and actually witnessed what takes place on the ground, you have to develop that opinion based on your own convictions or beliefs and on what others say. You may be right and you may be wrong -- point is you don't know whats right, only what you believe and have read.

You have engaged in dialog with me and with others and have done so reasonably on occasion. I hope I've been reasonable on occasion. I do not know why you got banned but I do know you get a little abrasive at times. Everybody does that and weblogs are not the greatest communication medium. Still, you provide value here and you have provided a lot of good links. If you elect to go, that's your choice but I'd hate to see it.

As to your positions in the post above; I don't think I've seen anyone here deny aggression on our part; I know I haven't nor have I denied any responsibility for that aggression. We have disagreed on whether it was merited or not; I think it was and you think not. That to me should be acceptable; people can disagree. Just because you don't agree with me is no reason to think you're evil or dishonest; we just happen to see the same facts and come to different conclusions. I haven't seen anyone here deny the occasional rape and murder by us, that bad things happen or that we got overly aggressive in the early days in Iraq.

I think most of us understand that many Iraqis do hate us and that most all of them wish we were gone. So I don't think you're being fair by saying no one has accepted these things.

On the article; he hates war -- who doesn't. I've been in a few and I sure hate it. However, IMO, he goes to an extreme and he has interviewed people who have told him what he wants to hear. It seems that you want to hear that as well. What he's ignoring but I believe you're smart enough not to ignore is that those people he believes have lost their souls or part of their minds are a minority; that happens to about 5 -15% of the people in any war; war is trauma, pure and simple. He forgets the other 85-95% who have acted as honorably and fairly as they can and who are not traumatized.

I recall one exchange between you an I wherein you complained that the US was evil to all Muslims -- when I pointed out that we had sort of helped in Bosnia, your reply was "yes but..." and said that we took to long to do that!

If that's the way you wish to see it, that's the way you will see it -- but it's not right to accuse others of not admitting flaws and responsibility when one is determined to find fault and not really interested in exchanging views. That may be an incorrect assessment of why you're here, to find fault -- but that's the way you come across. Look at the posts above these three of yours and mine -- not one bluster, denial or unreasonable comment in my opinion; just a rebuttal of the tenor of Hedges article.