[Azred]

Originally posted by Animal: Is the United States that perfect that they can decide for the rest of the world what they can and cannot do? You talk about the treatment of women in Iraq. I ask you this...do you know exactly how many women are beaten each day in the US or Canada or Britain or Germany or France, or any western culture because the men have the freedom to go out to the bar and get pissed each night, come home and beat the living crap out of their girlfriends or wives? Before the US, or any other nation for that matter starts passing judgement, they need to take a long hard look at their own culture. How many women in the United States are being beaten tonight? We have no right, NO RIGHT, to pass judgement on Iraq, when we are no better than they are.

I must respectfully disagree with you on this. The US is far from perfect--a simple examination of our history proves this. Furthermore, we are painfully aware of the domestic problems we face, even if we are currently focusing our attention elsewhere.
We are not, however, deciding what the rest of the world can or cannot do, because we certainly didn't force anyone to join the Coalition. True, decisions have been made that have an effect on the entire world, but we didn't force anyone's individual choice.

"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone" has an inherent flaw. If my neighbor is beating his wife and I know about it (let's say I can hear them fighting and I see the bruises on her) then not only is it a crime to fail to report this activity it is a moral failure on my part. I am no better than the abusive neighbor; in fact, I would be just as bad as he for allowing the beating to continue when I could help stop it. It is a moral failure on the part of both the US and the entire world for not stopping Saddam Hussein sooner.
As a nation we are not passing judgement on the Iraqi people, only on a government that has failed to follow "generally acceptable behavior" for responsible governments. I think any sane person would agree that the Iraqi people deserve more decent treatment than they have received. The best way to accomplish this is to remove Hussein and allow the Iraqi people to rebuild their country the way they wish with a goverment they have themselves chosen.

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My goodness! This topic certainly brings out the feistiness in our nature. At least those on both sides of the fence are not apathetic.... [img]graemlins/petard.gif[/img]