Your viewpoints are, as always, insightful and valued. Please see my inline comments:

>Tracy;
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>I used the term of the position of the United States as “Peace through War”, while I was in the Air Force Security Service! We took a “bury your head in the sand” approach through the 1930’s. The French and English did much worse as they did not honor their Treaties and allowed the invasion of Poland without support to the Poles. The world pays for inactivity.
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>If we are to enjoy any of the freedoms which so many Americans take for granted we as a nation have to take a large part in the worlds activities. If we did nothing we would be criticized. You cannot win but you do have to play the game.

A view shared by many I think. I think we are criticized no matter what we do and it is a catch-22 situation.

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>Perhaps I will add “Controlled Chaos” to my list of terms. We do not run the world but we do have some degree of influence. There are those that are jealous of our position and power. After all are we not the colonies?
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>Some people cherish life and others use it for a means to an end. I am thinking of 5 year old Vietnamese children carrying grenades and satchel charges to kill themselves and Americans. Today it is Arab kids – older than 5 but still youngsters, who are killing themselves and others in the quest for freedom or recognition.
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Some would say that those see the country as more important than themselves or 'the good of the whole outweigh the good of the one.' I cannot fathom a mother that would allow her son/daughter to strap a bomb onto themselves and blow themselves up for any political/religious purpose. However, I do not live in, nor do I understand, such political or religious fervor that outweighs the value of human life.

Yet we have individuals in America that do this still today here and in foreign countries as you and I both know. Lives are sacrificed for our country (many not known to the public) 'for the good of the country.' We never have the opportunity to vote on this though, do we?

>There is no answer to any question that will satisfy everyone. Regardless of what you do or do not do there is risk involved. If you attempt to support a people that do not want your support then you have a serious problem.
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Our country has a serious problem due to this very situation.


>I somehow think Afghanistan is a bit like North and South Vietnam. We are attempting to impose our value system on a people that do not want us there. They are too accustomed to those social and political values that existed before we arrived.
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The problem is that some want us there. It is not a question of 70%for/30%against. If only it were so simple. They will ask for our help privately and then criticize us for our help publicly for political gains just as you said.

>As for Israel and the Arabs, I think the worst is yet to come.
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I agree here. While personally I believe in a Palistinian state and it was due 40 years ago, I'm afraid that will NOT bring peace to the area only ascerbate (spelling?) it.

>Sometimes plans made today provide serious problems for the future. How many people know about the creation of North and South Vietnam, and North and South Korea? What seemed a good idea at the time caused some serious ramifications later.

Well, I know for sure that those soldiers on the DMZ today know of North and South Korea and how it came to be. Everyone posted there has to know the history-they are given the lecture whether they want it or not. But as to the general public? I don't think they even realize they are separate countries anylonger....

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>Tom