Germany's Youngest General

[Reb]

Genstab

Regarding how silly can we get? I should think that would be obvious given our history. The bottom line is that you and I don't have to be that way and we're are start.

Reb's rule: polite to everyone, always. Don't take a lot of backsass but be as respectful as possible. People have no say over where they are born, what color they are or much else if you think about it. So only dislike people who bring it on themselves and avoid 'em rather than fight with 'em.

That's the long of saying if we all minded our own business we'd be find. Do gooding and meddling all cause trouble. We should all help our neighbor if we can but draw the line at telling him what to do.

Yankees are sometimes disliked in the South for the same reason Californians are often disliked in New Mexico, Colorado and IDaho. They move to those places but then try to tell everybody to be like them. When they skip that part they are quite welcome believe me.

That's why I forsee failure in Iraq. Those folks are not Americans. They want to be free, but they prefer to define freedom in their own terms. Americans (at least our brilliant, over educated leaders) assume that freedom in Iraq is the same as freedom in Ohio - after all folks are all the same all over the world right? Wrong. Vive la Difference!

cheers
Reb

[genstab]

I like your common sense, Reb. We're all Americans and nobody can beat us when we're united and not fighting 140-year old wars. You're exactly right when you said nobody can help how he's born. We're all God's children.
I too am afraid we aren't going to succeed in Iraq. Like Vietnam, our "leaders" chose an unwise war for the wrong reasons and again like Vietnam it's too much an organized bureaucracy and they won't listen to anyone who knows what he's talking about (such as Edward Lansdale in Vietnam; I'm just finishing his incredible biography by Cecil Currey). You can't fight fundamentalism (any kind) as they're not reasoning people. They believe what they believe and will be glad to kill you for it. And if we ever have another civil war I think this will be the issue.
Great exchanging ideas with you. From what I hear you're in the best city in the South. Wish I'd gotten there to check it out.