War Rages, But Life Goes On
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The effects of the new US foreign policy will be seen in future years. From a logical perspective, it seems like a pre-emptive strike policy leaves it as the only option for security. Every sovereign nation, democratic or otherwise, have to live with it now. When Israel goes routinely into Palestine, atleast till now US administrations did not support it openly - and UN made resolutions condemning it. I am not arguing whether Israel is doing the right thing or not for their security; but the world bodies made it a point that they did not legalize it, even though they did not pursue Israel. But, now UN will not condemn a pre-emptive strike because any such resolution will not get past the security council. This legalizes pre-emptive strikes as a legitimate tool for security. North Korea will be justified in attacking South or Japan, citing a pre-emptive strike clause. China can attack Taiwan. India and Pakistan can attack each other. It legitimizes Russian action in Chechnya. It legitimizes Israel action in Palestine. There is no reason why any country should honour any disarmament treaties in this environment. Iran and North Korea will proceed to make nuclear weapons and will be prepared to use them in case of an attack against them. There is no motivation for them to not stockpile weapons. Al-Qaeda, IMO, is more sane than most people give it credit for. They are good at guerilla warfare, and have been doing it all their lives. The attack on US were spaced 8 years between 1993 and 2001. This makes the situation rather gloomy - there is no proof whether anything that were done by the US administration has any effect on the overall security of the US. Overall, the administration has exposed the US citizens to more danger by creating more legitimate options for aggression. Disclaimer: All these are my opinions; and are a figment of my imagination. :-) My article on a reference-counted smart pointer that supports polymorphic objects and raw pointers
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Isn't it amazing just how little the war really affects our daily life? Sitting in our westernised countries, watching from afar. I still visited GameSpot today, got irritated with VB.NET as usual, had clients calling and faxing through sign-offs. We visited some new office premises, had a breakfast meeting with some old boys, interviewed a couple of chapies for a new position. Sure we chat about the war. We read about the war. We play at arm chair generals and do some desktop politics. Still ate lunch today (pie, coke and a danish.) Took a photograph of a newspaper seller holding up the Argus with "IT'S WAR" on the front-page, he had a huge smile on his face and was giving me the thumbs up with his other hand while the Big Issue vendor tried to get my attention by dancing a jig. The soccer mom drove past in her X5 taking the kids to ballet and piano practice. Even more to the point was: A newspaper that Bluegrass is helping out with was being launched today, I had some photos published in it and was quite keen to find out what was going on. Turns out that the established South African paper already in London literally hijacked the launch. They broke into the distributors warehouse and replaced most of the new newspapers with theirs. We know the guy who runs the other paper and he is a typical upper crust, old boy, what, what type. He was rather miffed at hearing about us upstarts coming along and trying to ruin his pet project (he is big time rich, does not need to lift a finger for the rest of his life, the newspaper is his pet project.) So there he sat, Iraqis about to die, Americans and Brits about to charge into the unknown. Markets unsure, many deals waiting the outcome, every paper covered in the war and he decides to hijack an upstart newspaper... I just found that extremely odd. It's like the younger son hijacking his brothers wedding by announcing he is gay. It is bizarre. You sit for awhile trying to wrap your mind around the thought processes of that person and you just can't. We are so removed from the troubles of life. We are not dying of AIDs, we have three solid meals a day, we aren't slaves in a blood-diamond mine, we don't live on the street, we aren't about to be bombed. The closest we get is CNN.com, the local paper, the radio and some posts on CP. Then we go back to living our lives. Amazing stuff.
I think after living in SA it's a lot less odd to me than it would be otherwise. We carry on with our daily lives there while so many people get hurt right under our noses, and the risk extends to us as well. People here often ask how the fact that it's a beautiful place can compensate for the crime rate. The answer is it probably doesn't, it's just that the crime rate crept up on us slowly enough that we didn't go into shock. Sort of like the boiling frog - apparently (I've never tried it, I like frogs) if you place a frog in a pan of boiling water it will jump straight out again. But if you place a frog in a pan of cool water and bring it to the boil slowly, the frog won't notice the change and will eventually boil to death. This war has been creeping up on us for over half a year now. The propoganda machine has done it's job. Terribly sad. I'm sorry to hear about the newspaper - any chance of recovering the lost copies and get your shots distributed?
