[ExI] [extropy-chat] Back to Causes of War

[Samantha Atkins]

On May 3, 2007, at 8:34 PM, Lee Corbin wrote:

> The democratic West needed to believe that Saddam Hussein was an
> enemy. That was easy.

Really?  Despite its abuses Iraq was one of the more secular and  
progressive of Arab nations.

> They also needed to believe that if not an
> imminent threat, he would be sooner or later (which I believed and
> still think would have become the case---imagine the arms race
> going on right now between Iran and Iraq).

What are you on about?  There is no arms race between Iraq and Iran  
now.  Or is this a hypothetical if things had been different?   There  
was a time when a nation had to be actually taking war like actions  
toward us before war was justified, not merely a suspicion that a  
nation might sooner or later become a threat unless we disposed its  
leader and even invaded.


> The banner of WMD
> was waved over the people and they fell for it like sheep?  Not
> exactly.  Every intelligence agency in the world believed that Hussein
> had the WMD,

No they didn't.  French intelligence warned repeatedly that our intel  
was bogus on this.  Germany expressed its own doubts.  Some elements  
of British intelligence did not want to play ball with the party  
line.  In any event the intelligence was in fact wrong and highly  
cooked and it did in fact serve to stampede the American people.   
Remember back when they were floating stories of how Iraq could drop  
a nuke on the west coast at will?  What a farce.

> and he behaved and acted as though he did too.

How was that?  He kept insisting the had no such thing.  We didn't  
believe him and made an arse of ourselves.

> Perhaps he even did, and managed to get them across the border
> during the interminable allied build-up occupying the whole fall of  
> 2002
> and spring of 2003 while the U.S. waited for U.N. sanction.

Yeah, right.  What will it take for you to admit we were simply WRONG  
and you and many others were likely hoodwinked on purpose by the  
administration?

> Anyway,
> the so-called responsible leaders of Congress almost to a man and
> woman---who have their own incredibly expensive staffs to help them
> come to responsible conclusions---voted overwhelmingly to support  
> the war.
>

Do you think they did it for the reasons given to the people?  I hope  
not.  I would hate to think  that the entire legislature is that  
stupid.   There is only one non-stupid reason for what we did.  Peak  
Oil is real and those in positions to know are quite aware of it.  I  
believe they are also aware of how deeply unsound our economy is  
which I think a likely secondary factor.

- samantha