Now these facts (assuming they are true, which I have no reason to doubt) form a compelling argument. A couple of questions... about the atropine (for arguments sake) couldn't Iraq have just combined the atropine doses to make a VX antidote? As far as our past involvement with Iraq and Iran, it is too bad that history comes back to bite us in the ass, but hindsight is always 20/20. As far as our sanctions against Cuba go, it is tough to lift them after 40+ years, but Cuba isn't the threat to the US that it used to be.
Although the movies rarely get it right . . . did you see The Rock? I believe they used VX (which is indeed typically dispersed as a viscous liquid). Anyway, VX is a cholinesterase inhibitor which means it blocks the breakdown of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine (Ach).
CDC on VX
The antidote is quite effective at keeping you going long enough to get decontaminated and proper medical care but it MUST be administered immediately. The problem is that death can be caused by doses marginally above the doses that produce MILD symptoms . . . so when exposed you give an IMMEDIATE therapeutic dose of atropine (which may have to be repeated) . . . if not administered in a timely fashion Mr. Diaphragm stops working.
FoxNews version for the slow-wit
Every country makes value judgements about whom it will associate? Bush called Musharraf a dictator but wouldn't go so far as to say dictators are always bad . . . they are always bad for Americans but sometimes they are OK for others. Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Reagan supplied arms to the Indonesian government even though we were well aware they were slaughtering East Timorese . . . for some reason E. Timor thought they had a right to self-governance.
Iran had a VERY popular king. He was overthrown with the assistance of the CIA; the Shah of Iran was installed. He was NOT popular but the US assisted him in keeping the public down b/c the Shah was US-friendly. We all know what happened to the Shah.
Chile ELECTED a Socialist. We hate Socialist; so after lying to Congress about US activities in South America . . . Kissinger orchestrated the overthrow of an elected leader. Who did we get . . . Pinochet. Arguably one of the most despotic regimes in the history of the Western Hemisphere.
Iraq INVADED Iran under the auspices of pre-emption against a radical regime that MIGHT some day threaten Iraq . . . sound familiar? We stopped selling Saddam material when he started gassing large numbers of Iranian troops . . . but we did continue to provide intelligence about Iranian troop movements . . . and of course when it was convenient apparently we sold arms to the Iranians to fund paramilitary activities in Central America.
I rarely if ever use the terms good and evil to describe people . . . typically just their actions. Our government has a long history of assisting people commiting evil acts. We cannot claim ignorance but we typically claim those evil acts serve some greater good . . . which was almost always a lie.
Cuba was never a threat to the US. Cuba was an annoyance. It was insulting that a Socialist state could be so close to the world's greatest superpower. Much like Bush today . . . American heads of state were quick to raise the rhetoric about Cuba. Castro . . . the former blood-sucking trial lawyer . . . could see the writing on the wall. Therefore, he cozied up to the USSR . . . which subsequently used Cuba as a pawn in the ChessWars of the Superpowers.
Once the nukes were removed from Cuba, it ceased to be threat . . . unless of course you consider the IDEA of Socialism to be threatening. The embargo has made life difficult for the typical Cuban, given Castro an excuse for his failed socioeconomic policies, and created the distressing phenomena of having a large state's politics corrupted by the influence of a relatively small IMMIGRANT population . . . most of whom if held to the normal standards for immigration would still be in Cuba.