I may try to delete my CP cookies. But its almost like tossing the keys of the appartment into the river. - Andreas Saurwein
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I think after living in SA it's a lot less odd to me than it would be otherwise. We carry on with our daily lives there while so many people get hurt right under our noses, and the risk extends to us as well. People here often ask how the fact that it's a beautiful place can compensate for the crime rate. The answer is it probably doesn't, it's just that the crime rate crept up on us slowly enough that we didn't go into shock. Sort of like the boiling frog - apparently (I've never tried it, I like frogs) if you place a frog in a pan of boiling water it will jump straight out again. But if you place a frog in a pan of cool water and bring it to the boil slowly, the frog won't notice the change and will eventually boil to death. This war has been creeping up on us for over half a year now. The propoganda machine has done it's job. Terribly sad. I'm sorry to hear about the newspaper - any chance of recovering the lost copies and get your shots distributed?
I may try to delete my CP cookies. But its almost like tossing the keys of the appartment into the river. - Andreas Saurwein
Megan Forbes wrote: I'm sorry to hear about the newspaper - any chance of recovering the lost copies and get your shots distributed? Yeah I am sure they will just distribute again. :)
Paul Watson
Bluegrass
Cape Town, South AfricaMacbeth muttered: I am in blood / Stepped in so far, that should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o'er DavidW wrote: You are totally mad. Nice.
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From a logical perspective... I am still waiting for that part of the message. Tim Smith I'm going to patent thought. I have yet to see any prior art.
If Iraq is found not to have chem/bio weapons, why will any other country disarm peacefully ever, putting themselves at risk? If Saddam indeed destroyed these weapons, he will be regretting it now. My article on a reference-counted smart pointer that supports polymorphic objects and raw pointers
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If Iraq is found not to have chem/bio weapons, why will any other country disarm peacefully ever, putting themselves at risk? If Saddam indeed destroyed these weapons, he will be regretting it now. My article on a reference-counted smart pointer that supports polymorphic objects and raw pointers
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I meant, peace is so fragile - US and UK broke it. That`s it. Or is it that the US maintained some peace by making sure Saddam Hussein was contained (i.e., no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq)? I wonder if the Kurds in the north have appreciated not having to worry as much about Saddam's military for the past few years. Reality is a many-sided coin. Sean Winstead
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Isn't it amazing just how little the war really affects our daily life? Sitting in our westernised countries, watching from afar. I still visited GameSpot today, got irritated with VB.NET as usual, had clients calling and faxing through sign-offs. We visited some new office premises, had a breakfast meeting with some old boys, interviewed a couple of chapies for a new position. Sure we chat about the war. We read about the war. We play at arm chair generals and do some desktop politics. Still ate lunch today (pie, coke and a danish.) Took a photograph of a newspaper seller holding up the Argus with "IT'S WAR" on the front-page, he had a huge smile on his face and was giving me the thumbs up with his other hand while the Big Issue vendor tried to get my attention by dancing a jig. The soccer mom drove past in her X5 taking the kids to ballet and piano practice. Even more to the point was: A newspaper that Bluegrass is helping out with was being launched today, I had some photos published in it and was quite keen to find out what was going on. Turns out that the established South African paper already in London literally hijacked the launch. They broke into the distributors warehouse and replaced most of the new newspapers with theirs. We know the guy who runs the other paper and he is a typical upper crust, old boy, what, what type. He was rather miffed at hearing about us upstarts coming along and trying to ruin his pet project (he is big time rich, does not need to lift a finger for the rest of his life, the newspaper is his pet project.) So there he sat, Iraqis about to die, Americans and Brits about to charge into the unknown. Markets unsure, many deals waiting the outcome, every paper covered in the war and he decides to hijack an upstart newspaper... I just found that extremely odd. It's like the younger son hijacking his brothers wedding by announcing he is gay. It is bizarre. You sit for awhile trying to wrap your mind around the thought processes of that person and you just can't. We are so removed from the troubles of life. We are not dying of AIDs, we have three solid meals a day, we aren't slaves in a blood-diamond mine, we don't live on the street, we aren't about to be bombed. The closest we get is CNN.com, the local paper, the radio and some posts on CP. Then we go back to living our lives. Amazing stuff.
