Subject:
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Re: Vote against/for...
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Wed, 6 Nov 2002 22:16:24 GMT
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Viewed:
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552 times
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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, John Neal writes:
> In lugnet.off-topic.debate, David Koudys writes:
>
> > How 'bout the US get off it's pretentious 'Mighter than thou so we can do as
> > we please' high horse and smell the roses (or the toxic exhaust fumes from
> > rampant consumerism)
Dave, I am just curious, is your perspective that on a non-US citizen?
Maybe you made clear where you're from in an earlier post, but in this
context I just wasn't sure. Assuming you are from elsewhere, I certainly
hope you do not think that *all* Americans have that attitude. There are
many here that are quite the opposite, and still many more (like myself)
that fall somewhere between the two extremes.
> The world needs to come to terms with the simple fact that the US *IS MIGHTIER
> THAN THOU* It's not pretentious, merely fact. Be thankful that the US also
> happens to be the greatest power ever to have existed on the face of the earth
> AND shows unprecedented restraint WRT world aggression and expansion. Think
> about that.
John, perhaps you are pushing the first extreme of views here. It is the
very restraint you mentioned that allowed us to become powerful. Had we not
had restraint earlier in our history we would have been stomped on by
someone bigger. But now that the US is more advanced and relatively
wealthy, we cannot afford to go around boasting it to everyone like a bully
in a schoolyard. All that will achieve is more animosity towards us and
more inaccurate viewpoints like Dave's above. If we have such restraint as
a society, maybe you could show some too?
> > Before you go 'waging a war on terror' in other countries, before you start
> > yammering about how 'evil' other folks are in their yards--take a look at
> > the way you do things in your own country--remove dat der plank from yer eye
> > before ya go about tryin' to shake the dust outta mine...
>
> Well, I'd rather countries deal with their own terrorists rather than be
> sympathetic to them or worse, support them. If they harbor terrorists that
> then attack the US, they are on notice-- clean up YOUR ACT, or we will oblige
> and do it for you.
>
> As far as how we "do things in our country"-- we are the model, the freest
> country on earth. The plank, my friend, is in world's eye, not ours.
Hmm. And now that I pretty much made it seem like I am on the pacifist
front, let me balance myself back to the middle road by offering this
thought that just came to mind:
In defense of the US actions against those who harbor terrorists. If a
citizen of a country commits an act of war against another country, it is
not unusual for it to be seen as an act of war committed by the attacker's
homeland. If an American citizen denotated a bomb in a major shrine in
Nation X, would the X'ians not immediately campaign against Americans? Even
if they didn't (because they fear economic issues), certainly their populace
would be outraged, and they might harbor a hatred of all Americans in
general. So it seems logical in a nation that is ruled by populace, that
acts of war will be returned with war.
In any event, I'm going back to building spaceships with big laser guns....
-Hendo
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: Vote against/for...
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| (...) The world needs to come to terms with the simple fact that the US *IS MIGHTIER THAN THOU* It's not pretentious, merely fact. Be thankful that the US also happens to be the greatest power ever to have existed on the face of the earth AND shows (...) (22 years ago, 6-Nov-02, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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