Re: Ghosts and physcis and stuff

["Peter T. Chattaway" <petert at interchange_ubc.ca>]

On Tue, 10 Jun 2003, John Davis wrote:
> You're correct that Iraq needed prove the assertion that they had no
> WMDs *to the UN*. 

That's something, then.  :)

> But that's a thing apart from the other issue. Since we (in violation of
> the UN Charter) went to war without approval from the UN, the assertion
> that Iraq had WMDs was the Bush Amdinistration's to prove. 

Um, to my recollection, there have only been, like, two occasions when
*anyone* has *ever* asked the UN for permission to go to war -- and on
both of those occasions (Korea in 1950, Iraq in 1991), it was the United
States that did the asking.  No other nation, to my knowledge, has asked
the UN for permission to go to war -- and indeed, America has gone to war
in Kosovo and elsewhere without getting permission from the UN first.

Ignoring for now the question of whether the UN does more harm than good,
and ignoring for now the question of whether an institution created in the
immediate aftermath of World War II can adequately address the political
concerns of the early 21st century, since when has getting "approval from
the UN" been a prerequisite for military action?  Did the French get
"approval from the UN" before they invaded the Ivory Coast last year?

> It's like if I got in trouble for keeping fireworks in my bedroom, and I
> promised my dad I'd get rid of them. It's be my assertion to prove I
> had. But if my dad was busy verifying my proof and your dad kept
> insisting I did have them, even though my dad wasn't convinced, the
> assertion would be your dad's to prove.

But what assertion is my dad trying to prove?  The only assertion he needs
to prove is that you have failed to give your dad the proof that backs up
*your* assertion.  And the fact that you lock your dad out of your bedroom
and that he lets you get away with it wouldn't be very encouraging.

Okay, perhaps there is a second assertion my dad needs to prove -- namely,
that you are plotting to harm him.  After all, what business is it of his
if you have fireworks in your bedroom, right?  But if you're friends with
a bunch of ruffians, some of whom hate my dad's guts, and some of whom
merely hate the guts of my dad's friends, and all of whom have sworn to do
nasty stuff to my dad if they ever get fireworks, then that would be
pretty convincing proof, I think, that something needs to be done there.

And all this talk of bedrooms reminds me of David Spade's comment on Jay
Leno's show to the effect that, if a mother tells her son, "I'm going to
come to your room in a few weeks and check to see if you're hiding any
weed there," then by the time she *does* come to your room and check for
weed, it won't be there -- it'll be "at your buddy Sudan's house."  :)

--- Peter T. Chattaway --------------------------- peter at chattaway_com ---
Nothing tells memories from ordinary moments; only afterwards do they
   claim remembrance, on account of their scars. -- Chris Marker, La Jetee

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