Xref: utzoo talk.politics.misc:7753 alt.flame:1741
Path: utzoo!mnetor!spectrix!clewis
From: clewis@spectrix.UUCP (Chris R. Lewis)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.misc,alt.flame
Subject: Re: Historical and Geographic inaccuracies.
Message-ID: <469@spectrix.UUCP>
Date: 1 Mar 88 01:05:04 GMT
References: <792@athos.rutgers.edu> <9612@steinmetz.steinmetz.UUCP> <3096@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> <777@mit-caf.UUCP> <3266@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU>
Reply-To: clewis@spectrix.UUCP (Chris R. Lewis)
Organization: Spectrix Microsystems Inc., Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Lines: 49

In article <3266@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> lazarus@athena.mit.edu (Michael Friedman) writes:

>We have a right as people to go anywhere. We balance our strength with
>our committments by being strong enough to fight whenever and
>whereever we have to.

The first sentence is patently ridiculous.  Even within your *own* country
you don't have the "right" to go anywhere you please.  Like missile control
rooms, nuclear submarines, the President's bedroom etc.  When you go on
property *you* do not own, you abide by the rules and laws of the owner - 
whether it be personal property or a country's.  (Of course, if it's personal
property, the owner's rules cannot normally override the country's).

If you commit a crime in another country, even if it isn't a crime in your
own, that country has every right to prosecute you with *their* laws and
punishments.

Lebanon doesn't really have a government.  Well, maybe several.  Most
hostile.  And the Druze decided that the shelling of the Shuf mountain 
villages (with 18 inch shells from the USS New Jersey no less) was an act 
of war.  No big surprise.  What difference does it make that the Druze 
had their artillery emplacements within civilian villages?  There were
still many civilian casualties.  You cannot really fault them for
placing military installation within civilian areas - your country does
too (San Diego, Long Beach, San Jose, Hampton Roads, Pearl etc.)

The biggest problem with Lebanon was that US tactics were self-righteous,
inconsistent and too quick on the trigger.  When you clobber someone
with a sledge hammer for spitting at you, and you miss, you'd better put on
a hard-hat (or run).

Don't get me wrong, I admire the US for trying.  And there were some pretty
damn good things done like the US lieutenant who stopped an Israeli 
armoured patrol by waving his revolver.  And I admire the bravery of 
those people who go there to help (like Lt. Higgins, or Terry Waite), or to
tell us what's happening there (a CBC reporter got killed covering it).
But not the foolishness of others.  Nor the stupidity of suggesting
revenge.

If you ignore warnings "Here be dragons" and you get eaten that's just too
bad (current legal precedence notwithstanding).

Imagine, this guy thinks that the US military should enforce his "right"
to go wherever he pleases.  Well, send on the marines - you cannot enter *my*
home.
-- 
Chris Lewis, Spectrix Microsystems Inc,
UUCP: {uunet!mnetor, utcsri!utzoo, lsuc, yunexus}!spectrix!clewis
Phone: (416)-474-1955