Why Am I Not Surprised?

[Cal]

Originally posted by Jenda+Jan 26 2005, 07:44 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Jenda @ Jan 26 2005, 07:44 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>

Originally posted by -Cal@Jan 25 2005, 07:33 PM

Originally posted by -Jenda@Jan 25 2005, 06:57 PM

Originally posted by -Cal@Jan 25 2005, 06:51 PM

<!--QuoteBegin--TheProudDuck@Jan 24 2005, 05:39 PM

At least in Vietnam, we were enforcing a treaty we had agreed to.

Same deal in Iraq. Saddam violated the 1991 cease fire (see UN Resolution 1441). Time in.

Were you calling for President Clinton's impeachment when he invaded the Serbian province of Kosovo without so much as a by-your-leave either from Slobo or the UN? There was even less of an immediate threat to us from the Serbs than from Iraq, whose dictator was our acknowledged enemy. My thinking is that after 9/11, any regime that supported any anti-American terrorist group (as did Iraq; see Salman Pak) had better get on the side of the angels toute de suite.

The real joke being that he has probably created more terrorists than ever existed before

The idea that fighting terrorists creates more terrorists has always struck me as remarkably like the attitude of a victim of abuse: Don't fight back; it'll just make the bully madder. If masses of Arabs are so barbaric so as to be turned to bona fide terrorism (referring to killing civilians, not soldiers) by the Iraq campaign, then better that they be pushed over the edge sooner rather than later, so they can be identified and chewed up.

Bottom line is, as long as we have soldiers on the ground in Iraq, insurgents or other radical Muslims will have an excuse to terrorize us along with the other innocent "stand bys". At some point, we are going to have to find a good excuse to get out. Look at it this way, if we had an arab armed force occupying this country, don't you think every red neck, shot gun-toting, pickup truck driving Bubba would be taking pot shots at them everytime they got the chance. (I might even buy a pickup!)

Well, the insurgents are the Iraq version of Bubba!

I don't disagree with your analogy, Cal, as far as it goes, but you don't carry it far enough.

Sure, every gun-toting redneck would take pot-shots at every passing arab whenever they got the chance, but the minute they were gone, it would be over. The rednecks would go on to bigger and better things. The difference being that it doesn't matter whether we are there or not. The fact that the western, capitalistic world is corrupting (or seen by them to be corrupting) their ways, we are a threat and they will not stop attacking till we are no longer a threat.

That's a heck of a difference.

I never said the would stop attacking just because we leave Iraq, but they WILL stop attacking our soldiers---and that is what I am concerned about. Our guys are dying for NOTHING.

OH. So you would rather them attack the (unarmed) US citizens on US soil than the trained soldiers, who are really trained to keep killing to a minimum?

Why should we put our own people in the line of fire of terrorists on their own soil? By the time this thing is over the terrorists may have killed as many US soldiers in Iraq as they killed in 911! It is a heck of a lot easier to lose US citizens in Iraq than it is in the US. Soldiers or otherwise, a US citizen is a US citizen.

[Guest TheProudDuck]

Originally posted by Cal+Jan 26 2005, 05:58 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Cal @ Jan 26 2005, 05:58 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin--TheProudDuck@Jan 25 2005, 09:58 PM

Well, the insurgents are the Iraq version of Bubba!

Insurgents, schminsurgents. Why doesn't the media call them death squads, or paramilitaries, or any of those disapproving names that similar murderers in the service of right-wing tyrants get called?

A rose by any other name..... I think we all know what they are.

Except for Michael Moore, who compared the insurgent death squads to the Minutemen, i.e. the good guys.

[Cal]

Originally posted by TheProudDuck+Jan 27 2005, 01:55 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (TheProudDuck @ Jan 27 2005, 01:55 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>

Originally posted by -Cal@Jan 26 2005, 05:58 PM

<!--QuoteBegin--TheProudDuck@Jan 25 2005, 09:58 PM

Well, the insurgents are the Iraq version of Bubba!

Insurgents, schminsurgents. Why doesn't the media call them death squads, or paramilitaries, or any of those disapproving names that similar murderers in the service of right-wing tyrants get called?

A rose by any other name..... I think we all know what they are.

Except for Michael Moore, who compared the insurgent death squads to the Minutemen, i.e. the good guys.

Well, on that point, I agree, he is out to lunch!

[Guest TheProudDuck]

Originally posted by Cal+Jan 27 2005, 02:47 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Cal @ Jan 27 2005, 02:47 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>

Originally posted by -TheProudDuck@Jan 27 2005, 01:55 PM

Originally posted by -Cal@Jan 26 2005, 05:58 PM

<!--QuoteBegin--TheProudDuck@Jan 25 2005, 09:58 PM

Well, the insurgents are the Iraq version of Bubba!

Insurgents, schminsurgents. Why doesn't the media call them death squads, or paramilitaries, or any of those disapproving names that similar murderers in the service of right-wing tyrants get called?

A rose by any other name..... I think we all know what they are.

Except for Michael Moore, who compared the insurgent death squads to the Minutemen, i.e. the good guys.

Well, on that point, I agree, he is out to lunch!

out to lunch

More than once a day, by the look of him.

Speaking of which, I'm starving, having just tried and failed to get an unconscionably dim opposing attorney to change his mind and save me the trouble of a motion, thus making myself two hours late for lunch. Sushi or Chinese -- hmm.

