[The Armorer likes Ry's habit of going out and finding stuff to try and make us think around here - and the Armorer has tried hard to make this place not be an echo chamber. Sadly, when it comes to the "comments" feature, the echo is alive and well - but we do still try to keep the *substance* of the comments a fora where opposing viewpoints can contend. So, I asked Ry if he wouldn't mind doing it as a, oh, weekly feature - it may be more often, it may be less often - Ry has a life, after all, and being on Castle staff pays diddly. Ask any of us - they don't get paid, and I write checks to the hosting service and photo-hosting service. All we get in return is larger egos. Anyway after scratching his right ear with his left hand from below and behind he agreed, so I let his arm go and here we are.]
A while back I started posting opposing view stuff. Armorer liked that it was being done and wanted to make it a regular feature. I said no. He cocked an eyebrow in response. So now we have a new weekly feature for Denizens to contribute to here at Castle Argghhh!.
Kicking it off is King Daddy with a bit about The Surge called Surely You Jest.
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Something we often hear is that the Kurdish controlled parts of N. Iraq are doing well. But is it all that it seems?
During my trips in Iraqi Kurdistan, I see how grateful ordinary Kurdish citizens are to the U.S. government and American people for the establishment of the safe haven in 1991, the no-fly zone, and Iraq's liberation. But the mood is changing. Today, the Kurdish parties misuse U.S. assistance and taxpayers' money. Rather than support democracy, the Kurdish party leaders use their funding and their militia's operational training to curtail civil liberties. What angers Kurds is the squandered leverage. Instead of demanding rule-of-law, the White House has subordinated democracy to stability not only in Baghdad and Basra, but in Iraqi Kurdistan as well. Rather than create a model democracy, the Iraqi Kurds have replicated the governing systems of Egypt, Tunisia or, perhaps even Syria.
This challenges the typical and near consensus view that Kurdistan is doing wonderful. If the article has more than a few shreds of truth to it then there might be a necessary rethinking of a three state partition plan.
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Okay, I know someone is going to blast me for linking to this ‘blame the Jews’ article. Remember, I’m intentionally linking to stuff me and many other readers disagree with. It’s about getting outside our comfort zones and pushing our noggins finding the logic of that which we disagree with.
What was the cause of the 6 Day War, and what did it buy us all?
--ry
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