[Exsubmariner]

Thanks Ed,
Your reply is certainly challenging. I can't disagree with anything you said. I think US support for corrupt regimes is amoral. When you start talking about the market as enabling conditions that breed terrorism, however, that really does get into some deep grey areas. When you throw out there the concept of "aid for the Muslim poor," that also is pretty grey.

With regard to the market; Yes, oil companies are in business to make money and it is in their best interests to make payoffs and bribes to officials who will happily take them. I don't know if that will ever be expunged from the market. You are after all, taking oil from countries where, to quote Matt Damon's character "guys were running around chopping each others heads off 100 years ago." The Middle East stopped being the pinnicle of civilization with the Mongul invasions. There has been nothing even coming close to the civilization that was there 800 years ago since.

Can I really blame oil companies acting in their own best interests? Do I and every other American who fills up at the service station and the US government who gets $0.43 a gallon in taxes share the burden of enabling them. I think the answer is inescapably yes, my lifestyle and my civilization creates that imbalance.

Would "aid for the Muslim poor" fix it? I doubt it. If you still have corrupt regimes in control, they are going to take the money anyway. Look at Africa. Aid to Africa is a failure. Geldolf said he was ashamed of the Live Aid efforts he headed because the money did very little or no good and in some case, made matters worse.

Aside from that, the instigators of terrorism are wealthy Saudi's funded with oil sales.

I think the real thing to do is to bring free market and Democracy to the region. This is an enourmous gamble. If we loose, our whole way of life is destroyed and the US will be thrown back into the 1800's with the rest of the West. If we win, though, we give the best hope to those poor kids who will get to participate in a free market economy and vote. They will then be empowered to help themselves and throw corrupt officials out of office when their best interests are not looked after.

That's the best I can come up with. I think it is the best that the US can come up with. I think that is why we are in Iraq. I believe the stakes are enormous. I hope it is not a sham and Democracy takes root and spreads and grows. Only history will judge. We ourselves are too entrenched in it to even quess how it will come out.

Best Regards,
X