Publicola

I'm not exactly pro-government. I have mixed feelings on this whole Iraq-war business. Don't get me wrong: I have no love for Hussein. I just feel that U.S. foreign policy for the last 100 years or so has been miserably handled & erroneously thought out. I'm more of an isolationist. I think that Washington, Jefferson & others of their day were serious when they warned about getting mixed up in foreign affairs. But at the same time I don't think we should turn a blind eye to injustice - hence we should trade with nations we can get along with, but immedietely cut off any trade with a country that is oppressive of it's own people. Like China. & in certain cases I wouldn't be opposed to offering indirect help to the people of a country if they sought to overthrow their government & create a new one. Like China. & again, I'm a sucker for the guys who started this country. They spoke extensively about the evils & perils of a large standing army. So while i believe strongly in national defense, I would like the military downsized significantly. Say cut loose 75% of the non technical soldiers ( i.e. ground troops ) & hang onto the soldiers who specialize in a certain skill that could not be practiced sufficiently as civilians & keep just enough ground troops to fill in the gap should an emergency arise.

Where would we get our ground troops from if war broke out you ask?

Ever heard of the militia? A rather novel concept where each & every able bodied person becomes a soldier when necessary. That also has the plus of the U.S. not being too hasty to jump into a foriegn affair. I don't hold any of this against the troops. they are actually trying to do what they think is right & I respect them for that. I just think their boss is guilty of mismanagement.

Having said all of that, this really disgusts me. If you'll notice though, the same doublespeak & denial that the lawyer for the property owners use is not unfamiliar: politicians use it often. Yet another reason to avoid New York in general, & to avoid doing business with David Zucker or any of his companies.