Richard and Tim:

No need to post this kind of stuff on a SAS list. There's lots of newsgroups where you can talk about this stuff 'til you're blue in the face. While I do value your SAS contributions, I couldn't really care less what you think of Iraq, Dubya, Irish Settlers, kangeroos or baked potatoes.

Please show respect for the SAS-L community from which you've undoubtedly benefited by refraining from posting OT.

-----Original Message----- From: Tim Churches [mailto:tchur@OPTUSHOME.COM.AU] Sent: February 23, 2003 7:43 AM To: SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU Subject: Re: Iraq

Richard Hockey wrote: > To: SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU > Subject: OT: Iraq > > I know this is OT but one of my North American associates sent this: >

Richard,

I hope you are wearing your asbestos underwear, because you are in for a serious flaming! But not from me. These are not normal times, and this sort of consciousness-raising piece is warranted in any and all forums, I think. Politicians are allowed to get away with illogical courses of action because we all decide that it is impolite to discuss the issues at work, which is the main means of social contact for the vast majority of people.

Tim C

> > > > > Recently my brother-in-law Sam, who was missing after his sailboat > capsized > in a remote area of the South Pacific for three years, was found. The > neighborhood rejoiced with the family. After things had settled down, Sam > dropped in to ask me about what is going on in the world. > > "I heard on the radio that we are going to attack Iraq, Why?", Sam asked, > "Did they invade Kuwait again?" > > "Err, no, they didn't attack anyone recently. Terrorists flew airplanes > into > the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and killed thousands of people on > September 11, 2001." > > Sam was shaken. "Oh my God. That's unbelievable. But this is 2003. Why did > it take so long to go after Iraq if they sent terrorists?" > > "Oh, Iraq didn't do it. It was a group based in Afghanistan called Al > Queda > led by a rich Saudi Arabian by the name of Osama Bin Laden", I said. > > "So we went after him, right. Did the troops hang him by his toes?" > > "The US sort of went after him. We bombed his training areas and caves and > got some local tribesmen to chase him around but they didn't catch him," I > answered. "He sends tapes to a tv station now and again saying he is still > out to get us." > > Sam looked puzzled. "You mean the CIA and the Special Forces and the > Marines > can't catch him?" > > I avoided his eyes. "Shrub said that we would hunt him down but then soon > after he decided to go after Iraq. He's talked about Saddam almost every > day > since but hardly ever mentions Osama." > > "Who is Shrub?", Sam asked. > > How can I explain this? "He's the son of George H.W., the littlist Bush, > who > was given the Presidency by the Supreme Court after some ballots were > disputed in Florida. Al Gore won the popular vote but Bush was given > Florida's electoral votes." > > Sam paused a minute, looking more nonplussed. "Jeez, the Congress must be > going nuts. Have they done anything?" > > "Well, no. The Congress voted to give him authority to attack Iraq. The > polls say that 62 percent of the population support him and a war with > Iraq. > The polls say that the majority think that Saddam was behind 9-11. Of > course, there is no evidence that he had anything to do with it and UN > inspectors can find no evidence of nuclear, chemical or biological weapons > that Shrub says Saddam has in his possession. The doublespeakers from the > Nixon administration, Rumsfeld and Cheney, have dumbfounded a lot of > people. > Democrats and Republicans are spineless when the President is popular and > talks tough." > > Sam's shoulders sagged. We talked a while about Iraqnophobia and the huge > cost of war while tax cuts for the rich are going into effect and more > proposed. Sam became more and more agitated and finally left. > > My son bounced into the room and said, "I thought I heard Uncle Sam. Where > is he?" > > "He said he is going back to the south seas. If he has to live among > coconuts, they might as well be edible."