Conservative Confusion on "Equal Opportunity"

Proud Liberal writes:
Mr. Paddy Too
Hello again, Mrs. Paddy, I have a question on Iraq since you did mention Iraq.

As you know there are thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of murderers walking the streets in Iraq today; people who have kidnapped, beheaded, bombed, shot, stabbed, etc. other Iraqis.

Now, let us supposed that some detent is worked out between the various factions in Iraq. And that afterward an Iraqi walking down the street recognizes the person who had killed his brother.

What should that person do when he recognizes the murderer walking free?
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Sunday, June, 08, 2008 9:58 AM Mrs. Paddy writes:
Proud Liberal
What is the point of your comment? Where do you get the 'thousands perhaps tens of thousands' figure, or are you only projecting?

What do you think they did before? It has always been a tribal society, and some will agree to disagree and others will not.

As far as my expressing an opinion on what another should do when he recognizes a murderer walking free, I have no opinion. In a civil society, they would walk away. (I'm thinking of the families in the OJ case when I say this).

One would hope that Iraq will become a nation of laws and justice.

I guess, I could ask you what you would do in a similar situation? Would you take the law into your hands or forgive and forget, exact revenge at the peril of a lasting peace for you and your family and country, or degenerate into squabbling factions like in the Sudan and many other tribal countries? I wonder how North and South reconciled following our civil war?

Do you think the Iraqi people are unable to move away from old traditions? Are they too backward to look for a greater good for their nation and themselves? You tell me, as your question seems to indicate that you've already made up your mind.

My real point here is that McCain and other war supporters are naive. Naive, first of all, about what the Iraqi problems are and secondly naive about what needs to be done to fix the society.

I don't think, and this is the point I was trying to raise, that McCain and other war supporters have thought this through. They have probably never considered the scenario I presented to you and, hence, are much more optimistic than they ought to be.

Secondly, this, not war, is what is needed to be addressed if Iraq will come out of this in some semblance of acceptance.