LOGICMAN, TO THE RESCUE!

Ok, LordMercifulVoo just said something very odd. Let's do a little parsing, shall we? Yesterday, apparently 1BobbyMcGee (now known as Ricochet Rebel) said, "...I blame Americans for the actions of their government in invading Iraq..." or words to that effect. Now, granted, not all Americans voted for Bush and his Republican cronies in Congress. And fewer and fewer Americans now support the invasion and occupation of Iraq. But we will allow that the majorities that elected Republicans are indirectly responsible.

But let's look at what Voo says, "Ricochet, you said yesterday that you blame Americans for Iraq, but you just now said you only blame the Saudi Royal family for their support of the US invasion, and not the people. That isn't logical, Ricochet. If you blame the American people, you have to blame the Saudi people too."

Hmm, let's take that apart. The Americans elect their leaders in a representative democracy. The Saudis, on the other hand, are ruled by a repressive monarchy made up of the members of a few extended families. The Saudi populace are Wahabi Muslim, and generally disapprove of their leaders' extravagent lifestyles and pro-West attitudes. In fact, the Saudi royals are frequently the targets of terrorist acts FROM THEIR OWN PEOPLE. Now, given the two completely different relationships between populace and policy in the US and Saudi Arabia, is it reasonable to make a direct analogy between the two?

Better luck next time, Logicman.

JC