[SOC] Ambassadors' letter to Blair (???)

[JMcAulay]

At 08:40 PM 04/28/2004 +1000, Ian wrote:
>
>Setting aside that particular issue, how are you personally faring my friend?
>

Rather well, and thanks for asking.  Being married to a much younger woman
who makes good money is quite fine. 


With all the goings on about which we confer, it is interesting to consider
that many things today have related precedents which have been around for a
very long time.  Here's part of a letter from Winston Churchill to Shane
Leslie, written 2 October 1920:

"My dear Shane, You asked me what advice I would give to the Sinn Feiners,
and I replied, "Quit murdering and start arguing." This is in no sense an
offer of negotiation and could not be represented as such; but I am quite
sure that the moment the murders cease the Irish question will enter upon a
new phase, and I shall not be behindhand in doing my utmost to secure a
good settlement. As long as the murder conspiracy goes on things will go
from bad to worse: the military power of the British Government in Ireland
will continually increase, and the whole prosperity of the country is sure
to be affected by the continuance of these troubles." 

It's curious that those in Iraq who are now causing "us" such grief
allegedly believe that by raising so much hell, they will drive out the
Coalition forces.  I believe they are quite wrong.  It is recognized that
one of Osama bin Laden's beliefs prior to the 9/11 attacks was that the
Americans would not retaliate.  Surely, such a myth should have been
dispelled thoroughly by now. 

Ian, it is always a pleasure to read the words of a gentleman whose
viewpoints are frequently in opposition to mine.  A good exchange of
opinions always promotes better understanding and may even result in proper
conclusions.  Those who insist that people who do not see things their way
must be stupid are nothing more than arrogant; their opinions are of little
interest to me.  No one understands it all, even in retrospect.  We shall
never know what the world might be like today if Neville Chamberlain had
told Reichschancellor Hitler to blow it out his a** (or a***, depending
upon your local English-language culture).  We all might be in even worse
shape.  

By the way, regarding the tooth fairy:  If some despotic ruler might have
been holding the tooth fairy hostage, and -- in the face of directions to
do so by the UN -- refused to allow proper international inspection, even
though proof that the tooth fairy was NOT in his hands would have enabled
him to take in more money to the tune of millions of dollars an hour, then
I would definitely and quite firmly believe the tooth fairy was there.  To
me, believing otherwise would be clinging to an implausibility.  

Of course, as always, I could be wrong. 

73
John WA6QPL  SOC 263