Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Elsewhere who wrote (80155)	3/7/2003 10:20:53 AM
From: Ilaine	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 281500

>>I think President Bush is wrong<< You mean, you think he is doing the wrong thing. That's fine. We live in a world where people are entitled to express their beliefs. That won't stop him, of course. I realize that you are not a naive person, so the following observation is not directed at you, personally. Wednesday night on Hannity and Colmes, a cable news show that has an ultra conservative and an ultra liberal as co-hosts, two college aged peace protesters and organizers were guests. Both Hannity and Colmes asked the protestors whether they realized that their protests would not affect the president's actions against Iraq. The protestors expressed disbelief. After all, they had gotten a number of people -- millions, maybe -- to march in protest, how could the president not listen to the people? As Bush said last night, he's seen a lot of protests. He mentioned the protests at the meetings of the WTO, by people who are opposed to globalization and free trade. I thought it was rather ironic that the professional protestors at the WTO meetings had caused Bush to become cynical about protestors. That was essentially what I have been arguing here on the thread until I just gave up, because I couldn't get people to understand. JohnM, for one, was very antagonistic to that point of view. In the US we have a children's story, The Boy Who Cried Wolf. A young boy was given the responsibility to watch over a flock of sheep that belonged to a village. The villagers told him that if he saw a wolf, to cry "wolf, wolf!" and they would come running with weapons and farm tools and kill the wolf or chase it away. The boy was bored, so after sitting around for a while, he called out "wolf, wolf!" just to see what happened. Sure enough, all the villagers stopped what they were doing, grabbed weapons and farm implements, and came running! The boy laughed and laughed because it was so funny to see. The villagers grumbled, and admonished him, and went back to their work. After a while, he tried it again. And again, it worked! Very entertaining. And again, the villagers grumbled, and went back to their work. Later, the boy saw a real wolf pack, sneaking up on the flock. He shouted out, "wolf, wolf!" The villagers heard him, but figured that he was just pretending again, and they ignored him completely, and did not come running, and the wolves ate the sheep. I think the protestors have cried "wolf, wolf!" too many times, and their voices just don't register anymore. They are dismissed as chronic malcontents, politically motivated, and insincere. Bush will listen to the authentic voice of the people, not to professional protestors.