Jag,

Are you a college sophomore? You sound like it. Do you want to get serious?

I am willing to take you on, but I just want to know if you are willing. I am speaking about a real discussion, Jag. Are you there?

Dear Gene,

It is always a pleasure to see someone like yourself engage in a reasoned discourse about serious issues, instead of resorting to personal attacks, the last resort of those without any ground to stand on.

Trudy--perhaps you are not familiar with Jag's posts and letters.
His writings are filled with half-truths, distortions and innuendo. He has been known and caught on this forum cutting and pastings portions of people's writings and then twisting them for his own purpose.
Jag's writings are filled with personal attacks against the Jewish people, Israel and others who does not fit his distorted view of muslim terrorism (i.e. it is all the Jews/Israels fault).
What ground are you standing on?????

Everything Jag has posted above is true. What he's posted elsewhere, I have no idea.

As for Israel, etc. its destruction of Lebanon (not once but twice), and brutal military occupation of Palestine (in violation of U.N. mandates 242 and 338 calling upon it to withdraw) and the Geneva convention prohibiting a military occupier from settling its civilians in occupied territories speaks volumes.

It certainly is true that the vast animosity against the U.S. in the Muslim/Arab world is the result primarily of U.S. backing for these Israel actions, although the U.S. has done plenty of other disgusting things, such as overthrow the previous Democratic regime in Iran so it could install its puppet Shah, to earn animosity other than that.

It's typical of Israel's backers to respond not with logic, since they can't, but with attempting to damage the reputations of its critics.

WEll put, Trudy--too bad nothing you have written has anything to do with the reality of situation.
Then you also say that anyone that dares to criticize you or Jag is guilty of damaging your reputation.
You should, before you start writing, learn some history. Go back and read the complete text of UN resolutions 242 and 338, not just the portions you quote out of contect.
And if you want to rely on UN resolutions, then what about the UN resolutions regarding Lebanon and Hezbollah?
It is too bad that you parrot that old canard that the US problems in the Middle East are due to a country the size of NEw Jersey.
Do not let the fact sget in the way of your thinking

"Bush effectively torpedoed years of quiet diplomacy by calling heads of state “Axis of Evil” and even mocked the ‘pint sized North Korean leader’ as a ‘pygmy’! What hypocrisy!"

Trudy, Jag said this, right?

Well, Reagan described the Soviet system as an "evil empire". He was right. He went with the truth, and he won the cold war. Now Bush told the truth about Iraq, Iran and North Korea. He did not undermine quiet diplomacy, since that diplomacy was only helping the evil rulers in those countries.

"....given the CIA attempted to orchestrate an abortive coup"

Hey Jag....just FYI....your Central Intelligence Agency does not orchaestrate "abortive" coups....they orchaestrate coups period. Some may end up being abortive...some may be successful. Unfortunetly, the one to which you referred was abortive and that tyrant is still in power. Maybe the next one we try in Caracas will be successful and the people of Venezuela will get the freedom to write silly complaints about their country in the press like you do.