Originally posted by Lordathestrings
I would feel deprived if either you or Cristoph were silenced.

I guess that was sarcasm. LOL.

Originally posted by educatedfilm
How many of you knew that the Saudi governemt is protected by the US from it's own poeple?!!

Of course we knew that. The bottom line is that for the time being we need their oil, and we can't have a bunch of maniacs running around threatening that interest. If the Saudi government was overthrown we'd all have major problems, (Even you, educatedfilm. You wouldn't have a lot of the comforts you have now) so in this case we overlook the atrocities of the Saudis in favor of the greater good. The almighty dollar and the bottom line are the rulers here, and if a few innocents suffer, then it's just too bad. As the great Captain Spock once said, "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." Or if you prefer to look at it from a Machiavellian perspective, the powerful have rights over the weak.

A lot of people like to complain about US foreign policy, but what you don't realize is that the alternatives are a lot worse. Yes, we supported Saddam Hussien in the past, during the war with Iran. At the time, Iran was many times worse and far more threatening to the stability of the region than Iraq, so we chose to support him and provide him with weapons. The general aim of US foriegn policy over the years has been to protect US interests and promote regional stability. Generally, for the common good.

Now you can either accept that the world is an imperfect place and that sometimes these plans will backfire, or you can stand around looking at pretty pictures and talk about how the world should be.

How's that for controversial, Backrose?