Let's play basketball

Gates: Western alliance at risk

NATO's survival is at stake in the debate over how the United States and Europe should share the burden of fighting Islamic extremism in Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Sunday.
"We must not — we cannot — become a two-tiered alliance of those willing to fight and those who are not," Gates told the Munich Conference on Security Policy, where Afghanistan was a central topic
Washington has had innumerable disputes with its NATO allies in the 59 years since the security alliance was founded as a bulwark against the former Soviet Union. But Gates portrayed today's debate over the importance of the mission in Afghanistan and how to accomplish as among the most difficult ever. A central theme of Gates' speech was his assertion that al-Qaida extremists, either in Afghanistan or elsewhere, pose a greater threat to Europe than many Europeans realize.

Let's think about it: If I play basketball and love to foul and draw blood, should I get mad at my friend who doesn't want to play with me and my "style?" Is he the "bad guy" or did I bring this on myself. It is my choice to play dirty and rough. It is his choice to not want to play with me. Then next week he ends up playing with others and I, with my elbows flying, stand by myself shooting free throws. CHOICE in how we play. And everyone has a CHOICE if they want to play with me.