THE US, THE UN AND IRAQ, ELEVENTH THREAD

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The march of freedom has suffered setbacks. Doubts have emerged. Especially at this time of deep divisions, Americans must remain united in faith in our values and confidence in our future. As former Secretary of State George Shultz has said, "Cathedrals are not built by cynics."

As Ronald Reagan said, "Freedom is not just for the lucky few, but the right of all mankind."

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

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We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/charity
Main Entry: char·i·ty
Pronunciation: 'cher-&-tE, 'cha-r&-
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -ties
Etymology: Middle English charite, from Anglo-French charité, from Late Latin caritat-, caritas Christian love, from Latin, dearness, from carus dear; akin to Old Irish carae friend, Sanskrit kAma love
1 : benevolent goodwill toward or love of humanity
2 a : generosity and helpfulness especially toward the needy or suffering; also : aid given to those in need b : an institution engaged in relief of the poor c : public provision for the relief of the needy
3 a : a gift for public benevolent purposes b : an institution (as a hospital) founded by such a gift
4 : lenient judgment of others
synonym see MERCY

Either ican is implying that invading Iraq was a move of charity, or we are witnessing drunken posting.....

old europe wrote:

Either ican is implying that invading Iraq was a move of charity, or we are witnessing drunken posting.....

The two are hardly mutually exclusive

Cycloptichorn

love your neighbor

The Bible, Revised Standard Edition
The Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia

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Matthew, chapter 22


35: And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, to test him.

36: "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"

37: And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.

38: This is the great and first commandment.

39: And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

40: On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets."

Cycloptichorn wrote:

old europe wrote:

Either ican is implying that invading Iraq was a move of charity, or we are witnessing drunken posting.....

The two are hardly mutually exclusive

Cycloptichorn

Hehehee.... you're right! It's not a black-or-white scenario....

Promoting democracy is in our interest. A freer, more democratic world is a safer, more secure world.

Furthermore, spreading freedom is America's opportunity and responsibility.

Al-Badri was "a known terrorist," a member of Ansar al-Sunna before he joined terror group al Qaeda in Iraq, al-Rubaie said.

However, Iraqi authorities "were not aware of his being the mastermind behind the golden mosque explosion" until Abu Qudama's arrest, al-Rubaie said.

"The sole reason behind his action was to drive a wedge between the Shiites and Sunnis and to ignite and trigger a sectarian war in this country," al-Rubaie said, referring to al-Badri.

In Baghdad, National Security Adviser Mouwafak al-Rubaie blamed religious zealots such as the al-Qaida terror network, telling Al-Arabiya television that the attack was an attempt "to pull Iraq toward civil war."

President Jalal Talabani condemned the attack and called for restraint, saying the attack was designed to sabotage talks on a government of national unity following the Dec. 15 parliamentary election.

*The war in Iraq is central to al Qa'ida's global jihad.
*The war will not end with an American departure.
*The strategic vision is one of inevitable conflict with a call by al-Zawahiri for political action equal to military action.
*More than half the struggle is taking place "in the battlefield of the media."

The great rule of conduct for us, in regard to foreign nations, is, in extending our commercial relations, to have with them as little political connection as possible. So far as we have already formed engagements, let them be fulfilled with perfect good faith:--Here let us stop.

George Washington

Postwar information indicates that the Intelligence Community accurately assessed that al-Qa'ida affiliate group Ansar al-Islam operated in Kurdish-controlled northeastern Iraq


Ansar al-Islam was formed in December 2001


Ansar al-Islam quickly initiated a number of attacks on the peshmerga (armed forces) of the PUK, on one occasion massacring 53 prisoners and beheading them. Several assassination attempts on leading PUK-politicians were also made with carbombs and snipers.