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I just don't see any reason to work with Iran on anything.
From CNN.com
U.S., Iran to discuss chaos in Iraq
Story Highlights
U.S., Iran to meet in Baghdad to discuss worsening conditions in Iraq
Ambassadors to Iraq from both countries to lead talks
Talks follow a landmark meeting in May
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. and Iranian ambassadors to Iraq will meet this week to discuss security issues in the war-torn country, a senior Bush administration official said Sunday.
This will be the second meeting between U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker and his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Kazemi Qomi.
Their May 28 meeting marked the first public and formal talks between U.S. and Iranian representatives since the United States cut off diplomatic relations 27 years ago.
U.S. officials have accused Iran of interfering in the U.S.-led war in Iraq by supplying Shiite Muslim militias with weaponry and training, fueling the sectarian warfare U.S. and Iraqi troops are trying to curtail.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, whose ruling party has close ties to Tehran, said this week's planned meeting would "strengthen the bridges of trust" between the two countries.
Crocker met Sunday in Baghdad with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari in preparation for the meeting, Zebari's office said.
"Ambassador Crocker expressed his satisfaction with the efforts made by the minister to hold this meeting," according to a statement from the foreign minister's office.
The Bush administration has come under increasing pressure to show signs of progress in Iraq ahead of a mid-September report by Crocker and Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Iraq. The war has become widely unpopular in the United States, and President Bush's fellow Republicans in Congress have had to rely on filibuster tactics to block Democratic-led efforts to start pulling U.S. combat troops out of Iraq.
The senior administration official said both Iran and the Sunni Muslim fighters of al Qaeda in Iraq are considered "accelerants" of the ongoing fighting, which has claimed more than 3,600 American lives since the 2003 invasion that toppled Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
The United States broke off diplomatic ties with Iran in April 1980 in the midst of the seizure of the U.S. Embassy. Iranian students occupied the embassy from November 1979 until January 1981, when they released the remaining 52 hostages.
Iran seems like the "friend" you had in high school who was nothing but nice to you when you were around but would completely throw you to the wolves when not around.
His website is http://www.michaelyon-online.com . I have been reading his dispatches for about a year + now and he is getting great feedback and press exposure now at foxnews.com. He is a former Green Beret and he calls it like he see's it .... Intense dispatches if your looking for NON BIASED MEDIA exposure.
OK, that site is obviously pro military, no matter how it is spun. He is telling amazing stories of great bravery.
Also, I imagine that all of the words on this page - http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/how-this-project-is-funded - STILL EQUAL a lot of money he is making. He is definitely putting himself in harms way for the money he is making and i wonder what he will do after the way. I imagine he WILL make a lot of money then, assuming he is still alive...
While their are obviously good view points if you take the time to read thru all of his dispatches you will note that he is both for and against the political infighting that has and is continueing to take place.
Being an Army brat myself, I am jaded and admit this. The bottom line is and maybe thier will be a section for "Hot Topics of Debates" on the board, but back on track.... the line in the sand is not the cause for the war, but the end resolve and the US always coming to the rescue of those in need regardless of who caused what.
The UN IMO sucks and we should withdraw from it and send the UN building over to Afganistan or Iraq, lets see how long the UN actually does the same thing which is nothing. The reason for us going to war is due to Iraq, Sadaam Husein not abiding by the countless resolutions because he knew he could get away without abiding by them.
What I have personally gained from reading Michaels dispatches is a two sided story of how the press has plenty of opportunites to report what is really happening over thier and doesnt. The military not letting what is happening over their get out also falls back on them.
MH0825 wrote: If it's on Fox... how can you say "non biased"? I'm somewhat of a republican too but come one, non biased... every news station is biased.
I didnt say Fox news wasnt non-biased, if that is the way it was perceived I will eat some yummy crow. I said the media is.... All inclusive. The plus I see that comes from Fox news is the only major media outlet at least showing some of the good and the bad happening on both sides of the house....
Steve wrote: The UN IMO sucks and we should withdraw from it and send the UN building over to Afganistan or Iraq, lets see how long the UN actually does the same thing which is nothing. The reason for us going to war is due to Iraq, Sadaam Husein not abiding by the countless resolutions because he knew he could get away without abiding by them.
while I might agree with you 100%, we can never get out, and remain the world's only superpower. We almost have to be there and be part of everything to remain our status. It is NEVER equally weighted because we are always going to be the bigger entity in the equation (any equation). But again, we are stuck being involved.
TVDinner wrote: Steve wrote: The UN IMO sucks and we should withdraw from it and send the UN building over to Afganistan or Iraq, lets see how long the UN actually does the same thing which is nothing. The reason for us going to war is due to Iraq, Sadaam Husein not abiding by the countless resolutions because he knew he could get away without abiding by them.
while I might agree with you 100%, we can never get out, and remain the world's only superpower. We almost have to be there and be part of everything to remain our status. It is NEVER equally weighted because we are always going to be the bigger entity in the equation (any equation). But again, we are stuck being involved. The United States trying to take down guerilla terrorism is like trying to take a fly down with a rocket launcher. We can remain a superpower, however we need smart leaders that realize that foreign policy should benefit Americans first, then the world (and I know that sounds a little selfish, however the American Government should be sustaining the American People).
China will be a key player in world events in the near future, as will Russia, and Iran. To be honest, I think those three, if Putin indeed stays in power, may be the major threat to the tumbling American Empire.
As for the United Nations, it is a great idea. It was such a great idea, it was tried twice. Once in World War I, that one failed, and the the current one, formulated after World War II. The problem with the UN is that it does not have an amalgamation of enough countries ratifying its policy to change world policy at all, really.
