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Odd that you should write this today just as the reknowned Daniel Dennett, professor of philosophy at Tufts University, has weighed in on this today in an op-ed in the New York Times. The Bright Stuff http://tinyurl.com/gq0v ----- Original Message ----- From: <bob.steel1@juno.com> To: <casi-discuss@lists.casi.org.uk> Sent: Saturday, July 12, 2003 2:40 AM Subject: [casi] Re: Urgent Request that you Prevent Rwanda Redux > > >will sit in his seat in the years to come. 'They' have >the money, > 'They' have the power, "we" have neither in >sufficient quantity to be > noticeable by "They." > > There is one thing I have noticed about the people involved in the peace > and anti-Bush organizations: they are smarter than the average bear, and > many have quite a list of academic credentials. In short, *we* (speaking > generally, albeit not for myself), are a heck of lot smarter than "they" > are. Yes, they are clever -- like con-men -- but very limited in > creativity, broad understanding, or cognitive power. > > >will not turn over the keys to the city to those of us >which are no > more than the "unwashed masses" > > Do not mistake healthy humility for underestimation of your real power. > The people on this list, many professors and grad students in prestigious > universities, and in other peace groups, are hardly unwashed masses. The > "common people" are not likely to gain access to the keys -- but then, > they would be far too busy watching the sitcoms on TV to even notice they > had them. > > But this is the information age, dependent on technology and "knowledge > workers". A solution may not be obvious, but is there not a way to > outsmart them, despite their "cleverness" and cons? Shall the peacemakers > be outdone by criminals and frauds? > > Think about it -- if YOU wanted to take over the world, would you have > done things so badly? Already it is beginning to unravel. The lies and > the bad planning are already coming home to roost. A great part of the > problems facing imperialist neo-cons are the result of their own > incompetence and lack of foresight. If YOU had been in charge of the > invasion, would have tried to do it without a much larger number of > troops? They were warned by expert generals, and yet Rumsfeld, in his > arrogance, went ahead with his "lightning force", and failed to secure > the country. > > Let's say that they planned to kill as many Iraqis as possible to > depopulate the country (deliberate genocide is nothing new to > imperialists). Why then did they not drop some bombs with a deadly plague > and blame on Saddam? Either they weren't smart enough to think of it, or > they weren't smart enough to see the consequences of attempting genocide > by structural disintegration. Or did they not plan for killing off the > people -- and in that case then why didn't think of making adequate > plans? Whatever the case, the situation is going to hell, not just for > the Iraqis, but for the US/UK as well. This whole affair has been riddled > with blindness and stupidity -- this can't be what they *wanted* to > happen. > > It's like the Bay of Pigs screw up, or Vietnam, or Somalia, or the other > "operations" which those doing them though were so darned clever and were > busted up. None of this seems to have been well thought through -- the > type of operation one would expect from adolescents. > > The US has this huge expensive war and at the same cut taxes drastically. > Did they not have the patience to follow the old rule of the role playing > game raiders -- First plunder the village, THEN burn it? They thought > they would get rich on Iraqi oil -- and never looked at the time factor > of how long it would take to pump that much? They never considered the > internet and it's effect on how it would help protesters get organized? > > And what about the forgeries? Were they so stupid to think they would not > be noticed as bogus? Where did they come from? If they got them from > someone else, why did they use them since they were so bad? If they had > them produced, why were they so sloppy? Did they WANT to get caught with > them and discredited? The whole thing stinks of gross stupidity and > blindness through arrogance and underestimation of the opposition. > > Now the intelligence community is being blamed by the administration, in > effect, by saying that they let it remain in the "bowels" and didn't > properly pass the info up (to the "Colon Powells"). Now Sen. Levin is > calling it an "intelligence failure" -- I think because Levin is telling > the CIA that they had better spill the beans and nail the administration > or take the rap themselves. This was unanticipated? That the government > professional would not jump ship if things went badly -- but neglected to > see to the details so they would *all* have their rear ends covered? > > Heck -- the way thing have gone, if this was written up as a story by an > average spy-novel author the thing wouldn't have even have gotten > published. Maybe they can get away with sloppiness with the unwashed > masses, but the *real* opposition are the brains of the world. > > It seem to me that Nixon was twice as smart as all of these clowns put > together, but Nixon's insanity and stupidity brought him down. (Yeah, > Fred -- just set the microphone to the tape system in the corner there > --- Now, I want what's in that safe and I don't care how you get it..) > > These clowns are going to outdo a bunch of Cambridge scholars, and top > intellectuals worldwide? Their money and current political power will win > over cognitive power? *BUSH* and his throwback friends are going to > outsmart us all? Not if we refuse to fall for their propaganda about > being powerless and succumb to the fear-fog they propagate, and put all > our brains in gear! C'mon Rog -- you're an anthropologist -- you can > out-think Rumsfeld with your ears tied behind your back! :) > > > > > ________________________________________________________________ > The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! > Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! > Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today! > > _______________________________________________ > Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. > To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss > To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk > All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk _______________________________________________ Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk