I have not got much work done today as I have mostly been on the phone, text messaging or e-mailing with friends in London. I have also been the point of contact for friends in Oz and the US who have not been able to get through to London. I am happy to say that so far it seems that my friends in London are all right, and I am still planning on going there tomorrow.
I had lunch today with my colleague Richard. We had a couple of beers, each spent a bit of time on the phone or texting, both waiting to hear from friends, also relatives in his case, and talking about the pathetic state of the world.
I want to make it clear that only the terrorists who perpetrated the attacks are to blame for the attacks. But unfortunately the war in Iraq has increased the likelihood of such attacks. After 9/11, it seemed that there was so much impetus in the international community to unite against terrorism; even Islamic countries were a part of that determination. But not anymore. Young men from “friendly” Islamic countries have been going in great numbers to fight against “the infidel” in Iraq. The government of Saudi Arabia, ostensibly an ally in “the war on terror” distributes pamphlets within the US and elsewhere instructing Muslims to “hate the infidels”, and worse.
I do not know if withdrawing from Iraq would help to end the violence or if the damage is irreversible for the foreseeable future. I am certain, however, that terrorism will continue worldwide for the duration of our occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan. I am not saying that we should allow the fear of terrorist attacks to dictate our actions; in fact, I think that we must not. I only know that hatred for the US and “the West” has grown since we invaded Iraq, and I wonder if there is anything at all we can do about that.
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The Enlightenment made explicit what had long been implicit in the intellectual life of Europe: the belief that rational inquiry leads to objective truth. Even those Enlightenment thinkers who distrusted reason…never relinquished their confidence in rational argument…For the ensuing 200 years, reason retained its position as the arbiter of truth and the foundation of objective knowledge…But reason is now on the retreat, both as an ideal and as a reality. - Roger Scruton, 1999
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17 comments:
Did you think the war on terrorism would be met with no retaliation? Maybe you should move to Spain because they thought that way. People want everything to come easy in life. Boom, Bing, Bang.....war over.
I am not advocating appeasement, and I think people throw around the phrase "war on terror" much too frequently. I am merely sickened by both war and terrorism, and I fear that there is no end in sight to either of them. I fail to see how anyone can have a problem with that.
Just to make that last statement clear: I fail to see how anyone can have a problem with my expressing my feelings towards war and terrorism. I did not mean that we should not have a problem because there is no end in sight to either of them.
MM,
Ive made a list of possible topics for future posts. Use them freely.
1) How the US caused the tsunami of 2004
2) America's role in the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius
3) How the US was secretly behind the Holecost
4) The US secret role in the bombing of Pearl Harbor
5) How the US mandidated catalytic converter actually increases greenhouse gasses and genocide in africa
MM,
It is always safe to use the whole "if you are for the war then why dont you sign up then" Here are some other things I am against but will not sign up for:
I am AGAINST fires but refuse to sign up for the fire department
I am AGAINST crime but refuse to sign up for the police department
I am AGAINST obesity but refuse to sign up for Jenny Craig
I am AGAINST supporting Israel but refuse to join the PLO
I am AGAINST clubbing baby seals but refuse to join Greenpeace
I am AGAINST dirty ground water but refuse to join the peace corp
Taxpayers pay for a military. The military is expected to go to war when called upon. If they decide not to they are breaking the law or let go quietly with a loss of benefits. I am a US taxpayer. I do not have to go to war if I do not want to. And dont think that just because you saw a couple of Michael Moore movies that the US military is disgruntled or doesn't think they are doing the right thing over there.
If you are so against the war why didn't you sign up to be a human shield before it started?
Monkey,
There were 15 other lines in my statement. Why not comment on those? Im sorry that "the best I've got" doesnt include a blog of me bitching and moaning from a country that no one gives a shit about. Or are you one of those chumps that puts on a ski mask and pelts rocks at cops at the G-8 meetings? Or better yet have you shown your support for all that is good by getting stoned while watching Bono beat off Sir Paul McCartney at Live 8? Hey I didn't see a blog on Gedolf stating Bush has done more for Africa than any other President in American history?
