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Discussion: We would be just like them... ( My Opinion)

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# Message Posted By
57978
We would be just like them... ( My Opinion)
I just got back from two weeks in Chicogo, and my cousin came with me. We were driving and a news broadcast came on, anouncing that 8 more american soilders had been killed. She goes, I hope they shoot Bin Laden when they find him. Then I said, no, they shouldn't. She said he killed so many americans he should be killed. I said yes, but if we kill him we're no better than him, we're americans, and we should give everyone fair trials, even it they're terrorists. Because if we just shoot them, we are just like them. Then she said we should neuc Iraq. I almost hit her. I said, what? She said they killed americans, and I said we killed them too, she said who cares just neuc them. I said, If we were to wipe out an entire country, we'd be as bad as Hitler. We would be brought up on war crimes, our millitary leaders would be executed and america would suffer greatly.
Then today my cousin and my dad took the same side, against me. They said we should neuc every country that is anti-american. I said every country has some anti-american people in it even america. Then I said, Dad, I intend on living in Germany for awhile, would you neuc Germany if I was there? Without hesitation, he said yes.
What this world needs is good role models, and if knowone steps up, I will, what do I have to loose? My dad already said I'm dead.

Language pair: English; German
ArchivedMember
August 6, 2005

Reply
57994
Re:We would be just like them... ( My Opinion)
> Then I said, Dad, I intend on living in Germany for awhile, would you neuc Germany if I was there? Without hesitation, he said yes.
> What this world needs is good role models, and if knowone steps up, I will, what do I have to loose? My dad already said I'm dead.

You are an excellent role model already. I just hope you can find a forum which lets the right people to hear your message.

Puti


Language pair: English; German
This is a reply to message # 57978
Juha-Petri
Tyrkkö

August 7, 2005

Reply
58003
You tell 'em, Dwyn! Re:We would be just like them... ( My Opinion)
Wow!

That’s so scary. It sounds like your father has lived with his family name too long.

You are so right, Dwyn. If we don’t stick to the principles we stand for, we are no better than the terrorists we are fighting against. The ends do not justify the means. What makes America a great country is our constitution. It is our guaranteed rights and freedoms. It is our national commitment (admittedly, a commitment that has been severely undermined by the Bush administration) to the principle that protecting the rights of free citizens is more important than vengeance, more important than being certain to always catch the bad guy. As long as we maintain a higher standard of justice than the “bad guys”, our country will continue to be worth fighting for.

It is very tempting to stoop to the level of vengeance and vigilantism. It is easy. It is expedient. It promises to ease our pain and make us feel better (a promise that it will never fulfill, because violence can never cure our pain, but only make it worse and cause more violence). There may be times when retaliation is appropriate as a deterrent to further violence, but we’re clearly not dealing with an enemy with whom that’s an effective answer. Since they’re lining up in droves to kill themselves in their cause, there is clearly nothing deterrent for them in our military response. Rather, it seems to encourage their violent nature. If insanity is defined as continually repeating the same failed strategy in hopes of finally getting a different result, this tells us something important about our presidential administration.

It sounds like your family are very angry, and I certainly don’t blame them. All of these coffins coming back from Iraq are very disturbing, and there are clearly a lot of individuals in Iraq who need to be captured and tried and brought to justice. The problem with nuking the country, as you rightly observe, is that there are a large number of innocent and kind people whom we would be murdering by such an act. I was just listening to stories of the aftermath of our bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, and I learned something I never knew. We killed and injured huge numbers of Korean people in these bombings, Koreans who had come to Japan to earn a living, but who were denied by Japan, and refused any kind of medical support until now, sixty years after the event.

See part 2 of 2


Language pair: English; All
This is a reply to message # 57978
Mark
Springer

August 7, 2005

Reply
58004
You tell 'em, Dwyn! Re:We would be just like them... ( My Opinion)
Part 2 of 2

Nuking is a very powerful answer to terrorism. But it is not a very precise one. Not only do we harm innocents, but we set a precedent in the world which I’m sure we don’t want to live with. We create a world where nuking is an acceptable answer to our problems. So the next terrorist attack on New York may then wipe the city off the map. I can’t imagine wanting to go there.

