Whoa! Everyone lighten up here. This is getting too personal. I too, have a few things to say, and want to let you know that this is just my opinion, which is of course, based upon my life's experiences and education. I may be right or wrong.......makes no difference........but my opinion is as good as anyones and I have the right to try to move you in my direction.
1. Mike, don't feel bad about Brian's leaving. Its not your fault that he chose leave. I think he found himself in the midst of a group of older, perhaps less impressionable people that he was not going to influence highly with his pacifistic views, so he opted out. We'll miss him, but it was of his choosing.
2. I think its time that the ARAB WORLD ACCEPTS ITS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE WTC BOMBING AND GETS OFF THEIR COLLECTIVE ASSES TO FIND, PROSECUTE AND SMASH THE FUNDAMENTALISTIC MADMEN that they've been actively aiding and abetting over the past several decades. All we hear from them is: "It's a terrible thing that has happened to our American friends, but ......." (You fill in the rest). I'm really sick of hearing that two-faced wimpy garbage from them. They've been hiding behind that same pile of horseshit for years.
First, they blame everything on someone else. " The problem is the US's support of Israel".......BULLSHIT......With a little collective harmony, they could have solved that problem thirty years ago. But they're pissed because both invasions of Israel failed and made them look like fools. If either of the invasions had been successful, they'd have killed every last Israeli and the Palestinian question would have been settled (To their liking). So now they continue to use the "Palestinian problem" as an excuse to fund schools that teach and spew hate of Israel and all who support her. That's a great way to spend their billions in oil income...........and is maybe one reason they haven't participated in the expansion of the world economy, which is another complaint continually heard from them. If they could funnel their collective energies and wealth used in perpetrating schemes against Israel and the US into something useful, they might be able to build some kind of industrial infrastructure that would help lift their poor economies. But I think they'd rather leave things as they are, continuing to plot and scheme, and then whine and wring their hands when they get caught.
So be it...if they can't change their antiquated political structures to move into the modern world, then they'll just have to live as they have for many centuries.......which is apparently what many of them want.
3. There is a fundamental difference in between how the Arab world and Americans think:................................and let me demonstrate that.
Let's just suppose that an American quasi-Christian minority hijacked an Arab airliner in Saudi Arabia and crashed it into a Ramadan crowd of worshipers at Mecca, killing thousands.
Is there a person here that thinks the US would not IMMEDIATELY swing into action to find the perpetrators who planned and supported such an action?
Is there a person here who thinks that the US would not collectively be remorseful and outraged at the group who did such a thing? Is there anyone who doubts that the US would collectively suffer pangs of guilt that such an attack would be launched from within our borders?
Is there anyone here who doubts that the US would cooperate COMPLETELY with the offended countries to not only bring the perpetrators to justice, but to completely squash any such future actions? And what about monetary aid to rebuild Mecca, and compensation to the victims........would America shirk its duties there? I think not.
So, where is the the outrage, the remorse, the guilt from the Arab world. I haven't heard about it, have you? Even the Arabs living in America have chosen to whine about how they're being treated rather than gathering as a collective voice and condemming the acts of their fundamentalist brethren across the pond. There should be an outcry from them that is heard round the world.
And where is the help from the Arab world in helping us to round up the perpetrators and their consorts?
"No, you can't use our runways", say the Saudis (Even though we built them to save their asses from Saddam). "You don't dare bomb during Ramadam" says much of the Arab world, and even some Arab Americans (Head of the Arab-American League last night on CNN or FOX). This in spite of the fact that they launched a war against Israel during Ramadam, and fought the Iraq - Iranian war for years thorough a bunch of Ramadans. "Don't hit the civilians", say the Pakistanis and Afghans leaders.......as though they really give a crap.
And where is the monetary compensation to rebuild the WTC and to help put the shattered lives of the affected people back together? Yes, "Prince" Waleed offered $100 million, along with an undeserved lecture on how it was our fault it. As a real American, Guliani was properly outraged to shove it back in his face.
So it looks like we shouldn't expect too much from our Arab "Friends", either here or abroad. Like I said...they think differently than we do.
4. I'm not done yet. I feel a little two-faced, railing about terrorism around the world, when the US is still sponsoring the so-called "School of Americas", that teaches guerilla warfare to selected candidates from Central and South American countries. What's the difference between guerilla warfare and terrorism, especially when its practiced against civilians? I think its about time to quit that crap........once and for all. We have one 70+ years old nun from a nearby community serving a 6-month jail term in a federal prison for protesting at the training center's gates last year. Her 89 year old sister was released to local authorities after serving about a month of her 6-month sentence. I am ashamed of my country for that.
Well, enough of my rant. Thanks for giving me the forum to vent.
Regards,
Knip |
