Saddam is purging Kirkuk at this very moment.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

The entire thing really was accidental, because the first post was off the cuff; after that I found myself in an untenable situation and tried to turn it around on you by finding a way to demonstrate human hypocrisy in your actions. Yeah, it was definitely personal by that point.

[Edi]

I see now. That comment of mine that started this whole argument was a little ill-considered, but I think I did elaborate on it later. Even though I sometimes do make rather sweeping statements or off the cuff comments like that, I am always of the opinion that the guilty should be punished, preferably in measure to the magnitude of the crime. Innocents shouldn't suffer. Unfortunately, that can also happen as a consequence, and it's never nice when it does.

Edi

[The Duchess of Zeon]

I see now. That comment of mine that started this whole argument was a little ill-considered, but I think I did elaborate on it later. Even though I sometimes do make rather sweeping statements or off the cuff comments like that, I am always of the opinion that the guilty should be punished, preferably in measure to the magnitude of the crime. Innocents shouldn't suffer. Unfortunately, that can also happen as a consequence, and it's never nice when it does.

Edi

Immorality in War is Excession.

To further explain - What you ended up commenting on was really more of a technical debate on Israeli military capabilities, by that point in time (it hadn't been before), than a moral debate. Nobody considers the morality of BDZing Coruscant, do that? So it was all based on a theoretical scenario where Israel had to launch like that, which is wildly implausible, and which I, at least, know is wildly implausible - I won't speak for the others involved.

When I checked the thread and saw your morality post interrupting the flow of that, it was especially irksome, and the result is what we know. No hard feelings, though, and I quite understand passionate views, or the willingness to make off-the-cuff statements, or sweeping ones!

[Dalton]

Duchess, Edi...I'm impressed by your ability to keep this thread from turning into a flamewar. Thank you.

[Axis Kast]

Where did I get my “ass kicked?” So everyone on this board insists that Hussein is no clear threat and that because I can’t prove that he’s going to attack – just as they can’t prove he won’t -, I’m wrong? Speculation is a tool of statecraft whether or not it agrees with your outlook.

Marina challenged my suggestion that Israel would be destroyed if it went to war. But that’s rather moot now because if it did, nuclear exchange would probably result and the state crumble anyway, an international paraiah and subject to terrorist attacks with WMD.

[Vympel]

Where did I get my “ass kicked?”

If you don't know, you're even more delusional than I thought.

So everyone on this board insists that Hussein is no clear threat and that because I can’t prove that he’s going to attack – just as they can’t prove he won’t -, I’m wrong?

Exactly- took you long enough to figure out. Go relearn fucking logic. Though I figure from your annoying "Red herring?" and "Strawman?" as if you don't know what they fucking mean, you haven't learned it in the first place.

Speculation is a tool of statecraft whether or not it agrees with your outlook.

Who gives a fuck if it's a tool of statecraft? That makes ill-thought out, self-contradictory bullshit like the stuff you've spewed on this board valid does it?

[Axis Kast]

If you don't know, you're even more delusional than I thought.

Please. You bash me for speculating that Hussein is a threat but then take refugee behind “not having to prove a negative?” The man is slowly gaining reasons to act and clearly has the necessary equipment. Your confidence that he Saddam Hussein does not represent any kind of threat is on the same level as my belief that he is indeed dangerous.

Exactly- took you long enough to figure out. Go relearn fucking logic. Though I figure from your annoying "Red herring?" and "Strawman?" as if you don't know what they fucking mean, you haven't learned it in the first place.

You’ve done nothing but prove that you’ve got an utterly different opinion. One not shared by the government of my nation, I might add.

Who gives a fuck if it's a tool of statecraft? That makes ill-thought out, self-contradictory bullshit like the stuff you've spewed on this board valid does it?

“Ill-thought out, self-contradictory bullshit?” Only from your point of view. My reasoning seems to fly with the White House. You might not accept speculation of mine, but you sure do a lot of it yourself: “Hussein is no threat. He’s got no weapons with which he intends to harm us.” Sounds like a leap of faith to me.

[Next of Kin]

The man is slowly gaining reasons to act and clearly has the necessary equipment.

Oh yes Axis Kast those wooden remote controlled airplanes could easily do tons of damage in a war. Plus, I'm sure his army has plenty of rocks to hurl at U.S. soldiers!

“Ill-thought out, self-contradictory bullshit?” Only from your point of view.

So from your point of view you spew well-thought out bullshit?

My reasoning seems to fly with the White House.

Really, well then, that settles it!

[MKSheppard]

Oh yes Axis Kast those wooden remote controlled airplanes could easily do tons of damage in a war. Plus, I'm sure his army has plenty of rocks to hurl at U.S. soldiers!

*slaps next of Kin*

Saddam has slowly rebuilt his army after the Gulf War, salvaging destroyed
tanks and refurbishing them...Still, though, his army is a fraction
of the size it was before 1991.

As for those "silly wooden planes", you forget that wood is invisible
to RADAR, and he could easily program them to fly under radar
coverage straight to Tel Aviv where they'd dispense their bombloads
of whatever he puts in them, from HE to chemicals, etc

[Next of Kin]

*blocks slap*



Those silly wooden planes can go a distance of no more than 5 miles from their controller.

[MKSheppard]

Those silly wooden planes can go a distance of no more than 5 miles from their controller.

*slaps NoK again*

*Reminds NoK that in 1944, the Germans had guidance systems
capable of guiding a V-1 Buzz Bomb to hit the general vinicity of london*

[Next of Kin]

*blocks once again*

*yawn*

Fair enough Shep, but the Iraqi drone couldn't fly 5 miles away from the controller.

[MKSheppard]

Fair enough Shep, but the Iraqi drone couldn't fly 5 miles away from the controller.

While the Iraqis may NOT have the technology needed to control the
drone in REAL TIME, they certainly do have the technology needed to
turn the drone into a pre-programmed cruise missile using GPS technology.

[Darth Wong]

You're forgetting that they're morons, Shep

[MKSheppard]

You're forgetting that they're morons, Shep

Morons who have some very SMART people working for them...they managed
to reverse engineer the SCUD missile into a locally produced Iraqi variant,
the Al-Hussein.

[Vympel]

*slaps next of Kin*

Saddam has slowly rebuilt his army after the Gulf War, salvaging destroyed
tanks and refurbishing them...Still, though, his army is a fraction
of the size it was before 1991.

As for those "silly wooden planes", you forget that wood is invisible
to RADAR, and he could easily program them to fly under radar
coverage straight to Tel Aviv where they'd dispense their bombloads
of whatever he puts in them, from HE to chemicals, etc

Err- Shep. Wood isn't invisble to radar. This thing also has an engine like a weed whacker- hardly something that's stealthy. Also, a drone which everyone knows is from Iraq ain't something you use in a terrorist attack where you don't want anyone to know it's you.

[Axis Kast]

What if Hussein were to deploy this UAV against troops att his point in time? Part of the rationale behind disarmament was that we wanted to minimize the threat to troops who might have to inimidate Baghdad into compliance. The vehicles are illegal whether or not it makes good sense for Hussein to deploy them.

[Vympel]

What if Hussein were to deploy this UAV against troops att his point in time? Part of the rationale behind disarmament was that we wanted to minimize the threat to troops who might have to inimidate Baghdad into compliance. The vehicles are illegal whether or not it makes good sense for Hussein to deploy them.

They're only illegal if they exceed a certain range. Their range was not established, and considering the extremely low level of technology involved in their construction, the chances of them exceeding the 150km limit is minimal. We'll never know now though.