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OK, Makk, in the immediately preceding message, you were replying to MikeyG. In the middle of a sentence addressed to him, you said, "i.e. you boorite." Do you know what "i.e." means? Also, you've said it and implied it in a number of other places. You know what you're doing.
There was a comma in there. But apology accepted...
ASS
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And you think I said yes, that's about right? I don't think I said that. Why is it you can quote me exactly on one thing, but then you have to imagine a response that fits into your argument elsewhere?
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Actually, you replied that the US and UK are open democracies, and that I was stunningly ignorant. So I took you to mean that the US and UK can invade other countries at will, perhaps if the target country isn't an "open democracy," which is pretty much saying, yeah we can invade whomever we want. Which actually is the Bush doctrine of "preventive war." But since it's hard to tell what the hell you're saying sometimes, and you tend not to answer questions, I had to infer it. Let me know if I've got you wrong.
If you would ask direct instead of diversionary and argumentative questions maybe there would be no problem.
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Note the term "probable" in my quote. I don't say "if we imagine they will launch an attack against us," I said if it is probable they might do so. The Saddam regime has hostile to us and launched a military invasion of a neighboring country. I think that makes them a probable threat.
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So the "evidence" that Iraq posed a "probable threat" of terror attack against the US was that they invaded Kuwait 12 years ago, and that they could conceivably build a weapon to attack us and carry it over here and use it. Based on this case, we are permitted to invade? If so, then you are saying we can invade pretty much anyone we feel like invading, because those are flimsy pretexts.
You keep asking for evidence, but when looking for a probable threat you are talking about a pattern of behavior, not evidence. Once AGAIN, if there was evidence, there would not be the ambiguity about the cause to go to war. Yes, Iraq invading Kuwait is one of many things in the pattern of behavior that identified Saddam as a threat. I don't think the notion that Saddam could have launched or help fund a terror attack against us is a filmsy one. Maybe we can just disagree there.
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I mean look at it: "Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990; therefore Iraq is likely to launch a terror attack on the US in 2002; therefore we are permitted to attack them in self-defense." None of it follows. It's just nuts.
Saddam invading Kuwait doesn't stand alone in history. We made Saddam a mortal enemy by pushing him out of Kuwait, it isn't just the fact the he invaded the country. In fact I'd say he'd be less likely to attack us directly sooner if we had just let him take the country. Whether or not you like it we had to deal with the reality in play at the time, which was that Saddam WAS a mortal enemy to the United States.
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I never suggested we subvert our own democracy.
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You suggested that the Bush administration should act in defiance of the UN, ICJ, and other institutions of international law. I have explained to you that documents like the UN Charter are treaties to which we are signatory; our Senate ratified them. They therefore have the force of law, here in our democracy, under our Constitution; and when our leaders break them, they act in defiance of our democratic institutions. That is subverting democracy. Bush is subverting democracy.
And I have explained our democracy is subverted if it is not safe.
Also, about the force of law, law can simply not be enforced, at the discretion of the President (part of our democracy).
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You've replied to this argument, somewhat incoherently: "If we agree to something that eventually overrides the Constitution, under the Constitution it is not longer valid." But you have not said what in the UN Charter "overrides the Constitution" (whatever that means). That's because nothing in the UN Charter "overrides" anything-- except the Bush doctrine of violence at will. (Which is not in the Constitution.)
Once again this is in the context of the U.N. trying to stop us from invading Iraq. I did explain this. In my last response to you actually, you seem to have ommitted it..again. That's in what context it becomes unconstitutional, if it deprives us of security.
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I said we don't have to behave like the international community is a democracy when all of the elements making it up are not democratic bodies. Maybe you just keep subconsciously blocking this out because you can't argue against it.
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I haven't responded to it because it's incoherent. Instead I've focused on statements that have some content, like your dismissal of international law.
I don't see how it's incoherent. Tell me what about it is wrong. How can a dictatorial regime or theocracy be part of a democratic body?
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You also refuse to answer questions such as, how is the UN Charter "undermining our own ability to govern ourselves?"...
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I put this in the context of the international community trying to stop us from invading Iraq through the U.N.
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So "governing ourselves" means "attacking other countries without provocation?" The UN Charter certainly does prohibit that. But I think it is possible to govern ourselves without violating treaties we have ratified. In fact, whaddya know, ratifying treaties and abiding by them is governing ourselves! And having the President break them at will is the opposite of governing ourselves. It's authoritarianism. Which is (let me draw you a picture) the opposite of democracy.
Congress apporved the war. That is governing ourselves. If you have a problem, write your congressman.
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I guess you are implying the officials of our country are not accountable to our laws? I think they are. Tell me what United States laws they are now not accountable for in respect to the war and then I can craft a better response.
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I've told you, chapter and verse. And you have openly dismissed those laws. The UN Charter, for one example. Now you say our leaders are accountable to the law. Make up your mind!
If U.S. laws were violated why have no charges been brought? Maybe you need to quote the U.S. laws which were broken again. It seems the President got authority from Congress to declare war and did so. That seems to be in accord with the law as far as I know it. President Bush was on the floor of the U.N. not that long ago, the U.N. police could have come got him to make him answer for the U.N. laws he broke. Why didn't that happen? I'm confused.
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And stop calling me MikeyG because you know it's a lie.
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Here, along with several other places in your post, I don't know what you are talking about.
Me thinks you protest too much.
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Yes you do know, and you just implied it again. You are a dishonest person.
I just said you are a little touchy about the issue, mister touchy. Please explain how I am being dishonest? Are you saying someone who quotes Shakespeare is dishonest?
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Vote Jeb Bush 2008