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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group

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To: michael97123 who wrote (145657)	9/15/2004 12:39:32 PM
From: one_less	of 281500

Yes. The most powerful regimes of history have been over run by the oppressed and down trodden. At the point we no longer represent the greater principle, the entire world will turn against us and all will be lost. We must distinguish ourselves in principle as well as in battle. My favorite analogies come from classroom management. There is no doubt that schizophrenic teenagers can humiliate and abuse teachers and get away with it. Here is why: The schizo teen can change the rules everytime the teacher imposes a new one. When it appears to all come crashing down on the teen, he can go to the counselor and get fixed. He is back in the classroom in no time and may be biding his time until the next encounter. The wise teacher never gets into a confrontation with such a schizo-teen, to do so is to suffer damage and risk loss of career. Clearly to engage in a tit-for-tat session with such a teen would end in total loss to the teacher, while the teen would carry on with the next classroom over lord. However, over the long haul the system wins by accomplishing its goals while such a teen is eventually absorbed by the successful system never to be seen or heard from again. A wise teacher knows this and simply performs their job with decency, suffering only an occasional insult while modeling the higher principles and benefits of education and learning. The majority of students reject the choice of behaving like a schizo teen and win through collaboration with a better system. As they see the system as in their best interests. Have you ever seen what happens to a classroom where a teacher trys to 'get even' with problem students, where the teacher wants to be seen as a winner? It aint pretty. The other students accept the lower standard of the schizo teen. As we represent the higher standards of liberty and justice for all, we are viewed as a viable alternative. When we engage in conquering for our own self interest without consideration for the interests of others, we lose. It is not reasonable for Iraqis to simply join us out of loyalty to or fear of the greater power. And if that is how we are viewed we can expect the rest of the world to be tooling up in readiness to meet us on the battle field.

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