[extropy-chat] Re: US not right to invade say Iraqis

[Herb Martin]

> John K Clark
> "Samantha Atkins" <sjatkins at mac.com>
> 
>  > The point was that Kuwait was stealing Iraqi oil.
> 
> Saddam said that, but I have some doubt it's true. Just 
> between you and me
> I'm beginning to suspect that sometimes Saddam shades the truth just a
> teeny tiny bit.  Kuwait has plenty of oil and it's hard to 
> understand why
> they'd need to steal it from somebody much stronger than they are, but
> it's irrelevant even if true.

It is a physical impossibility to steal oil over a distance
greater than about a mile, MAYBE two, through the drilling 
techniques he claimed.

[I was formerly a direction drilling superintendent.]

Less than 5 miles of border oil rights could ever be in
dispute through direction drilling methods for "stealing
oil", and that would include Saddam stealing from Kuwait
as well as the other way around.   

This would also imply drilling operations located precisely
on the border and although I have never definitely checked
on this, there has been no indication that such exploration
was so located.  It would be easy enough to take a picture,
point at a drill rig on the border, and say THAT ONE is 
slant drlling over HERE.

>  > Saddam asked us if we had any problem with the action he
> > proposed to take.  we said "no".
> 
> I've heard conflicting stories about that, but again, for what I was
> discussing the incompetent nature of American diplomacy is irrelevant.

That's old misinformation; likely born of the incompetence
of April Gladsby who was NOT firm enough with Saddam but
no evidence or real indication has ever shown she or anyone
else gave Saddam approval.

--
Herb Martin