Replies to post #201372 on Zeev's Turnips Talk Politics (ZTTP)

[sarals]

sara, young lady

do you realize your posts have a condenscending and sexist tone?

If we took the time to add up all the people who have died at the hand of the Islamic Terrorists, since 1979, there is no way that you can say we are the aggressor.

so when Islamic Terrorists kill people we are justified in going anywhere in the world and killing other innocent people? That's what happen when we invaded Iraq.

IMHO, the reason we are in this mess now is because so many people in government were pussy's when we were attacked in the past. Didn't you ever consider the wisdom in winning by a show of force?

are you familiar with Teddy Rosevelts big stick quote? Have you read his biography and how he handled the Venezula crisis? I'll try to find my post on it and post it subsequent to this so you can see... that demonstrates well how I think using your brains together with a show of brawn works much better than just being a brainless bully.

Did you forget, or never take the time to look into the fact that when Khomeini finally let the hostages go free when Reagan was inaugurated, that the Islamic terrorists made those hostages run the gauntlet as they went to the plane.

Did you forget the Bush Sr. arrange for Iran to hold the hostages until after the election so Reagan could win? Are you familiar with Iran Contra?

And as for the rest of your post about mushroom clouds and crazy gays in SF... we can live our lives based on fear born out of lack of understanding.

The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them. -Thomas Merton

I LOVE THAT QUOTE!!! So much could be gain by all of us accepting our differences and trying to better understand others. So many things we perceive as a threat aren't really threatening when we understand them better.

[sarals]

Speak softly and carry a big stick was a West African proverb Roosevelt had tried out once, as Vice President, and memorized as a personal mantra. Perhaps the current situation would enable him to test its effectiveness, starting with the soft speech. "If a man continually blusters, if he lacks civility, a big stick will not save him from trouble; but neither will speaking softly avail, if back of the softness there does not lie strength, powers."

Theodore Rex
by Edmund Morris

(The following situation being referenced is when Britain and Germany formed a blockade around Venezula for not paying it's debt to them.)

A good example is when Germany and Britain put a blockade around Venezula. Remember, at the time Britain had the greatest navy force of anyone. Roosevelt made it clear that he would maintain the Monroe doctrine and not allow a foreign power to make a land grab in the Americas. Also, Roosevelt had lived for a while in Germany and traveled Europe on many occassions. He had contacts in both countries and understand that in particular the Kaiser had ambitions towards the Americas. The stated reason Germany and Britain put the blockade up was because Venezula owed them large amounts of money and had not been paying. Roosevelt understood all this and ordered Dewey to move most of our fleet south toward Venezula. At the same time, he negotiated behind the scenes with the Kaiser. I don't remember the details of the deal, but I do remember the emphasis on discretion and being smart enough not to slap the Kaiser in the face publicly. All was settled without a shot fired.

This is from my memory (from reading the biography by Edmund Morris) and may not be entirely accurrate about the details, but the point is clear. He stood ground against world powers that were both friend and foe and used diplomacy as well as military strength intelligently and to his advantage.