Let's see if this can be translated into simple, clear English, shall we? My "ilk". Yes. Me, a Canadian. I was, like my government, opposed to the notion of an invasion of Iraq. Why was that, do you suppose? Is it because we, the people of Canada, were fans of Saddam Hussein? Had we, like the government of the USA, ever hugged and kissed Saddam Hussein? No, jeez! We had not. But, if we abhorred Hussein and his ILK (wonderful word, ilk) then why would we oppose an invasion that promised, if nothing else, to depose the butchering tyrant? We opposed it because we didn't want to see "bloody chaos wreaked upon the poor Iraqi people". However, we saw it. We saw "bloody chaos wreaked upon the poor Iraq people" by - guess who? Can you guess, solictr? Do you know the answer to that question?solictr wrote:But your ilk apparently, just to 'prove' your point, just to vindicate your hostility to the US invasion, would rather see bloody chaos wreaked upon the poor Iraqi people. To you American failure is the most important thing: a pretty damn callous sort of schadenfreude.
"To you (meaning my "ilk"), American failure is the most important thing." Um, no, solictr. The most important thing is: "the bloody chaos wreaked upon the Iraqi people." My "ilk", or at least ME, I don't give a rat's ass about "American failure". How could I? It's got nothing to do with me. I had no part in it. I take no pleasure in it. I hate to see "bloody chaos wreaked" upon ANYONE in this world and most assuredly I hate to see Americans killed and maimed by their own government because some moron in cowboy boots got a hard-on for war.
"A callous sort of schadenfreude"? My word. Let's get all hotsy totsy, shall we? And whilst doing so, let's ascribe motives to other people, let's read their minds, let's assert that you, solictr (and maybe your ILK) know what goes on in my heart. By all means. But you will allow me the courtesy, since you are so full of "duty, obligations, and honour" of doing the same for you.
Only, you know? I won't. I can't bring myself to use the kind of hateful language you seem to enjoy using. I can't describe what I think of your mindset, your ILK's mindset, in polite enough language for this forum.
America is no longer a young nation. Yet, America has failed, signally, to learn the one lesson a mature man or nation learns: to accept responsibility for wrongdoing, and to realize that there are some mistakes that cannot be erased/fixed/redeemed. The dead cannot be brought to life, the maimed cannot be made whole.
The duty of the USA is to leave Iraq to Iraqis. The obligation of the USA is to crawl home and reflect on the gross monstrosity of the invasion. The honour? *shrug* If you ever had it, you don't now.