Joe,

Last night a small measure of retribution was visited on an al-Qaeda training camp in northern Iraq, which has been protected by Iraqi Republican Guards. They were hit with cruise missles. It's another step towards ridding the earth of these cockroaches. It may not be much, but each time a few of these terrorists get a chance to meet Allah up close and personal, it's a win for everyone. It's also a message to those who don't realize it that al-Qaeda has operated freely within Iraqi borders, and one of the reasons we've taken the actions we have.

Quintos,

The wrath of the Muslim nation? Jihad? So we should back down, and kiss their ... whatever? Is that how the world should handle the threat of terrorism? We should just keep accepting the murders of innocent people because if we don't, "Osama bin Laden, or some other Muslim zealot is going to get us?"

I'm sorry. That's not an acceptable alternative. The time is at hand where the U.S. and it's allies are showing the world that "Anyone who harbors terrorists, aids them, or supports them, is going to pay the price."

There's an old adage, well worth remembering. I think it applies to those of us who enjoy the fruits of American and Spanish independence.

"A brave man/woman only dies once, but a coward dies a thousand deaths."

It a good adage, and well worth remembering.

Wolf

One of the most consistent trends in the current war coverage on America's cable news stations has been the use of sports language like "Saddam thought he'd have a home-field advantage." I can't help wondering whether the reporters talk that way all the time or whether this reflects something about how they view war. The Bush administration was asked repeatedly to explain the connection between Iraq and Al-Qaeda, and the answer - at least to the best of my recollection - was always that they could not prove any link between them, but that Hussein seemed like the sort of guy who'd be chummy with terrorists. If we're going to accept the White House's claim that 9/11 was a prime justification for this attack, then the kindest explanation is that it was an invasion based on a hunch, and that's not something to be proud of.

As for whether that was really an Al-Qaeda training area they found in the north, what is your source of information? CNN has not reported this, as far as I can tell.

Even if the Pentagon had announced such a thing -- and I'm reserving judgment till I see a news report -- I've lived through enough wars to know that you have to wait awhile to find out whether what the soldiers found in the field bears any resemblance to what the White House and the Pentagon say they found.

If the allied forces displace the current regime, replace it with a non-tyranical government that doesn't abuse and torture, and destroys or at least takes control of dangerous weapons of mass destruction, has a positive outcome occurred? Was this something worth fighting for? Would we have been better off sitting on our hands for another twelve years sipping our Starbucks and cafe con leches?

Is it just American propaganda that reveals Iraqi citizens coming out of their houses to help tear down portraits of Saddam and cheer the allied forces? Was it just propaganda that Iraqi citizens were killed for doing the same thing during the Gulf War? While it has been said that many American don't support this, despite recent Gallup polls which indicate 76% do, have these anti-war Americans discussed the issue with the Iraqi immigrants who have settled in the United State. A recent local newspaper surveyed those immigrants who knew the horrors of Hussein the best, and they supported the campaign to free their former country.

And, remember, these "historical" palaces, many built in the last 20 years by Hussein himself, can not compare to our National landmarks. Who enjoys these palaces of the tyrant? Are they open to the public? Can anyone visit these "historical" treasures other than the cowardly dictator who bunkers down inside them?

I do not like war, I do not like to see young men and women (Iraqi, British, American) killed. Diplomatic attempts should always occur first. Unfortunately, Saddam Hussein has done things on his own terms. He has failed to take substantial steps over the last 12 years, only doing so, and then the bare minimum, when pushed to the brink. His people have suffered due to sanctions while he rests in comfort in these precious, historical palaces. Should we allow his nation's children to suffer so that we save a palace?

I am proud to be an American and I support my government. It frustrates me to see Americans acting cowardly and stating, "accept me as an individual and do not hold me accountable for my government for I am ashamned of them". America is not Iraq, we the people have control over our government. President Bush is not a dictator who acts alone. If you are traveling overseas and feel that, when approached by a citizen of another country, you need to state "like me but not my government", please do us all a favor and stay overseas.

Hi there.