You're way off, Paul!! I mean I lost out on at least 60 minutes of sleep last night watching Foxnews/CNN. Uncomfortably dozing on the couch. (my neck is a bit stiff this morning) Oh the misery of it all! And this morning I'm dealing with a very slow internet connection, also. I can't keep up with the war that way!! So no! My life is far from / a bit different well, I suppose it's the same as always. But it does weigh on my mind some. **end sarcasm** You know the truth is, I'm saddened by the events occurring and my thoughts go out to the Iraqi citizens, I'm concerned about how this will change the global landscape, I'm excited by the storyline of getting the bad guy, I'm awed at the strength of my military, I'm hopeful for peace and the promise of prosperity beyond the elite in the middle east. But it's all just thinking. My daily life would be no different if I was ignorant of the war. the fact that I have a possibility to be mostly ignorant of the war shows that I am by and large untouched by it all. I feel I should be depressed by that, but I'm quite thankful. BW "We get general information and specific information, but none of the specific information talks about time, place or methods or means..." - Tom Ridge - US Secretary of Homeland Security
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Sean Winstead wrote: Or is it that the US maintained some peace wow, isn't it convenient to maintain world peace and protect your oil assets in one go. And don't forget boosting that supreme Amarican moral, increasing the value of the Dollar etc. This Bush must be really clever...
This Bush must be really clever... I personally think it would have been more clever to let loose the fetters on Saddam. This would allow the countries in the Middle East or Europe to deal with him, if they would or could. Sure, maybe thousands more would die than if we took care of him, but at least it would give people a chance to look at the situation differently. Sean Winstead
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You're way off, Paul!! I mean I lost out on at least 60 minutes of sleep last night watching Foxnews/CNN. Uncomfortably dozing on the couch. (my neck is a bit stiff this morning) Oh the misery of it all! And this morning I'm dealing with a very slow internet connection, also. I can't keep up with the war that way!! So no! My life is far from / a bit different well, I suppose it's the same as always. But it does weigh on my mind some. **end sarcasm** You know the truth is, I'm saddened by the events occurring and my thoughts go out to the Iraqi citizens, I'm concerned about how this will change the global landscape, I'm excited by the storyline of getting the bad guy, I'm awed at the strength of my military, I'm hopeful for peace and the promise of prosperity beyond the elite in the middle east. But it's all just thinking. My daily life would be no different if I was ignorant of the war. the fact that I have a possibility to be mostly ignorant of the war shows that I am by and large untouched by it all. I feel I should be depressed by that, but I'm quite thankful. BW "We get general information and specific information, but none of the specific information talks about time, place or methods or means..." - Tom Ridge - US Secretary of Homeland Security
brianwelsch wrote: the fact that I have a possibility to be mostly ignorant of the war shows that I am by and large untouched by it all. Good way of putting across what I mean. Thanks. brianwelsch wrote: And this morning I'm dealing with a very slow internet connection Odd. Internet is running normal speed here.
Paul Watson
Bluegrass
Cape Town, South AfricaMacbeth muttered: I am in blood / Stepped in so far, that should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o'er DavidW wrote: You are totally mad. Nice.
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brianwelsch wrote: the fact that I have a possibility to be mostly ignorant of the war shows that I am by and large untouched by it all. Good way of putting across what I mean. Thanks. brianwelsch wrote: And this morning I'm dealing with a very slow internet connection Odd. Internet is running normal speed here.
