A few things:

Arab men do not, on the whole, abuse their wives. To make such a sweeping statement is incredibly unfair and unrealistic. Before you ask me how I'd know, let me share a little something about myself--I was married to an Arab man for almost 10 years, and spent time both in the Middle East and here. I lived that life, in that culture, for almost a decade. Generalizations, as in most cases, don't work here. Most Arab men do not abuse their wives. As a counselor with a good handle on the issue of domestic abuse, I can tell you that a woman in the US is more likely to be killed or seriously injured by her husband or lover than is a woman in most Middle Eastern countries.

As for our newest little war, let me just give the administration a big ol' pat on the back--propaganda and half-truths do work. Their spin doctors have done an excellent job of making Iraq appear far more "evil" than it is. However, if the issue is safety of Americans, there are other, better targets--targets better armed, more capable, and more willing to actually pose a threat to the United States. Korea leaps to mind--they have the weapons, the ability to deploy them against us, and have expressed a willingness to do so. Pakistan. Various former Soviet Block countries--many countries more dangerous to the US than Iraq. This isn't about "defending" America. It's about a grudge, it's about the self-serving hypocrisy that would lead a super power to defy the UN and attack a much smaller country on the grounds that it--yep, you guessed it--defied the UN.

And Kuwait? Who gives a shit? Until 1963, Kuwait belonged to Iraq, was its richest and most valuable property. But between Britain, the US, and some poor, disposessed Saudi Nobles with no hope for the throne, Kuwait was taken from Iraq and given over to those Saudi nobles, effectively crippling Iraq's economy by taking their most profitable oil fields and practically cutting off their access to gulf ports. Forgive me if I don't feel bad for poor Kuwait.

Do I like Hussien? No, not a bit. But the desperate BSing on the part of our government to convince the world that our little grudge-match is actually a matter of national security is pathetic--and, thankfully, ineffective internationally. It's not about "liberating" the Iraqi people, it's not about "humanitarian" matters (hence our giving permission to Turkey to "actively rebuff" any attempts by war refugees to escape the battles), it's about finishing daddy's job, overthrowing a government so we can replace it with one more amenable to our purposes, and deflecting attention from the clusterfuck that is our economy. Oh, and distracting us from the increasingly frightening limitations on our rights.

I pray for our soldiers. I pray they come home quickly and safely. But I'm not about to jump on the bandwagon and support an unjust invasion of another country.

Them's my two cents. It's always nice to see more than one side to an issue

Kallie