Originally posted by Crumpp
It is far from plain silliness, Ju88. In this country you do have the right to dissent. You also have a responsibility to keep yourself informed on the issues in a democracy. Citizens also have the duty not to harm the society in which they belong.
From your opinions on the War in Iraq, it clear you are far from informed.
By voicing dissent on the GWOT without possession of the facts only aids and abets the enemy. It is exactly what AQ wants to hear and is counting on the fast food pop culture of America to do.
http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/05/breaking2453389.0680555557.html
http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110006166
What you fail to understand is that both sides in any conflict present the facts about their enemy. These facts are arranged to present the truth they want you to hear. Their side is never bad.
Even though the United States has many problems, I would say you have never traveled outside of the US or Western Europe if you do not recognize we are head and shoulders above most of the countries on this planet when it comes to personal freedoms.
Now the question comes down to what you really believe. Is the United States on some venture to gain an evil empire? Or is the United States out to reform the Middle East so that it ceases to be a breeding ground for homicidal nut bags.
If these people gain a country they can be proud of, can determine their own destiny in, and have their own economy with some social mobility, then they will not want to take ours! So yes, this is about oil. It's about oil, rugs, brass, gems, and anything else that makes up a free market economy. Equitable trade is how lasting peace is made. A system in which differences can be worked out without violence in their OWN country is the end state in Iraq. It just makes sense, for our security and theirs.
Crumpp
that sir was, by far, the best response yet, aside from the accusation of aiding and abetting the enemy.
any good civilization had a conscience. history shows us that when that conscience is forsaken, then the society becomes its worst enemy.
can you deny this?
i am not postulating about whether america is a great country. again, i have said over and over that terrorism is wrong. period. no matter where it comes from.
i would disagree that we are the only free space in the world. it is interesting to hear americans say that. if i want to hear anyting else about the world, anything that is not immediatly involved in the american sphere of influence, i have to go elsewhere. the bbc is a prime example. thier global reporting is hands down far more informative about "global affairs" than the US media could ever hope to be.
fact is. america suffers from narcissism.
now, you may claim that such an observation makes me unpatriotic. if so, i disagree. i say that it makes my more so. i care enough to be critical. i appreciate its freedoms enough to use them,
i have not. nor will i ever. EVER. support the likes of OBL.
what you say about the mid east is at least honest and i can respect that. from the standpoint of a globalist, it makes perfect sense. not doubting that.
one important thing that i like to keep in mind is this. when battling an enemy, the worst result is that one may actually take on the identity of the enemy.
my concern in the post 9/11 world is that much like the soviets, we have begun to suspect our own people of dissent.
when we speak of squelching that dissent, we are merely pointing to the road of stalin, where all questions against the path are met with bullets.
that is not the america that i love.
nor is it fair to continue to cast the glow of nievity on those who oppose certain policies.
it may seem funny. but history shows that it isnt.
would you see me to a wall with a blindfold for my opinion my fellow american?
really?
