[Rhodes22-list] 21st Century 'Ernie Pyle"

[Steven Alm]

Brad,

It doesn't look like there are any simple or obvious solutions but at the
most basic level, the first rule of holes is to stop digging.

Slim

On Tue, Apr 15, 2008 at 1:15 PM, Brad Haslett <flybrad at gmail.com> wrote:

> Robert,
>
> The last sentence says it all, "There is a recognition that we did not
> understand the extent to which their culture made it difficult to move
> from
> an authoritarian government to liberal democracy."
>
> Where shall we go now?  The world is a small globe - fast airplanes make
> it
> smaller.  We as a nation are imperfect, but what nation is better?  Where
> do
> Chinese dissidents who fear for their lives for their involvement in
> Tienanmen Square have to run?  In what nation can Islam evolve to the more
> enlightened passages of the Koran?  If we as Americans don't believe in
> the
> spirit of 1776, what hope do we hold for the rest of the world, most of
> which envies our lifestyle and freedoms?
>
> I'm all for realism, including the 'meat' of the article you referenced.
> But, "where do we go now?"
>
>
> It's easy to focus on the Bush 43 failures and the difficulties of the
> Iraq
> invasion.  That's one small part of a larger problem.  Solutions?
>
> Brad
>
> On Tue, Apr 15, 2008 at 12:49 PM, Robert Skinner <robert at squirrelhaven.com
> >
> wrote:
>
> > Brad,
> >
> > I am also pleased and proud of what our forces have
> > accomplished, and moreover, how they have done so.
> > We have put our finest in harms way, and they have
> > conducted themselves like ladies and gentlemen.  The
> > lapses from the highest standards of behavior that
> > we could ask for are all the more noteable for their
> > scarcity.  Yon's work is promising.
> >
> > I have had no argument with the boots on the ground,
> > unless they have Blackwater insignia.
> >
> > That said, I have had and continue to have
> > reservations about the floating definitions of the
> > mission(s) that our armed forces have been tasked
> > with.
> >
> > I firmly believe that the form of democracy that
> > grew in the United States requires a couple of
> > centuries of substrate civilization and tolerance
> > to grow and find its full expression.
> >
> > The way in which the free Iraqi codify their use of
> > that freedom will inevitably be different than the US
> > Constitution.  For example, it is perfectly
> > reasonable for them to decide to break up what was an
> > artificial joining of disparate ethologies.  In any
> > case, it is their country, and they must be free to
> > evolve or reshape it as necessary.
> >
> > The following article, despite its origin on the left
> > coast, has some meat, as it shows an evolving realism
> > among the military leaders as they negotiate their
> > way through the minefield of manifold mission
> > statements from Bush 43.
> >
> > It is short, and not so much political as an
> > interesting glimpse of the current military thinking
> > about the situation in Iraq.
> >
> >
> >
> http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-petraeus13apr13,1,6444719.story
> >
> > /Robert
> > -----------------------------------------------------
> > Brad Haslett wrote:
> > >
> > > Michael Yon is at 17 on the list at Amazon today and rising fast (up
> 250
> > in
> > > one week and it hasn't been released yet!).  Trust me, this is not
> > > propaganda.  Whatever you think of 43 or the war in Iraq, you at least
> > > should read about the experience and professionalism of our troops and
> > > especially the Marines.  The photo on the book cover still brings
> tears
> > to
> > > my eyes every time I see it (the story behind the photo is sad). Yon
> was
> > > banned for awhile by the military for 'calling the shots as he saw
> them'
> > and
> > > is as impartial a witness as one can find for this national
> experience.
> > >
> > > Brad
> > >
> > >
> >
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0980076323?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwviolentkicom&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0980076323
> > > __________________________________________________
> > > Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
> >
> > --
> > Robert Skinner  "Squirrel Haven"
> > Gorham, Maine         04038-1331
> > s/v "Little Dipper" & "Edith P."
> > __________________________________________________
> > Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
> >
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