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Tuesday, August 13, 2002
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 Tuesday, August 13, 2002
started 8/13/2002; 3:09:34 AM - last post 8/13/2002; 5:21:20 PM
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Doc Searls - Tuesday, August 13, 2002 
8/13/2002; 7:09:34 AM (reads: 6101, responses: 6)
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Including best use of Flash in the history of the Republic 
| | If you read nothing else today, or this year, make it this. |
The train has left the station, but it's never too late to jump on
Don't roll the credits just yet
I'm just wondering if there's a Burning Bird festival going on in the desert. A man with burning gas isn't that big a deal, right? But a bird would be cool.
To dim with faint praise
| | But it's clear the author isn't on top of her material here. Otherwise she wouldn't write "And while most online harangues presumably lack the public profile and scathing eloquence of history's most redoubtable pamphleteers..." |
| | Presumably? Well, 500,000 is a pretty big haystack, so why not look for those kinds of needles at the top? It won't be long before you find Andrew Sullivan, a gent with a high public profile whose eloquence is a big reason he's up there. Here he is, scathing the New York Times: |
| | This is preposterous. The only reason invading Iraq is being discussed at all is because of September 11 and what it taught us. It taught us that we are extremely vulnerable to terrorist assault, that these murderous fanatics are capable of anything, that they would use weapons of mass destruction in a heartbeat if they could get them. It is no secret that Iraq is the prime potential source of such weapons, and it is headed by a despot who has used them himself, and would dearly love to deliver them to America. What more do we need to know? The far-left notion that this is a cynical war for "protecting American interests in the Middle East" is absurd. Such a war might indeed make the Middle East a safer place, but the war is about protecting America and the West, as well as liberating the Iraqi people from one of the most evil tyrants in history. That the Times cannot or will not see this shows that they have learned nothing from the catastrophe of last year. |
| | By the way, this is the best summary of the warblog case I've seen so far. Nothing in it about "humiliating the Arab world," either. |
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Fred Grott - Re: Tuesday, August 13, 2002
8/13/2002; 10:49:55 AM (reads: 710, responses: 2)
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We have since WWI, the whole modern world not just USA, been using the existence of OIL in the middle east as an excuse for attempting to control these areas either through colonization, guns and money, or direct threats..
It ain't working! Time for some deep desire of attempting to understand why past actions have not worked and a new plan..
Remember Iraq is British word..Iraqis did not even get to name their country..
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Doc Searls - Re: Tuesday, August 13, 2002
8/13/2002; 1:42:53 PM (reads: 780, responses: 1)
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I agree. And that agreement is not inconsistent observing that Andrew's is the first sensible argument I've heard in favor of attacking Iraq.
I'm still not convinced that attacking Iraq will have all the intended effects. But I am quite sure that many thousands would die.
Wars always look best before you fight them.
And while wars are at best lesser evils, they are evils none the less. It helps to remember that.
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Tom Davey - Re: Tuesday, August 13, 2002
8/13/2002; 3:41:04 PM (reads: 765, responses: 0)
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I like Andrew Sullivan a lot. He's one of the "must read" conservatives that liberals like myself need to keep up with. I've been a fan ever since Sullivan edited the New Republic, which were its glory days.
Sullivan has some surprising opinions. For example, he's way to the left of most Americans, liberals or conservatives, on gay issues -- if only the right would listen more close to him. Sure, Sullivan himself is gay, but hardly any other conservative gays think as clearly as Sullivan on the issues.
Unfortunately, on Iraq he's just another drum-beater. From Doc's quote above, this is a big overstatement:
"It is no secret that Iraq is the prime potential source of such weapons . . . "
Actually, this remains a matter of huge debate: does Iraq really have WOMD any more? Scott Ritter, who's one of the people who should know, says not. See this Salon piece, which is fairly balanced on the matter of Ritter's quirkiness, but still rather persuasive on the fact that no disclosure of real evidence about Iraq's weapons capabilities has been made by the Bushies. We have nowhere near the justification yet to launch the U.S.'s first preemptive war. It's all Wag the Dog IMO.
http://www.salon.com/people/feature/2002/03/19/ritter/
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George P - Re: Tuesday, August 13, 2002
8/13/2002; 3:53:34 PM (reads: 663, responses: 0)
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I think lefty cynicism is much more realistic than this naivete from Andrew: "Such a war might indeed make the Middle East a safer place, but the war is about protecting America and the West, as well as liberating the Iraqi people from one of the most evil tyrants in history." When Saddam used chemical weapons against Iraqi Kurds in the 1980s he was our friend. What more do you need to know? How can one be anything but cynical about our government? We want to liberate Iraq? We're suddenly, just before election time, full of concern over the plight of the people and the sudden threat? We're coming over to bomb you, don't worry it's for your own good. We had to burn the village to save it, right?
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Fred Grott - Re: Tuesday, August 13, 2002
8/13/2002; 9:15:49 PM (reads: 824, responses: 0)
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Seems to me sharing might prevent violence...in that if we share what we know and don't know with the common people of Iraq.. I think we would find that they desire demoacry just like our Founding fathers..
I actually did have a chance to talk with Iraqis during the first war through internet..it would suprise many people to know their hidden feelings and concerns..
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Fred Grott - A Call To Arms in Copyright Wars
8/13/2002; 9:21:20 PM (reads: 729, responses: 0)
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Doc, I took a different approach than Dan...
HumanMotion project got approved at sf.net today. HumanMotion plans to use JXTA as a P2P framework and extend into an opensource application running on java first deployed to Linxu than to all devices inclduing both desktops and mobile devices to share every conceviable file/media...
We were once told on our childhood playgrounds by adults to share.. and not that we are grownup ..those same old adults want to tell us not share anymore..
When Hell Freezes over..
If we were more sharing in the world instead of attempting to use 90% of the worlds resources there might be decrease in vilence.. then again we will never know unless we try..
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