Wil's Rant

Anybody catch the State of the Union bit a couple of nights back? Once again George, now even more emboldened by his recent re-election, has thrown out the threats to Syria and Iran. Something along the lines of fighting terrorism from Damascus to Tehran. I hope we can all remember that the last war he started was justified first because of the non-existent weapons of mass destruction and later by the still-unproven links to terrorism. Perhaps he feels that with the results of the election in Iraq he will soon be able to direct his military energies elsewhere. Has anyone noticed the increased activity between Russia and Syria lately? Or the new friendly status between russia and China? Bullying can only carry the U.S. so far. Other powers in the world are now starting to form alliances against the U.S. They do this because of the Americans attitude that they can force their version of democracy down the throats of any nation that they have an "economic interest" in. This very act in itself is un-democratic but a great many Americans seem unable to see that. Further American unilateral military action in the area, I suspect, will prove to be a grave mistake, and not because of the terrorists. This danger comes from all the countries who are now in fear that they will loose their autonomy as a result of the various pressures that the American machine can bring to bear. Many will consider alliances that they would not have in the past in the face of the American threat. The solution... The U.S. must start working within the U.N in order to exact the kind of changes in the world that they seek. I recognize that this is not an ideal solution by far, the U.N. has shown it's lack of purpose to save lives in the past, Rwanda comes to mind. That, however, is a problem for the international community to address, one which they must solve in order for the U.N. to gain and hold any kind of credibility whatsoever.

Progress is being made but the U.S. is threatening that very progress by its actions. Some good has come out of Iraq. I share in the celebration that the elections has created. The look on the faces of the people voting for the first time in a long time almost makes it all worthwhile, almost. The many thousands of dead innocent people overshadows this celebration. I suspect that this could have been achieved without so much innocent loss of life had only the U.S. been more patient and worked within the U.N. Of course, it is entirely possible that had the U.S. waited for the U.N. we may not have seen these semi-free elections for many years yet, if at all. That fact must change.