Re: OT: Military Ranks/Computers : WAS Re: newbie question on cobol

Alistair wrote:
> On 30 Apr, 01:53, LX-i <lxi0...@netscape.net> wrote: 
>
> <blood boiling mode>
>
> And I presume that the good-ole US of A has not ever nor does it now
> sponsor terrorism? Need I remind you of arms to Iran or of the
> Contras? How about the continued support for the IRA and the
> inconsistent support for the NI peace process ?
>
> </blood boiling mode>

Yes - we also supported the Taliban against the Russian-controlled
Afghanistan government, for the same reason we supported the Contras -
they fight against Communism.  We can only fight so many battles at a
time, and have traditionally relied on diplomacy and the diplomacy of
others to handle regional disputes.

I looked and didn't find anything describing US support of the IRA or
the Northern Ireland peace process.  Maybe we screwed up - it certainly
wouldn't be a first for our nation.  But the failures of the past are
*no* excuse for continued failure.  Failure only stays failure if you
fail to learn - and I'd like to think that we're learning as we go
along.  (In Afghanistan, we knew what kind of weapons the Taliban had,
because we had probably sold it to them!)

And, to the best of my knowledge, the IRA hasn't threatened our national
security.  Though it makes for entertaining cinema, we're *not* the
world police.

And a final point about Pelosi's trip - Syria harbors terrorists, is
sympathetic to them, and is even letting them cross into Iraq to fight
our (US) soldiers!  Why go see As?  Was Satan unavailable?

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"Who is more irrational?  A man who believes in a God he doesn't see, or
a man who's offended by a God he doesn't believe in?" - Brad Stine