We'll leave it at that. I could sit here and blog until I shit my pants but all that will come of it is carpal tunnel. You go save something and I'll go kill something and we'll call it even.
I bet your undefeated aren't ya? I was 20-6 with the Astros last year and averaged 15 points a game coming off the bench for the Lakers. Isn't it great when we can make things up?
Back from having a few beers and some intelligent convo with my friends at U Zpěváčků.
First of all, it seems that no one has read my post properly. If I may quote myself: "I want to make it clear that only the terrorists who perpetrated the attacks are to blame for the attacks."
And at the end: "...I wonder if there is anything at all we can do about it."
I have not blamed the US for the attacks in London. I do feel, however, that we are part of a perpetual cycle of violence. At the same time, I have also come to believe that, sadly, war is human nature.
Bottom line: we live in a shitty world that we have helped to create. Make your bed and sleep in it.
SS
2 other things:
1) Monkey and Monkey's Max are actually two different people.
2) As to your first list of what the US may be blamed for -
a. The US was not behind the Holocaust but knew quite a lot about it and chose to do nothing so as not to interfere with the war effort. See Lipstadt, Deborah: Beyond Belief: The American press and the coming of the Holocaust 1933-45.
b. We had no part in the bombing of Pearl Harbor, but it is widely accepted that the highest echelon in the US government knew about it and chose to allow it to happen so as to be able to enter the war without popular opposition.
c. There are a lot of questions about greenhouse gases, and I just read about a scientific opinion today that pollution actually helps prevent global warming by deflecting the sun's rays. Point being is that it may be that we actually have no idea what is going on in that area.
Why do these blogs always turn into pissing contests?
SS, first sentence of the third paragraph clearly states Max's preposition. If you've been educated in America I can clearly understand why you're having a problem with reading comprehension. If you really want to get pissed off, why don't you listen to RadicalRadio.com?
Former CIA operatives, real conservatives, are talking about the way the lies were being spread by the administration prior to our invasion of Iraq. Have you read, or even heard about, the Downing Street Memo - the media in America is downplaying its real message - check it out on the Internet.
There's already a Congressional investigation started by John Conyers because of the way W and his WAR MONGERS lied to Congress and the American people. What W did was a lot worse than what Nixon did.
Veterans from the Iraqi war are talking about the abuse of prisoners and civilians by our armed forces.
We hear a lot of news that you're not getting in America and we just want you to open your ears, your mind and, if you have one, your heart to what's going on in the world. We're in a situation right now that is worse than Vietnam was. We're looking at a new world realignment with the Islamists against the rest of the world because W called it a Crusade and our fighting men in Iraq are killing innocent people along with the bad guys.
MM,
I know Monkey and Monkeys Max are two different people.
My list of possible topics was a joke but I do accept the fact that the US will eventually be blamed for the Holecost. We already have a museum on every street corner.
AG,
Innocent people get killed in every war. Does that make WW2 an unjust war? Should we have stayed out of that?
SS,
With all respect, I don't think President Rosevelt lied to Congress and the American people in order to get us to invade Germany, who did not invade us, or Japan, who did. What W did to get us to invade Iraq was clearly against the U.S. Constitution by LYING to Congress and the world. Iraq never tried to buy uranium. There were no weapons of mass distruction. The Downing Street Memo PROVES that W wanted to go to war at any cost. The cost is pretty high when healthy young AMERICAN men and women are dying FOR A LIE. He should be investigated and, if the facts are proven, impeached.
And considering your last statement, I guess we can all assume that you don't have a heart.
Hmmmmm...Once again, a terrorist attack that DIDN'T happen in Switzerland. My theory still holds.
As for foreign policy and blowback, etc...I think John Cleese's French knight character in The Holy Grail said it best:
"Mind your own business!"
http://www.lewrockwell.com/shaffer/shaffer111.html
I find it highly amusing that once again my theory on the educational system in the USA is correct. Sinister Steve and his blubbering about taxes and his myopic view of the world is a perfect example of a country churning out a population educated beyond their intelligence.
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