I have been thinking about this issue for weeks. My beliefs are not something that has occured to me last night, but I've just being listening different points of view for and against this war, and have reached to some conclusions.

As I have said there are almost the same arguments to be for and against the war.

Some people ask why US is that concerned about Irak's regimen while there are dozens of other antidemocratic regimes around the world. These same people support France's statements about the war. The answer is quite simple, not every antidemocratic government has mass destruction weapons. Hey, but US, UK, Rusia, China, France and others have them... yes, but they use it with responsability, and only as a dissuasion tool, while Irak has used to attack both its own denizens and those from other neighbour countries (Kuwait, Israel and Iran).

Those who openly protest against this war deliberately ignore every other war in the world. Why they didn't protest against Chechenia war? Why they aren't protesting against the three open conflicts in which France is using 30,000 soldiers to support or depose dictatorships in Marble Coast, Centroafrican Republic, and Sierra Leona? Why they didn't protest against these wars?

The only explanation I have found (and I know this is going to make me gain some enemies...) is that european leftists continue to be strongly antiamerican, antisemit and quite antidemocratic. Here you can openly speak against Bush saying that you hate him (as Pim has done), but never dae to speak as I'm doing because you are automaticly labeled as a fascist (no matter that you are not). I consider myself politically left-centrist in some matters and right-centrist in others. But I can't stand this hypocresy of calling Aznar an assasin, Bush a dictator and yelling for Sadam as I have seen in demonstrations these days, while PP's sites, meetings and candidates where attacked or weren't allowed even to speak. THAT IS NOT A DEMOCRACY. No matter that you don't agree with them (I sometimes agree, others not).

I don't totally support every US action. I realize that in the past, the present and the future it has commited grave errors that have cost human lifes (for example giving Irak chemical weapons). The one who does something commit errors, the ones who does nothing are free of them. It is very popular and easy to lower defense costs letting US assume them and then criticize them for being that belicist.

Then things like Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo and Albania happen. We europeans let a fascist dictator to exterminate a million inocents in our own faces. Hollish soldiers did nothing when serbs executed 30,000 men in Svrenica, and again at last were the US that put order in that countries.

I don't like war anymore than any of you. I wonder for every human life lost in this conflict (even if he was Sadam himself). But if this is the unique way (after 12 years of diplomacy) to disarm a bloody and irresponsible regime, so be it.

I would say to my fellow countrymen: Remember who your allies are. In the last 25 years we owe more to the US than to any other country. Nor the french who washed their hands with ETA terrorism until 5 years ago or called Morocco a friend when they military occupied a spanish territory. Israel trained our inteligence agency against ETA, US aided us with echelon system. Remember that our arab allies have congratulate us 3 days ago for our efforts in this crisis. Remember that they have advised us when some radical islamists wanted to bomb us. Remember that Tarek Aziz menaced us with more terrorism.

Are we doing to do nothing against islamist terrorists? Remember that we did nothing against ETA and their supporters for 20 years, did we had success? Against terrorists we must act or face undesired consequences.

I will defend myself always with arguments, no matter that some people may think I'm hallucinating.

Fernando

el viajero,

Lest we get into a war of words over something that the American government said, this report should be enough to make you see the connection.

http://www.hrw.org/backgrounder/mena/ansarbk020503.htm

The ties are real, and reports from the Turkish government, and even Iranian sources confirm that this group has been operating independently in Iraq, without government intervention. In fact, there are reports from Kurdish, Turkish, and Iranian sources which indicate that Hussein has helped their cause with assistance, "under the table."

Believe what you want. I repeat. It was just a little "retribution," since they are tied to al-Qaeda. Since this source is The Human Rights Watch, it's pretty rediculous to say these aren't facts.

Wolf

Many of my friends, who know me well, have asked me why I am not part of the peace movement. My answer, and this is one that took me many months to reach, is what counter policy does the peace movement provide the world? Other than supporting Saddam Hussein indirectly, if not directly? Or, bashing the U.S.?

