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In Reply to: Re: Questions posted by Jaded on April 10, 2003 at 22:08:27:
Overall I like the general points in your post, and you did have many good points. There were also a lot of inaccuracies though, but I am tired of debating them, and some of the issues are rapidly becoming moot points anyway. I started to reply to your points, enclosing paragraphs of quotes, alternatives to your rosy picture of life for Native Americans now that they have casinos, etc, but decided against posting anything since you seem to think my thoughts and views are a real threat or something. I don't appreciate the rhetoric, and lines such as "as soon as they (the Israelis) got off the boat", because even if it is a figure of speech, they give an inaccurate picture and ignore the provocations on all sides and a very complex history. I am also tired of debating things I never said and defending myself for "daring to speak".
To answer some of your questions though:
Yes, the US has done a lot of good. The idea that the US is "pretending to be perfect" comes from rhetoric such as yours and much of what the Bush administration dishes out. I am generally fine about everything, even what the US is doing to remove Saddam by force, but I am not fine with your rhetoric and the rhetoric of a few others here, when facts are ignored or distorted, when extremist views are put forth like they were the whole gospel truth.
Once again, I am generally fine about everything, until I see the shallow cheer-leader stuff that is posted here.
What is a real problem for me is that people are all upset with me because I don't think exactly as they do, just because I try to say there are other ways to look at things, than the predominantly American perspective. I get pushed into a corner and accused of saying all kinds of things I didn't. I am tired of the meanness that is taking over this board.
Unlike you, I am not afraid of what this thinking for myself will do to me and others. I'd like to think of my vantage point as one of being at least a little bit wider than yours for the reason I see your views, but am not brushing over other views like they are invalid. Maybe for someone like you caught up in support-the-war fever, I come across anti-US and pro-Saddam (quite laughable actually), but as I've tried to explain MANY a time I am not slanted against anything. I just don't like dumb talk or one-sided talk, or rhetoric in general, and I do laugh when Bush talks. He's just not my kind of president.
What I am tired of is the extremism sweeping through here that I must not think/speak/write objectively. It's like it's a real threat if I say there are other view points, and I might erode the morale of the troops or I become like Al Jazeera (some of their propoganda is laughable too) or something. I don't have to agree with everything that is being said, in order for me to agree to the removal of Saddam by force. I wrote enough about that in "the need for black and white".
In one post, Mike W sounded like he thought of the war as a crusade or something. In another he made so much more sense to me, when he was fairly balanced and yet spoke his opinion. It's how you say what you say.
I'm leaving this subject alone. I said before I could shut up. I will.
So what's the weather like where you are?
