[lit-ideas] Re: Max Boot

  • From: "Lawrence Helm" <lawrencehelm@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Mon, 1 Jan 2007 15:08:39 -0800

I haven't been following it in the paper either.  I thought there was an
Iraqi trial.  I thought there were an Iraqi Judge and an Iraqi Jury.  I
thought the U.S. had turned Saddam over to the Iraqis.  That's what I got
from the headlines I scanned.  You seem awfully excited about this and I
don't know why - not that I'm terribly interested - don't get the wrong
idea.  Leftists seem able to make "one almighty balls up" out of almost
anything.  Yawn.

 

What do the actuarial tables have to say about brutal dictators?  I wonder
how many of them spend their golden years beneath the leaves of their own
fig tree.  

 

I dug my newspaper out of the trash and read the captions under the photos
of happy Iraqis.  Good stuff.  I like happy Iraqis.  

 

Lawrence

 

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From: lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Simon Ward
Sent: Monday, January 01, 2007 2:51 PM
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: Max Boot

 

Since you haven't read previous posts, let me copy and paste what I said
earlier. Perhaps it'll do as a starter.

 

"...it's not the fact that Saddam was a monster that should be discussed. He
was, and I wouldn't present an argument against the notion that he deserved
the death penalty (unless it was couched in terms of the humanity or not of
such penalties). Rather we should think about the utter stupidity of handing
him over to the Shia Militia to carry out the sentence. If justice was to be
served by such a penalty then it should have been carried out with the
utmost gravity and impartiality. Instead we heard the executioners shouting
insults and taunts.

 

Next we'll hear is that the US military and Bush had nothing to do with the
proceedings: despite the fact that the US military was guarding him before
and flew his body away after. Add to that the timing of the event - in the
middle of the Muslim Hajj - and you have one almighty balls up."

 

Simon

----- Original Message ----- 

From: Lawrence <mailto:lawrencehelm@xxxxxxxxxxxx>  Helm 

To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 

Sent: Monday, January 01, 2007 10:30 PM

Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: Max Boot

 

I haven't been following your "Saddam" discussions.  Since you are implying
in your note below that his execution was a mistake, I might assume you are
logically (if you were inclined toward being logical; which you demonstrably
are not) consistent with your earlier leftist (and non-Liberal) assertions
that it would have been preferable to leave this brutal dictator in place.
As to his execution, I believe the Iraqis did that.  Are you saying they
shouldn't have?  Based upon what?  Your opposition to the Death penalty?
Your admiration of Dictators in general and this one in particular?  Too
soon to give the Iraqis the right to come to their own conclusions about
him? 

 

Doesn't sound like an interesting subject.  But of course I made that
determination some time ago when I elected not to read any of the messages.

 

Lawrence

 


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From: lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Simon Ward
Sent: Monday, January 01, 2007 2:02 PM
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: Max Boot

 

So that's a no for Saddam's demise then?

 

Too difficult to defend? Too embarrassing a mistake? Or do you like the
notion of raw revenge and how that will enrage the Arab and Muslim world?

----- Original Message ----- 

From: Lawrence <mailto:lawrencehelm@xxxxxxxxxxxx>  Helm 

To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 

Sent: Monday, January 01, 2007 9:55 PM

Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: Max Boot

 

Simon writes, As for my [lack of] success in debates with Lawrence, memory
suggests that it has been him either using dodgy debating tactics [like
using logic] or else just plain leaving rather than me on the fire and burn.


 

Right, well I do confess to "just plain leaving" after you demonstrated not
only a lack of understanding of the rules of logic but an insistence that
logic should be ignored in order to allow the debate to continue.  

 

Lawrence

 


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