On Thu, 24 Dec 1998, Reeza! finally got to the point of the matter: <massive snip> :, that does not mean I'm willing to allow one :expansionist dictator to sanction another country and gain control of :enough of the worlds oil supply to impact the well-being of my country. I believe this is the the only true argument here. The US (and you) are not "pleased" with the fact that the one place on the planet that has the worlds largest oil deposits is not beholden to the USG. If Hussein were to have remained a US puppet, he could do pretty much as he damn well pleased, anywhere he damn well pleased - just as long as OUR oil prices didn't escalate. Weren't the old days wonderful? A time when the USG could force countries like Iraq to sell oil at or below cost? And isn't that the entire point of "allowing" Iraq to sell oil at the rate of some 50 billion dollars every six months (IIRC)? On the one hand, we "embargo" all food and medicines, for their own good of course, and on the other hand we are "willing" to forego that embargo, *if it benefits us*. This has ZERO to do with Kuwait or weaponry, and *everything* to do with the US id - we want *what* we want, *when* we want it, and at the *price* we want it, *OR ELSE*. Yours, J.A. Terranson sysadmin@mfn.org -- If Governments really want us to behave like civilized human beings, they should give serious consideration towards setting a better example: Ruling by force, rather than consensus; the unrestrained application of unjust laws (which the victim-populations were never allowed input on in the first place); the State policy of justice only for the rich and elected; the intentional abuse and occassionally destruction of entire populations merely to distract an already apathetic and numb electorate... This type of demogoguery must surely wipe out the fascist United States as surely as it wiped out the fascist Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The views expressed here are mine, and NOT those of my employers, associates, or others. Besides, if it *were* the opinion of all of those people, I doubt there would be a problem to bitch about in the first place... --------------------------------------------------------------------