Subject:
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Re: Thinking Out Loud...
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Tue, 18 Sep 2001 23:08:44 GMT
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Viewed:
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336 times
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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Eric Kingsley writes:
> ....I think we need to do whatever is necessary to remove the threat of terrorism
> from the face of the earth. [footnote omitted]
I want you to identify precisely what that means for me, because it is my
guess that if you REALLY examine what it might mean you will see how it is
an unachievable goal. And even if it is achievable, I have the funny idea
that what you are advocating may be monstrous in terms of human lives lost
and our currently schizophrenic foreign policy.
BTW, I am not exactly a pacificist here. I am not saying that it's okay for
people elsewhere to come here and get their licks in -- we can stop that
with something less than war though, surely. War will just be a way to
excuse all kinds of governmental abuses at home and abroad. History shows
us this. I am terrified to have this yahoo in the white house in charge of
the matter though.
I'll take the other side of this now -- let's say I stand for war. I say we
go in and kick ass HARD [If I can't get a concise military action, this is
my fallback position]! There are not a lot of countries that could stand
against us in our full power. If we are going to do it, then fine, let's do
it right. What I cannot abide under any circumstances is the idea that we
now have the excuse for another prolonged, poorly defined conflict along the
lines of what Powell keeps going on about. Who suborns such a thing? But
guess who's in charge of the matter -- Bush and Powell.
Anyway, the best thing I heard today was that what the leader of the Green
Party in Germany said -- she (sorry, no name here) thought that all talk of
what role Germany would play in all of this was premature absent evidence of
who exactly is responsible for the acts of terrorism. Right, let's find out
what really know vs what we think we know...
I have only heard that Osama bin Laden is suspect #1. Do we ACTUALLY know
that he is guilty of planning this act? Where's the evidentiary support for
any of this?
BTW, I am reminded of Pearl Harbor inasmuch as I have heard that the FBI
knew about this plan for over 6 years -- they had intelligence on the matter
from the Phillipines. What, besides spending billions, do our national law
enforcement agencies actually do? I was fairly appalled at this news -- not
surprised, just appalled.
One minute we support bin Laden, the next he is public enemy #1. Is it
pointless to call for something a little less schizophrenic in terms of our
foreign policy? Someone has actually defended this stuff, saying it was
hard to define what to do sometimes, and that sometimes one makes mistakes.
You know, when the matter is that confusing, one could do a lot worse then
doing nothing at all. Because when we do the wrong thing, we have also
ourselves to blame. Maybe Osama bin Laden is fitting payback for our
cavalier approach to foriegn policy. We created this monster, maybe it's
fitting that he is now somehow our problem. I know that this is a harsh
viewpoint -- but I think we could also do worse than look in the mirror when
we are looking for our enemies.
Edmund Burke said, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for
good men to do nothing." How about when the good men act in support of the
evil for a short-term gain, what can they expect in the long run? You
connect the dots...
-- Hop-Frog
"There is no need to sally forth, for it remains true that those things
which make us human are, curiously enough, always close at hand. Resolve,
then, that on this very ground, with small flags waving and tiny blasts of
tiny trumpets, we shall meet the enemy, and not only may he be ours, he may
be us."
- Walt Kelly, from intro to "The Pogo Papers"
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: Thinking Out Loud...
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| Very well put Richard, Lets finally look at the root cause. All this talk of attacking, revenge, terrorism. Can someone please tell me why these people did these horrific acts? What drove them? was it the only option they had to make their (...) (23 years ago, 19-Sep-01, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: Thinking Out Loud...
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| (...) I have to jump in... What do you think pacifism at a time like now is going to get us? All it will get us is more innocent Americans (among others) killed. Do you think these people are just going to stop now? Do you think if we say "Please (...) (23 years ago, 18-Sep-01, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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