[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>I think it is true that the Soviets were worried about an invasion from the
>west. This has apparently be true (the fear anyway) for several centuries.
>This is of course not an excuse. And that is the problem I see with Sonya's
>argument. She is willing to cut the Soviets all sorts of slack (moral
>slack)
>because of their incorrect fear that we (the US) would invade them. This
>irrational fear affected all of their domestic and foreign policies. They
>behaved badly whatever their excuse. A criminal may have reasons for
>being a
>criminal but we do not tolerate or condone criminal behavior because of
>these
>reasons.
I happen to agree with this (especially the last bit) but one could argue
it in the opposite direction, ie that the *American* fear that the Soviet
Union would invade us was irrational and affected all of *our* domestic
and foreign policies, and that we, too, behaved badly during this period.
It is still criminal behavior on our part as well, no matter what our
"reasons."
And the road to hell is paved with good intentions. <grin>
Kat Feete
-------------
"He says gods like to see an atheist around. Gives them
something to aim at."
Terry Pratchett