Paul Watson
Bluegrass
Cape Town, South AfricaMacbeth muttered: I am in blood / Stepped in so far, that should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o'er DavidW wrote: You are totally mad. Nice.
Paul Watson wrote: Internet is running normal speed here. Actually, its mostly news sites that are slow for me. Just didn't realize it at first. :-O BW "We get general information and specific information, but none of the specific information talks about time, place or methods or means..." - Tom Ridge - US Secretary of Homeland Security
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Sean Winstead wrote: Or is it that the US maintained some peace wow, isn't it convenient to maintain world peace and protect your oil assets in one go. And don't forget boosting that supreme Amarican moral, increasing the value of the Dollar etc. This Bush must be really clever...
Cois wrote: and protect your oil assets in one go Which oil assets? AFAIK, the US has no oil assets in Iraq. Gary Kirkham A working Program is one that has only unobserved bugs I thought I wanted a career, turns out I just wanted paychecks
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Isn't it amazing just how little the war really affects our daily life? Sitting in our westernised countries, watching from afar. I still visited GameSpot today, got irritated with VB.NET as usual, had clients calling and faxing through sign-offs. We visited some new office premises, had a breakfast meeting with some old boys, interviewed a couple of chapies for a new position. Sure we chat about the war. We read about the war. We play at arm chair generals and do some desktop politics. Still ate lunch today (pie, coke and a danish.) Took a photograph of a newspaper seller holding up the Argus with "IT'S WAR" on the front-page, he had a huge smile on his face and was giving me the thumbs up with his other hand while the Big Issue vendor tried to get my attention by dancing a jig. The soccer mom drove past in her X5 taking the kids to ballet and piano practice. Even more to the point was: A newspaper that Bluegrass is helping out with was being launched today, I had some photos published in it and was quite keen to find out what was going on. Turns out that the established South African paper already in London literally hijacked the launch. They broke into the distributors warehouse and replaced most of the new newspapers with theirs. We know the guy who runs the other paper and he is a typical upper crust, old boy, what, what type. He was rather miffed at hearing about us upstarts coming along and trying to ruin his pet project (he is big time rich, does not need to lift a finger for the rest of his life, the newspaper is his pet project.) So there he sat, Iraqis about to die, Americans and Brits about to charge into the unknown. Markets unsure, many deals waiting the outcome, every paper covered in the war and he decides to hijack an upstart newspaper... I just found that extremely odd. It's like the younger son hijacking his brothers wedding by announcing he is gay. It is bizarre. You sit for awhile trying to wrap your mind around the thought processes of that person and you just can't. We are so removed from the troubles of life. We are not dying of AIDs, we have three solid meals a day, we aren't slaves in a blood-diamond mine, we don't live on the street, we aren't about to be bombed. The closest we get is CNN.com, the local paper, the radio and some posts on CP. Then we go back to living our lives. Amazing stuff.
Paul Watson wrote: Isn't it amazing just how little the war really affects our daily life? I guess you don't carry your gas mask with you...
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Paul Watson wrote: Isn't it amazing just how little the war really affects our daily life? I guess you don't carry your gas mask with you...
Felix Gartsman wrote: I guess you don't carry your gas mask with you... Pardon? Do you carry a gas mask?
Paul Watson
Bluegrass
Cape Town, South AfricaMacbeth muttered: I am in blood / Stepped in so far, that should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o'er DavidW wrote: You are totally mad. Nice.
