Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site cad.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!ucbvax!cad!hijab
From: hijab@cad.UUCP (Raif Hijab)
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Re: Re: Air raid on Libya
Message-ID: <314@cad.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 10-May-86 13:14:21 EDT
Article-I.D.: cad.314
Posted: Sat May 10 13:14:21 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 13-May-86 00:35:26 EDT
References: <720@ark> <6100002@hpclld>
Organization: U. C. Berkeley CAD Group
Lines: 24
Summary: Whose Freedom?

In article <6100002@hpclld>, chip%hpclld@hpclld.UUCP writes:
> Nevertheless, I think an equally [or perhaps more] important lesson of
> history is that freedom will soon be lost without the willingness to
> fight for it.  We're talking HISTORY here, not "new age" wishful
> thinking.  As far as I can see from history, fighting (i.e. "violence")
> IS, in fact a "necessity for freedom".  I wish it were not that way.
> .............................................  How much better if the 
> real threat to peace, criminal actions on an international scale, had 
> been dealt with sooner!  This also applies to Khadafi (and all other
> international criminals).  Better to fight him now than to wait.

Some would argue the same case for starting a war against the United
States! ... My own feeling is that the United States *is* fighting for 
freedom: the freedom to pursue selfish policies unhindered, anywhere
in the world, without regard to its impact on the 'natives'.

Eqbal Ahmad, a well-known progressive political scientist, recently
posed the question "What is a strategic country?" and he answered,
"For the Iranians, for example, Iran is *always* strategic. When policy
makers talk about strategic countries, they mean *other* peoples'
countries being strategic for their (the policy makers') interests.
Likewise, when Reagan speaks about fighting for freedom, he is talking
about *his* freedom. From that perspective, if the freedom of other
nations conflicts with this goal, it *must* be crushed.