"Then why are they acting like they are hiding something?"
LOL, it's very easy to make them look shifty, it's been done by your media to your own senators/ heads of state over very minor things, the examples are too many to list.. but Watergate is a very good example... To my knowledge they are complying as far as they can...
"Why is every interview the UN weapons inspectors conducts observed by atleast one but usually more members of Saddam's secret police"
Because they want to make sure (first hand) nothing is planted... It's VERY easy to take a cotton swab with a very low concentration of something like Vx, and just smear it in a basement, then come back and say "LOOK! TRACES OF VX!!!"... they have to be monitered and i dont see why that is an unreasonable thing...
" Why are foreign reporters always escorted? Why isn't Saddam allowing U-2 overflights? Why would this be, and how can you suggest it doesn't discredit Iraq's case?"
I agree it doing nothing for iraq's case, but if you listen to the guys speeches and the persona he puts across to the public, he is very big on national pride, and U2 flights would be an affront to his nation's pride, even though this could actually mean the consequences could be much worse than petty pride.. This is where, in my oppinion, he's being a TOTAL idoit... He is making a stand when it's time to sit down and shut up..
"You know that if Israel were to pull something like this you'd be all over them"
?? I dont really get this comment... Isreal is a totally different matter, it has nuclear weapons in our midst, has a hard line government that still firmly beleive in the nile to the uphrates doctrine, it has one of the worst human rights records in the region... and what have we done officailly? Nothing... Poeple get so mad and wound up, they join the fanatics and totally go wrong.. But the amount of force they can summon is nothing compared to isreal's army...
Boxing iraq into a corner, and if saddam has WMDs as alledged, they are really risking an exchange with isreal...
"Small Pox is incredibly easy to spread, ask anybody of Native American descent. Just a few blankets that had been used in a Brittish hospital was enough to virtually wipe out entire tribes. In an unprotected population, Small Pox can and will spread rapidly"
Are you sure your not talking about the plauge? Cos small pox is contagous, but not like that... Small pox is also very potent in spreading fear, because it causes boils, and disfiguration...
Still, IMHO, there's no way in hell small pox could be made in the conditions iraq are under at the mo..
" Anthrax, Botulism, and VX Nerve Gas"
Anthrax: is pretty much a joke, it's name is more potent than it.. as proved by the anthrax attacks on america, and that was THE VERY potent air borne stuff... it's bacterial, so really it's not a worry at all...
VX: is horrendously difficult to handle, transport etc... the iraq's, straight after the gulf war, admitted they had tried to make it, but found it too difficult to deal with, so they ceased it's production of their own accord..
Botulism: i dont know enough to comment yet, but i'll do some reaserch and come back to you on that...
"The policy change absolutely should have been made four years ago."
Why? the iraq's haven't done anything new in more than four years... we're told to just accept at face value, that there is something happening, and we must as citizen of democratic nations (US+UK) simply believe and follow with out question.. (tony blair has had a right bitch at "cynics")
"1). Some of the strongest advocates for removing Saddam from power are Iraqi refugees."
oh you surprise me there... I thought you could see that these refugees are potential new leaders of iraq! :) does it make sense now?
"2). What statute under international law would allow US oil companies to seize Iraqi wells? To quote one British guy I've been debating this with on another board, "I do actually have to commend the US government for not striking exploration deals with Iraq.""
Lol, there's a reason for that, the poeple that are in power at the mo, are going out in a few weeks... hmmm, I wonder why this is? INTERNATIONAL LAW?! THE HELL WITH INTERNATIONAL LAW, just like as it's ever been... And we'll probably come back to this point in 6 months... Mark my words, Iraq will be just like Saudi... with a pretenous puppet leader, that looks docile and pleasant, selling oil cheap to "freinds", while butchering their own poeple.
"3). Weren't you pointing out a few months ago that Iraqis are starving because of the sanctions neccessary to keep Saddam contained? Are you saying they should starve now that an American president is willing to remove the reason they're in their current delema?"
Yep, i was, and you'll also remember i had a good ol' fashioned bitch at the fact that the sanctions weren't benifiting the iraq's and needed some changing. I didn't say the US should carpet bomb bagdad in the name of freedom...
The reason the iraq's are starving is not because of suddam but because of the poeple who put the sanctions. Basically Keep saddam contained, but for the love of good let food and medicine in! Either that or lift sanctions all together... Saddam is effectively neutered, he cant do sh*t. I'd be more worried about resentment of the Saudi regime and the US's backing to said regime in Saudi (remember sept 11? what's been done about that? oh just blanket blackout of the subject.) What i'm saying is get the US admin to take a more humanitarain side to thier foriegn policies, and not just cold hearted pragmatism, whith some idealised public releases...
SLY: i strongly disagree with suicide bombers hitting civilain targets.. I think it's a crime, and like all crimes YOU NEED TO LOOK AT THE CAUSES... and i agree that sharon is pouring kerosine over a smouldering fire...
I've pointed it out before, hardlines from one side, cause the prominance of hardliners from the other side. This current aproach of voilence with out a diplomatic solution is idoicy, and will result in 2 things:
1) constant pointless strife
2) the expulsion of the palastinains, and that would be mean a serious destabalisation of the region, and possible war...
About the Suddam paying off sucide bomber's families... I've never read/ hear anything in arabic about this.. I'd DEEPLY suspicious of this "fact"...
Nice to see everyone piling in and sharing their thoughts, nice to know that we still take time to think... I remember why i like this place so much...