[Cal]

Originally posted by TheProudDuck+Jan 27 2005, 03:04 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (TheProudDuck @ Jan 27 2005, 03:04 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>

Originally posted by -Cal@Jan 27 2005, 02:47 PM

Originally posted by -TheProudDuck@Jan 27 2005, 01:55 PM

Originally posted by -Cal@Jan 26 2005, 05:58 PM

<!--QuoteBegin--TheProudDuck@Jan 25 2005, 09:58 PM

Well, the insurgents are the Iraq version of Bubba!

Insurgents, schminsurgents. Why doesn't the media call them death squads, or paramilitaries, or any of those disapproving names that similar murderers in the service of right-wing tyrants get called?

A rose by any other name..... I think we all know what they are.

Except for Michael Moore, who compared the insurgent death squads to the Minutemen, i.e. the good guys.

Well, on that point, I agree, he is out to lunch!

out to lunch

More than once a day, by the look of him.

Speaking of which, I'm starving, having just tried and failed to get an unconscionably dim opposing attorney to change his mind and save me the trouble of a motion, thus making myself two hours late for lunch. Sushi or Chinese -- hmm.

By the way, how is the law practice going? Do you enjoy it? Any particular areas you like more than others?

I have a part time Estate Planning practice and do some Probate and related things---home office, my own para and sec work. I probably won't practice full time until I retire from teaching--2 or 3 years--I still really enjoy it and don't want to take a pay cut just to get started full time.

[Guest TheProudDuck]

Cal,

"Enjoy" may be too strong a word, but I do find myself getting pretty close, especially in the appellate work I'm getting. I'm kind of an abstract-principle, ivory-tower kinda guy, so the egghead appellate Great Principles Of Law stuff appeals to me.

However, this last week has involved a discovery dispute with a giant firm that is evidently (a) trying to bury us in minutiae and distract us from the real issues of the case, or (B) churn its hours to inflate its billings. Either way, I'm basically in a pi ... er, "kidney-draining" contest with a senior woman attorney who is nice and sweet in person but gets really quite nasty in writing. The typing fingers are sharper than the tongue, I suppose -- message boards are probably the best evidence of that. Bottom line, this back-and-forth (and most of discovery generally) bores me to tears. Which is probably why I've posted here so much this week.

I enjoyed estate planning and GWT's in law school, but the luck of the draw landed me in litigation, which has its own pluses. The thrill of crushing one's enemies and hearing the lamentations of their women, for example ...

As it turned out, neither sushi nor Chinese, but the Kalua Pig bowl at the South Coast Plaza Wahoo's.

[Cal]

Originally posted by TheProudDuck@Jan 27 2005, 04:14 PM

Cal,

"Enjoy" may be too strong a word, but I do find myself getting pretty close, especially in the appellate work I'm getting. I'm kind of an abstract-principle, ivory-tower kinda guy, so the egghead appellate Great Principles Of Law stuff appeals to me.

However, this last week has involved a discovery dispute with a giant firm that is evidently (a) trying to bury us in minutiae and distract us from the real issues of the case, or (B) churn its hours to inflate its billings. Either way, I'm basically in a pi ... er, "kidney-draining" contest with a senior woman attorney who is nice and sweet in person but gets really quite nasty in writing. The typing fingers are sharper than the tongue, I suppose -- message boards are probably the best evidence of that. Bottom line, this back-and-forth (and most of discovery generally) bores me to tears. Which is probably why I've posted here so much this week.

I enjoyed estate planning and GWT's in law school, but the luck of the draw landed me in litigation, which has its own pluses. The thrill of crushing one's enemies and hearing the lamentations of their women, for example ...

As it turned out, neither sushi nor Chinese, but the Kalua Pig bowl at the South Coast Plaza Wahoo's.

I did a little tort work a couple of years ago---auto accident, insurance company the whole bit. I hated every minute of it--the discovery was ridiculous, and the insurance company totally unreasonable--I know what you mean--I refuse to do any more of that. The appellate works sounds interesting--I might like to try it later--I don't have the time for it now.

Kalua Pig? That sounds good; where is that place again? South Coast Plaza? Is that right off the 405?

[Guest TheProudDuck]

Kalua Pig? That sounds good; where is that place again? South Coast Plaza? Is that right off the 405?

Yeah. Back when I was in high school, there was only one Wahoo's, a little hole in the wall in west Costa Mesa. It was a total surf-bum dive. They've opened a whole bunch more, trying to maintain the same decor (surf and skate stickers plastered randomly over everything), but of course the South Coast Plaza restaurant is hopelessly slick and gentrified. Good food, though -- sort of Surf Mexican, with fish tacos and rice bowls like the Kalua Pig one. It's basically pork pot roast, lightly seasoned with teriyaki, over rice, with spicy white beans. Good stuff. I'm addicted.

[Cal]

Originally posted by TheProudDuck@Jan 28 2005, 11:47 AM

Kalua Pig? That sounds good; where is that place again? South Coast Plaza? Is that right off the 405?

Yeah. Back when I was in high school, there was only one Wahoo's, a little hole in the wall in west Costa Mesa. It was a total surf-bum dive. They've opened a whole bunch more, trying to maintain the same decor (surf and skate stickers plastered randomly over everything), but of course the South Coast Plaza restaurant is hopelessly slick and gentrified. Good food, though -- sort of Surf Mexican, with fish tacos and rice bowls like the Kalua Pig one. It's basically pork pot roast, lightly seasoned with teriyaki, over rice, with spicy white beans. Good stuff. I'm addicted.

I've got to try that sometime when I'm driving down to San Diego--I live up in Ventura County.