>>This is the first time we have pre-emptively invaded a nation like this. >And >>what kind of precedent are we setting? What's to stop China now from saying >>"We think Taiwan is a potential threat to our interests, so we're going in >>after them"? Iran's firing up its nuclear program in violation of prior >>agreements, so are they next in line? > >Preemptive military action has a number of historical precedents -- including American ones.
Note that you've just changed the subejct. I was speaking to invading a nation. Not to generic "military action." Further to the point, none of your examples, offered below, address this question, none of them constitute invasions of a sovereign nation.
>In 1962 we instituted a naval blockade of >Cuba to prevent Soviet weapons technology from reaching the island.
1) Not an invasion. 2) This represented a direct threat against the US. But despite point 2, it still doesn't address the issue I raised concerning invading another nation.
>n >1967, Israel struck first at the Arab armies converging on their >border.
1) I wasn't talking about Israel. I was specifically referring to the first time in US history that we had pre-emptively invaded somebody. Stay with the subject, don't pettifog. 2) This was also not an invasion, so it's further irrelevant to the discussion.
>And in 1981 Israel destroyed Iraq's French-built nuclear >reactor at Osirak,
See 1 and 2 above.
My point remains. Your comments only help to reinforce it.
jms
(jmsatb5@aol.com) (all message content (c) 2003 by synthetic worlds, ltd., permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine and don't send me story ideas) |
|