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Isn't it amazing just how little the war really affects our daily life? Sitting in our westernised countries, watching from afar. I still visited GameSpot today, got irritated with VB.NET as usual, had clients calling and faxing through sign-offs. We visited some new office premises, had a breakfast meeting with some old boys, interviewed a couple of chapies for a new position. Sure we chat about the war. We read about the war. We play at arm chair generals and do some desktop politics. Still ate lunch today (pie, coke and a danish.) Took a photograph of a newspaper seller holding up the Argus with "IT'S WAR" on the front-page, he had a huge smile on his face and was giving me the thumbs up with his other hand while the Big Issue vendor tried to get my attention by dancing a jig. The soccer mom drove past in her X5 taking the kids to ballet and piano practice. Even more to the point was: A newspaper that Bluegrass is helping out with was being launched today, I had some photos published in it and was quite keen to find out what was going on. Turns out that the established South African paper already in London literally hijacked the launch. They broke into the distributors warehouse and replaced most of the new newspapers with theirs. We know the guy who runs the other paper and he is a typical upper crust, old boy, what, what type. He was rather miffed at hearing about us upstarts coming along and trying to ruin his pet project (he is big time rich, does not need to lift a finger for the rest of his life, the newspaper is his pet project.) So there he sat, Iraqis about to die, Americans and Brits about to charge into the unknown. Markets unsure, many deals waiting the outcome, every paper covered in the war and he decides to hijack an upstart newspaper... I just found that extremely odd. It's like the younger son hijacking his brothers wedding by announcing he is gay. It is bizarre. You sit for awhile trying to wrap your mind around the thought processes of that person and you just can't. We are so removed from the troubles of life. We are not dying of AIDs, we have three solid meals a day, we aren't slaves in a blood-diamond mine, we don't live on the street, we aren't about to be bombed. The closest we get is CNN.com, the local paper, the radio and some posts on CP. Then we go back to living our lives. Amazing stuff.
Paul Watson wrote: Still ate lunch today (pie, coke and a danish.) Is South Africa a popular destination for Danes then? :eek:
David Wulff
"Somebody get this freakin' duck away from me!" - Strong Bad [^]
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Felix Gartsman wrote: I guess you don't carry your gas mask with you... Pardon? Do you carry a gas mask?
Paul Watson
Bluegrass
Cape Town, South AfricaMacbeth muttered: I am in blood / Stepped in so far, that should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o'er DavidW wrote: You are totally mad. Nice.
It's a national order to carry gas masks everywhere...
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Cois wrote: and protect your oil assets in one go Which oil assets? AFAIK, the US has no oil assets in Iraq. Gary Kirkham A working Program is one that has only unobserved bugs I thought I wanted a career, turns out I just wanted paychecks
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Paul Watson wrote: Still ate lunch today (pie, coke and a danish.) Is South Africa a popular destination for Danes then? :eek:
David Wulff
"Somebody get this freakin' duck away from me!" - Strong Bad [^]
I wouldn't think so if they are going to be eaten for lunch. :omg: ;P BW "We get general information and specific information, but none of the specific information talks about time, place or methods or means..." - Tom Ridge - US Secretary of Homeland Security
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Gary Kirkham wrote: the US has no oil assets in Iraq the US has no oil assets in Iraq, yet :|
Angels banished from heaven have no choice but to become demons Cowboy Bebop
Anti-War/Anti-Bush people claimed that Desert Storm was "About the Oil". The question still remains, where is all of the oil we (the US) aquired after the last war? It doesn't exist! The argument didn't hold water then...it doesn't hold water now. Gary Kirkham A working Program is one that has only unobserved bugs I thought I wanted a career, turns out I just wanted paychecks
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Sean Winstead wrote: Or is it that the US maintained some peace wow, isn't it convenient to maintain world peace and protect your oil assets in one go. And don't forget boosting that supreme Amarican moral, increasing the value of the Dollar etc. This Bush must be really clever...
Uh Cois, you didn't talk about Russia and France protecting their oil interest did you?
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Anti-War/Anti-Bush people claimed that Desert Storm was "About the Oil". The question still remains, where is all of the oil we (the US) aquired after the last war? It doesn't exist! The argument didn't hold water then...it doesn't hold water now. Gary Kirkham A working Program is one that has only unobserved bugs I thought I wanted a career, turns out I just wanted paychecks
Thanks to GW1 Us secured oil from Saudi Arabia and Koweit, with a military presence. Where's all the oil? in SUV, to sum-up. US are the biggest consumers of Oil through the entire World.
Angels banished from heaven have no choice but to become demons Cowboy Bebop