Then why stay in the UN if it does nothing to benefit the US or any other of our assets, other then to let the delegates leach off of our resources...
While Putin is definetly takinig Russia backwards IMO, China building up its defenses, and the middle east in Crisis/anarchy the best route very well may be just dropping 3 or 4 bombs and being done with it.
We are critisized by the world for the wars we start/finish/involvement to assist and never given recognition on the good we do ie Hummanitarian aide....
Steve wrote: Then why stay in the UN if it does nothing to benefit the US or any other of our assets, other then to let the delegates leach off of our resources...
While Putin is definetly takinig Russia backwards IMO, China building up its defenses, and the middle east in Crisis/anarchy the best route very well may be just dropping 3 or 4 bombs and being done with it.
We are critisized by the world for the wars we start/finish/involvement to assist and never given recognition on the good we do ie Hummanitarian aide....Well, we need to stay in the UN. As the last remaining world superpower, we must set an example for the rest of the world.
As for Russia, I would not say that Putin is taking the country backwards as a whole, however he is leading it back into a dangerous communist/autocratic path.
And we are really not given any recognition for our Humanitarian aide because we publically use torture as a means of getting information. If you have ever heard of Guantamano Bay or Abu Ghraib, you know what I mean. In Guantamano, I have even heard that they torture people to get information, however they will interrogate them in a totally different language than the victim can speak. Abu Ghraib is a prison in Iraq, and there was a big scandle with a troup raping, killing (I am not sure about the killing), and torturing those in prison there. If we are to try to spread the great idea of Human rights to other nations, we must be able to respect them here. Otherwise, we look like hypcrites.
Cole wrote: Well, we need to stay in the UN. As the last remaining world superpower, we must set an example for the rest of the world.
And we are really not given any recognition for our Humanitarian aide because we publically use torture as a means of getting information. If you have ever heard of Guantamano Bay or Abu Ghraib, you know what I mean. In Guantamano, I have even heard that they torture people to get information, however they will interrogate them in a totally different language than the victim can speak. Abu Ghraib is a prison in Iraq, and there was a big scandle with a troup raping, killing (I am not sure about the killing), and torturing those in prison there. If we are to try to spread the great idea of Human rights to other nations, we must be able to respect them here. Otherwise, we look like hypcrites.
Why lead when nobody is following or paying attention?
With regards to Guantanamo, I am sorry your not going to convince me otherwise, the people their deserve what they get, and unless your thier to know otherwise as to whats going on the press wants to make both out to be like were water boarding everyone. If it saves lives, your life or mine, I say do what you have to do. If you were a terrorist going to attack my house and caught I would expect no less.... to save my family and country.
While the prision issue was unfortunate, once again, we only know the bad pr that came out of it. Did the soldiers do something they shouldnt have, yes. Did they do some good thier too???? We will never know, unless you were thier....
Steve wrote: Cole wrote: Well, we need to stay in the UN. As the last remaining world superpower, we must set an example for the rest of the world.
And we are really not given any recognition for our Humanitarian aide because we publically use torture as a means of getting information. If you have ever heard of Guantamano Bay or Abu Ghraib, you know what I mean. In Guantamano, I have even heard that they torture people to get information, however they will interrogate them in a totally different language than the victim can speak. Abu Ghraib is a prison in Iraq, and there was a big scandle with a troup raping, killing (I am not sure about the killing), and torturing those in prison there. If we are to try to spread the great idea of Human rights to other nations, we must be able to respect them here. Otherwise, we look like hypcrites.
Why lead when nobody is following or paying attention?
With regards to Guantanamo, I am sorry your not going to convince me otherwise, the people their deserve what they get, and unless your thier to know otherwise as to whats going on the press wants to make both out to be like were water boarding everyone. If it saves lives, your life or mine, I say do what you have to do. If you were a terrorist going to attack my house and caught I would expect no less.... to save my family and country.
While the prision issue was unfortunate, once again, we only know the bad pr that came out of it. Did the soldiers do something they shouldnt have, yes. Did they do some good thier too???? We will never know, unless you were thier.... I cannot even respond to that. Universal human rights should apply to everyone. Liberty over security. I do not care what the hell anyone did, they still deserve their basic human rights. People that commit terroristic acts should be in prisoned for life, but they deserve their human rights just like every one else.
They did not do something good at Abu Ghraib, there is nothing good in rape or torture, and I cannot even believe you implied something good might have happened there. If you were talking about Iraq in general, then yes, if we execute correctly we have a chance to make that country better, but if not, I just do not know.
Let me give you one of my favorite of all UN works, the Universal Declaration of Human rights:
For sake of the post, I will highlight the specific articles for you:
Remember that this is a Universal Declaration, it applies to all people. These people deserve basic human rights, despite the dispicable crimes they have commited.
Article 10.
Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.
Article 9.
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile
Article 5.
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Article 1.
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
I agree, no human rights should be violated but certain things should be applied to people who violate other human rights. Not necessarily, eye for an eye but there has to be a heavy punishment that doesn't violate human rights but does get the point across.
MH0825 wrote: I agree, no human rights should be violated but certain things should be applied to people who violate other human rights. Not necessarily, eye for an eye but there has to be a heavy punishment that doesn't violate human rights but does get the point across.I agree.
So what your saying then is that its ok for the terrorists to behead living or even dead people, and for us to not coherce them to talk about planned terror events??? Im not talking about beheading, merely using proven methods approved by the Geneva convetion.
Thier is no sense in writting the same law or agreement two, three and for times... just enforce whats on the books.