Omar wrote or quoted: The US has not learned anything from 55 years of > foreign-policy debacles. ck: This type of blanket lede announces that the speaker is not intending to discuss nor debate an issue. He speaks to his converted, for others will tune out the know-it-all tone that is a hallmark of those without credibility or authority. Rhetorically, as first sentences go, this one gets a shrug with a request to turn the page. But then ideologues usually don't care what others think. Carol ----- Original Message ----- From: "Omar Kusturica" <omarkusto@xxxxxxxxx> To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Tuesday, May 02, 2006 10:56 PM Subject: [lit-ideas] The supergun that couldn't shoot straight > The US has not learned anything from 55 years of > foreign-policy debacles. Even now, at the same time it > is enmeshed in the very trap it laid for the Soviets > in Afghanistan, and is bogged down in Iraq in a replay > of Vietnam, it is rattling sabers at Iran. One reason > Kolko gives for the United States' failing to heed > what history is telling it is that its wealth and > military power enable it to continue making the same > mistakes - though not indefinitely. It also has a > massive military-industrial empire to which it is > beholden for domestic political reasons. Kolko has > much to say on the latter subject, including the need > of successive US administrations to play the fear card > to justify staggering military budgets (the pet > anti-ballistic-missile shield project has cost US$70 > billion to develop, and will cost another $60 billion > to deploy - and it does not even work). > > http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/HE03Aa02.html > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.com > ------------------------------------------------------------------ > To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, > digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html ------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html