[plug] [OT] nukes (was: Columbia)

[James Elliott]

Hi Leon

Why not advocate the use of Linux (as you suggest) in Iraq?  In fact why not
use as many Internet resources as possible to break down international
boundaries and increase dialogue and understanding among the peoples of the
world so that ultimately the peoples will not want to go to war with their
cyber buddies, even if their governments want to?

Remember - during the last war it was America who came to our aid when the
Japs attempted to invade Australia, not our then "Mother Country" Britain
nor any of the other allies we were fighting side by side with in the Middle
east and Europe.

You wrote:
"Agree, although the US Administration contains a lot of idealists, more
dangerous in a way than outright assholes"  which I regard as naive or
conformist (conforming to the flavour of the day among the
antiestabishmentarians ... right at the moment it is fashionable to blame
all of the worlds ill on the yanks and very unfashionable to find anything
good  about them at all - easy to go with the majority, isn't it - unpopular
to disagree as I have done).

BTW - yanks are not my favourite people, although I do have a few friends
among the good ones.  So, I am not sticking up for them out of any sense of
loyalty or vested interest, just, as a scientist, glib statements and
popular stances attract my suspicion if not backed up by hard fact.

Those you called  "outright assholes" can and would press the proverbial
button and nuke the USA and its allies if given the opportunity, just as
easily as they blew up the night club in Bali.  No matter how extreme the
American people you describe as "a lot of idealists" are, there is almost no
chance that they could "press the button" themselves nor persuade their
public to let their President do so.  They are a democracy after all.

America is about the same age as Australia, give or take a few decades.
Like us they originated mainly from British colonies with some Spanish and
French ones in the South (Louisiana & Creole country).  Unlike us they
kicked the Brits out and became the superpower they are today ... is it
possible there is a bit of the tall poppy syndrome in the way we look at
them, after all, why should their dollar be worth nearly twice ours - not
fair is it?

Thanks for your thoughts

James Elliott


----- Original Message -----
From: "Leon Brooks" <leon at brooks.fdns.net>
To: <plug at plug.linux.org.au>
Sent: Sunday, February 02, 2003 2:46 PM
Subject: Re: [plug] [OT] nukes (was: Columbia)


On Sunday 02 February 2003 02:11 pm, James Elliott wrote:
> I would rather the Yanks have the nuclear weapons than Osama Bin Laden or
> Sudam Hussein ...

Agree, although the US Administration contains a lot of idealists, more
dangerous in a way than outright assholes.

> At least any democratic, pleace loving country has nothing to fear from
the
> USA,

Boy, oh boy, do you need to do a bit more digging! )-:

> if America disarmed itself and China (a despotic nuclear nation) decided
we
> had too much land for too few people and invaded us, who would stop them?

I America's military attention was focussed on the Middle East and Indonesia
decided that it wanted South Irian "back", who would stop them? They've done
exercises here, even been formally presented with a copy of the Bush Tucker
Book.

> Anyway, enough politics and idealism .... lets get back to Linux!

OK. Do you think we should be advocating the use of Linux in Iraq, or not?

<G,D,R>

Cheers; Leon