an answer to this irrelevant question. If there is bandwidth freed up for pursuing another question, and we’re still in the mood for asking them, I have a great idea.
I notice lately the anti-war left has chosen to attack any notion that our troops in Iraq are fighting for our freedom. They tell me they support the troops. Okay, so you support the troops and you think their mission has nothing to do with fighting for freedom; how much priority would you then give to this project of disavowing any notion that our troops are fighting for freedom, anytime and anyplace you encounter that notion? If I really believed the things these people say, and I thought our troops were just wasting their lives and their time, but at the same time I supported them, I wouldn’t put much priority on “getting the word out” — none at all. It would go into my file of opinions-that-aren’t-very-important. I don’t like Mustangs. The word “totally” has no use in our spoken language among honest people. Star Wars is better than Star Trek. Things I’ve absolutely made up my mind about, but probably mean nothing.
So I’m utterly unconvinced how, if our troops aren’t fighting for our freedom, it can be worth anyone’s time to disseminate that message in a propaganda campaign — if those disseminating, do indeed support our troops. But okay, the left disagrees with me, and somehow it is worthwhile to broadcast that our troops are not fighting for our freedom. My point is, now that that question’s been raised, useless as it may be while we’re in Iraq, it may be quite productive to study it after we’re done there.
I expect both sides will agree to this. Saddam Hussein’s old regime may have been connected with Al Qaeda, or it may not have been. But it’s a done deal we will have to deal with more bad guys if we want to do more damage to Al Qaeda. And we can’t leave Al Qaeda alone and hope they go away.
So I’d like to put the call out, to whoever reads this blog — nobody ever does — to rise up and request an answer to this question. These last two and a half years, this has been the star around which the “Weapons of Mass Destruction” and “Fighting for our Freedom” planets have been orbiting, although nobody has wanted to talk about it.
The question is this. And it should emphatically, categorically, unequivocally, be beyond any dissent, dispute, or disagreement whatsoever, anywhere, that this has to do with freedom.
How are resolutions, such as United Nations Resolution 1441, enforced?
What exactly does it mean when the United Nations “authorize[s] Member States to use all necessary means to uphold and implement” what is dictated in previous resolutions? Does “authorize,” in this context, mean something different than what “authorize” is supposed to mean?
Was a second resolution, after 1441, needed? If so, needed to do what? What would a second resolution have done that 1441 didn’t do?
Does the United Nations even have a role here? If so, what is it? If not, then what else should it be doing? And whether the UN is involved or not, how do we go about defining international law, what violates it, who is guilty of violating it, and what can be done to ensure there are consequences for violating it?
How do we protect ourselves when violators bribe members of the United Nations Security Council, and other lawmaking bodies tasked with legislating and enforcing international law? Link, Link, Link, Link.
After all, and as the anti-war crowd is so fond of reminding me, there are a lot of other bad guys in the world besides Saddam Hussein. Better to figure out what to do with them sooner, than later.
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