Are they upholding universal human values? The world has yet to reach agreement on universal human values. The peace movement has not yet said that it will not stand for the oppression of Iraqi and Kurdish women? The Iraqi genocide of the Shiites in Iraq? The horrible repression of human rights by Iraq? As I looked at the banners, I did not see any banners saying: "Stop the rape of Iraqi women," or, "Stop building Palaces and give bread to the Iraqi people."

For many years the UN sanctions against Iraq have been criticized. The poverty, lack of food, medicine, etc. that the Iraqi people have had to live, yet Saddam Hussein has used the funds for Oil-for-Food, to build these beautiful palaces, which some people actually feel sad about their destruction! Saddam Hussein has used the oil black Market to enrich himself. Forbes Magazine carried an article about Saddam being on the top Billionaire list! He likes the sanctions, he has become enriched and can still blame the West and the U.N. for the social conditions in Iraq!

But what the folks in the Peace Movement have failed to realize is that Saddam did not disarm peacefully. He lost his war of aggression against another Arab nation, Kuwait. He was told to disarm and allow U.N. inspectors to view the destruction of these weapons. He had many chances to do so, many years to do so. The plain fact is that he had no plan to disarm. He lied about having SCUD missiles, that's a fact. If he disarmed, he had no need to use the SCUD's.

So why do I support our coalition soldiers? Because they are taking care of the mess that the U.N. failed to fix. Why? I am afraid of another Twin Towers catastrophe, hitting our country or our allied countries. Is that selfish? Ask yourself, do you want Madrid, Barcelona, Nice, Paris, Rome, Florence, London, hit like New York City was?

It does not take a person with a great brain, to come to the conclusion that if you have a person like Saddam Hussein, with billions of oil dollars, and a strong hatred toward the West, particularly the U.S., that he is not going to support the terrorists any way he can? He openly gives thousands of dollars to families of dead terrorists.

Terrorism is an expensive undertaking. You have to have money to support terrorism. Saddam Hussein has been supporting terrorism. He needs to be stopped for the sake of the Iraqi people and for the sake of our own folks back home!

QUINTOS,
Life must be grand for you to sit back in sunny California and make those nice remarks to the board and wishing for all Americans to feel that retribution. Hmm, are you aware of the fact that Joe Sambuca and I have travelled and worked as Americans abroad. But no, how would a small pea brain like YOU know. Instead, you are living comfortably in CALIFORNIA, taking in the sun, have access to a computer, phone, and living large. Gee, you don't appear to be living off the WELFARE SYSTEM unless ,,,,,,,,
Oh, I'm not finished,,,,,,,,,,,
First, Lets get the facts straight, can you handle the truth QUINTOS? ONE: SADDAM HUSSEIN IS A GENOCIDIST, JUST LIKE HITLER!!!!!!!!!
SECOND: THOUGH I BELIEVE IN PEACE AND TRANQUILITY, THIS ISSUE WITH SADDAM HUSSEIN SHOULD HAVE BEEN DEALT WITH 12 YEARS AGO. BUT DUE TO THE PUBLIC OUTRAGE, THE WAR STOPPED. I KNOW BECAUSE I WAS AT THE UNITED NATIONS. SADDAM HUSSEIN CONTINUED WITH HIS INBRED, DECEITFUL AND MANIACAL POGROM THAT PURPOSLEY DESTROYED 1.5 MILLION PEOPLE. AND DO YOU KNOW HOW I KNOW, BECAUSE I HAVE HAD THE JOYOUS JOB OF REVIEWING REPORTS ON THIS GUY'S "PROGRAM"
SO WHEN YOU ARE READY TO GROW UP AND DECIDE WHAT IS GOOD AND BAD, BY REASON OF INSANITY, LET ME KNOW!!!!!
AND NOW: I AM WILLING TO PAY FOR A ROUND TRIP TICKET TO NEW YORK CITY, YES FOLKS I AM OFFERING THIS MAN A TICKET TO NYC( do I hear the Rolling Stones with that stanza)TO HANG WITH ME AND JOE SAMBUCA,NOT TO FORGET NATE ALSO, AS TO GIVE QUINTOS A HISTORY LESSON, STARTING WITH GROUND ZERO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THEN, I WILL END THE DAY WITH A PERSONAL TOUR, OF WHAT FUNDAMENTALISM, EITHER RELIGIOUS OR POLITICAL CAN DO AROUND THE WORLD,,,,,HMMM. QUINTOS YOU ARE NOT A MASAGINIST ARE YA,,,,,?
BY THE BY, QUINTOS: ARE YOU GOING TO MADRID,
I SURE HOPE SO, IM A DYING TO MEET YA(thanks, Mick Jagger) BECAUSE YOU, JOE SAMBUCA, AND 2 OTHER PERSONELL FROM THE FRONT LINES, I'M NOT SAYING JUST MILITARY BUT SOCIALLY WILL HAVE A GREAT TIME DISCUSSING THE "MUSLIM" ISSUE, SINCE ONE OF THEM IS MUSLIM,HMMMMM READY FOR THAT?

ANYWAY SORRY WOLF, MADRID MAN AND ALL BUT I HAVE HAD ENOUGH TODAY ABOUT THE BAD USA. I'M USUALLY SILENT (BUT DEADLY) AND CAUTIOUS, BUT QUINTOS CAN ONLY SHOW HIS HATRED AND BIGOTRY AS USUAL AS PART OF HIS TRUE PERSONALITY.

much love all,
respectfully
ANN M. O'CONNOR
AKA
NEW YORK RED

NEWYORKERD dont you think you are over reacting calm down just because you live in NEWYORK doesnt mean that you are a sage or any thing like that.AGAIN CALM DOWN!!!! WHAT ARE YOU THE FORUM MAFIA I NEVER ATTACKED THE US OR ANY THING ONY THE WAY THE MEDIA POTRAYED THE WAR JESUS YOU GUYS ARE SO UP TIGHT SCREW IM NOT GOING TO POST ON THE NEGATIVE FORUMS ANY MORE I JUST GET PISSED OFFif I said I hate the US I would understand but I did not attack any one except the media and the people view on the war in general.Every one on this forum get pissed off because they know that they know nothing about Iraq and how stupid it is to say that this is for iraqi freedom any one that bilieves that crud is a moron further more the people when ever I mention further terriosm from muslims you guys emediatly become angered dont you understand that in the very book of the Koran it says to kill infidels well did you? NEWYORKERD and dont judge me in less I attack you personally. Also Suddam hasnt killed many of his own peolple mainly Kurds in the North which are not Iraqis. Hitler and Suddam CAN NOT be compared because Hitler killed millions Suddam thousands

Oh my Quintos, Let me guess, you personally have studied the Koran, and you have lived with "Muslims" to?
Hmm, the last time I spoke and lived with a revered IMAM and his family, the word infidel was related to a later transcription brought about by the FUNDAMENTALISTS. In fact, Quntos, living in Lebanon, another war torn country gave me great insight to fundamentalism,,,hm so I guess I have a little more info on the subject, next to YOU of course.
But then again, you are soo educated and so adept at this thing called "DIPLOMACY", that it surprises me you have not answered the immediate question,, do you have proof and have had the last number of years to study hypocrasy and politicism with the genocide of millions, I have. I have personaly seen by my own two eyes what weapons of mass destruction can and has performed. Hmm, the fact I live in New York is just an added bonus babeee! :p
Oh by the by,, taking me up on the trip Quintos ? love to meet you and show the real facts of terrorism while we are on the subject.!


Oh I forgot to add Quintos, you sure about that number of Kurds, you sure, you wanna bet your bottom dollar the one you will spend for your suntan lotion that Hussein only killed a few????????
Because I can pit my numbers from WHO and the UNICM versus your "encyclopedia" including a quacamole dip to add since you seem so sure?? But then I forgot you are "THE MAN" when it comes to the "KNOW IT ALLS" or in history "THE NO-NOTHINGS" . But then I'm sure you know who are the no-nothings dont cha Quintos?????????

Let's all please take a deeeeep breath and calm down a bit on this passionate issue. Thanks.