All of this is not to mention, of course, something the Bush administration loves to see us forget: Osama Bin Laden is in Afghanistan. Iraq has been a handy scapegoat in Bush’s “war on terror”, but Sadam Hussein was the wrong bad guy. He had nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks, and there has never been any evidence that he was developing nuclear weapons. In other words, however nasty a guy Hussein is, in this war, it is WE who are the bad guys. It is we who invaded a foreign nation on false charges and started killing people without any just foundation for our actions. We haven’t sunk to Hitler’s level yet, but we are certainly on our way.

Anyway, I’m glad that nobody in your family is president of the United States. Granted, they couldn’t do much worse, but anyway, I would never vote for them. On the other hand, if YOU are ever interested in finding a campaign manager, be sure to let me know…

# Posted By Message
57978 Dwyn
Hart
August 6, 2005
Reply

We would be just like them... ( My Opinion)
I just got back from two weeks in Chicogo, and my cousin came with me. We were driving and a news broadcast came on, anouncing that 8 more american soilders had been killed. She goes, I hope they shoot Bin Laden when they find him. Then I said, no, they shouldn't. She said he killed so many americans he should be killed. I said yes, but if we kill him we're no better than him, we're americans, and we should give everyone fair trials, even it they're terrorists. Because if we just shoot them, we are just like them. Then she said we should neuc Iraq. I almost hit her. I said, what? She said they killed americans, and I said we killed them too, she said who cares just neuc them. I said, If we were to wipe out an entire country, we'd be as bad as Hitler. We would be brought up on war crimes, our millitary leaders would be executed and america would suffer greatly.
Then today my cousin and my dad took the same side, against me. They said we should neuc every country that is anti-american. I said every country has some anti-american people in it even america. Then I said, Dad, I intend on living in Germany for awhile, would you neuc Germany if I was there? Without hesitation, he said yes.
What this world needs is good role models, and if knowone steps up, I will, what do I have to loose? My dad already said I'm dead.
Language pair: English; German

Language pair: English; All
This is a reply to message # 57978
Mark
Springer

August 7, 2005

Reply
58075
Re:Re:We would be just like them... ( My Opinion)
Thank you, you and Mark and Arnaud, and Travis, are great role models also! Maybe, if we all start snowball effects in our countries, we could all make a difference. We can all make a difference by using manners, dicipline, and simple everyday curtisy. Opening doors, giving up seats for those who need them. Oh, and of course smile at everyone. Nothing brightens someones day like a smile! :)


Language pair: English; German
This is a reply to message # 57994
ArchivedMember
August 8, 2005

Reply
58076
Re:You tell 'em, Dwyn! Re:We would be just like them... ( My Opinion)
Of course I'd call you! But, president? They really don't do too much do they? Congress holds all the power. Presidents just vote. But then again Presidents can nominate congress members right? So if you put the right people in congress, the u.s could really be worth fighting for. And thanks. You just gave me a new idea for a messege!

Language pair: English; German
This is a reply to message # 58004
ArchivedMember
August 8, 2005

Reply
59105
Re:We would be just like them... ( My Opinion)
That is scary Dwyn. I wonder, would your dad and cousin feel the same way about nuking most of the planet had the tragitys in Natasokie and Herosima (You know the citys I am talking about, its just hard to spell forren citys when you can't even spell your own city) had failed and the war continued. I also wonder if they relise that just with a handful of nukes, the entire planet can be rid of life. He sould think of that before nuking everyone who hates america.

Language pair: English; German
This is a reply to message # 57978
ArchivedMember
August 22, 2005

Reply
59149
Re:Re:We would be just like them... ( My Opinion)
He actually used those to cities as examples. I'm ashamed to say.

Language pair: English; German
This is a reply to message # 59105
ArchivedMember
August 22, 2005

Reply

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