The Killings Tell A Story (William Buckley Jr. is an idiot)

Yahoo ^ | April 4 2006 | William F. Buckley Jr.

[Reagan 76]

"Of course there is a large segment within the Kurds"

....ah, yes. In the same way that their was a large segment of the Estonian and Slovenian communities that saw themselves as other than Soviet or Yugoslavian. In the Kurds case, it is probably near 100%. The only reason this has not taken place is that a partition of the country along demographic lines leaves the Sunni section with no oil.

Typically, we support persecuted groups that want independence, whether they be Ukranians or Armenians or whoever. There is no reason not to do it for the Kurds.

[SevenMinusOne]

ah, yes. In the same way that their was a large segment of the Estonian and Slovenian communities that saw themselves as other than Soviet or Yugoslavian. In the Kurds case, it is probably near 100%. The only reason this has not taken place is that a partition of the country along demographic lines leaves the Sunni section with no oil.

Typically, we support persecuted groups that want independence, whether they be Ukranians or Armenians or whoever. There is no reason not to do it for the Kurds.

No, it is more complex then that...nor would anywhere near 100% of the Kurds today agree with your statement - If you have been on the ground in Iraq you understand this - The Kurds are to a larger and larger degree really believing in the idea of "one Iraq". Balkanizing themselves within Iraq is not the answer whatsoever. And most Iraqi's understand this.

Furthermore we have supported the Kurds and helped free them from a brutal dictator.

[Reagan 76]

"If you have been on the ground in Iraq you understand this"

I have been, but I don't buy into the "you haven't been there so don't know" nonsense. Any more than since I didn't fight in Korea AND in Iraq, I can't say for certain that the Korean war was tougher fighting. Unless you are Phil Carter, everyone knows that this war doesn't hold a candle (to use Andy Exum's phrase) to Korea or Vietnam or WWII. And although I was on the ground, I didn't need to be there to know this.

As regards the Kurds, they may well be giving us the "yellow smile". Since you were "on the groung", you know what that means in context to an Arab. Don't listen to what they say, look at what they are doing. They are establishing the framework for a nation. In my estimation, they are doing this wisely, although you and the Turks and the Persians/Iranians would not agree. X-hundred years of being slaughtered ought to be enough for any people.