🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <EGGERTJ.92Jul30165655@moses.atc.ll.mit.edu> eggertj@moses.atc.ll.mit.edu (Jim Eggert x6127 g41) writes:
> In article <159680INN7pj@agate.berkeley.edu> dan@jonas.berkeley.edu (dan graves) writes:
> >   We support Israel
> >   because it is in our interests to support the  only democracy
> >   of the region.   Democracies make better allies and
> >   Israel has been one of USA's most steadfast allies.
>
> Yemen is starting to be a democracy now.  Lebanon would be a democracy
> if it weren't for the constant invasion, occupation, and civil war.
> Shall we start supporting these two countries at the same rate we
> support Israel?  Or should we reduce Israel's support to the levels we
> give Lebanon and Yemen?
>

When Jimmy Carter got Egypt and Isreal to agree to peace, he promised
$2Billion in US foreign aid to each country, per year, as an incentive.
We should keep the promises we make, even if they are Jimmy Carter's.

SO the real question you should be asking is "should we increase the
levels of aid we give to Lebanon and Yemen to what we give Egypt
and Isreal?"  I would answer NO, simply because we haven't promised
to and we don't have any reason to.

I would also add that in 1776, when we declared our independance, we
got aid from the French, otherwise we likely would still be a part of
the Brittish Empire.  Isreal is also a fledgling state that deserves
support for the same reasons we deserved it fromt he French.

And finally, without our aid, we would have ZERO influence to prevent
serious and potentially nuclear war from breaking out in the middle
east.  It is believed that Isreal is a nuclear power, and when I
first heard the first Iraqi SCUD land in Isreali cities, I feared that
Isreal would retaliate with a nuclear attack.  We were able to use
our influence to keep Isreal from doing so, and were able to keep
Isreal from getting involved at all - which would have potentially
swung several arab nations to the Iraqi side.  We would have had
a world war on our hands had that happened.  And thank God Saddam
did not use Gas warheads, or we likely would NOT have been able
to prevent a nuclear retaliation under any circumstances - there
are many isreali citizens who had families and friends Gassed
by the Nazis in the 40's.

> I don't understand what you mean when you say that Israel has been one
> of the USA's most steadfast allies.  Do you mean that the US has, in
> time of need, been able to go to Israel for help?  Do you mean that
> Israel has done its best to do what the US wants it to do?  Please
> explain.

First, let me say that I am Jewish, so don't accuse me of racism or
other ethnic slurs.  99.9% of the Jews I know are democrats.  There
are even black sheep in my family - my cousin was Mondale's attorney
in 1984 and is Clinton's attorney this year.  John Dean was Nixon's
attorney in the watergate era, for reference.  My cousin works at
Ross/Hardy, a law firm in D.C. - the same firm that Anita Hill
worked for after EEOC, and the same firm that represented her at
the Thomas/Hill witch-hunt.  Just a little trivia :)

You can take this inference to mean what you wish :)

> --
> =Jim  eggertj@atc.ll.mit.edu (Jim Eggert)

--
Amiga programmer of: GRn, MailMinder, Budokan, Beyond Dark Castle, Dark Castle
Sega Genesis programmer of: Dick Tracy and Marble Madness.
Mike Schwartz  (ames!zorch!amiga0!mykes or mykes@amiga0.sf-bay.org)
1124 Fremont Ave.
Los Altos, CA 94024