On Sep 15, 2006, at 10:58 AM,
xxxx wrote:
G.I. Tom,
 
When a guy points a finger, there are three of his own fingers pointing directly back at him.   


Unless his thumb is up his ass, then the three fingers are pointing at the guy behind him.
 
Self-loathing...
I'm a pretty upbeat, positive guy.  Actually, relentlessly positive.  I'm extremely interactive with people in my business life, social life and hobby life.  It's quite natural for a guy like me to hate war, weapons and bullies.


Hey John Lennon, whose the bully?  Baathists, Islamo-fascists or Republicans?  Really?  The Republicans are awful, I'm sure, from the perspective of a liberal secular socialist.  But if there is a 45º deviation between you and the Republicans, there is a 180º difference between you and the Islamo-fascists.  No religious toleration, non-muslims are second rate citizens subject to severe discrimination, those who dare to convert from Islam are put to death, slavery is still an institution, women are property, pre-pubescent girls are used for sexual gratification (think Sophie) -- it's called "thighing", and violence is justified against any infidel that does not accept an invitation to Islam.  If you were drowning and a boat full of Republicans and a boat full of Taliban came to your rescue -- to which one would you swim?  You would swim to the Republicans.  You may not agree with much of their political platform.  They may not live up to your ideal, but they share most of your cherished values -- which our enemies do not even remotely resemble.  That is why I find your attitude, and much of Europe's attitude, quite frankly absurd.  You can deal with America and Americans.  If you do not like the way they are defending your freedoms, a dialogue is possible.  But how can you prefer what is abjectly anathema to what is merely objectionable. 
 
Americans produced and acted in a major motion picture called, "
Syriana".  Have you seen it? 

George Clooney is sooo dreamy.  I'm sure that makes him smart too.

I watched it yesterday, and the subtitles of one Muslim character caught my eye...
 
"America has 5% of the world's population, yet produces 50% of the world's weapons.  This is only proof that America's persuasive powers are in sharp decline"

Lies, damn lies and statistics.  Where did he get his numbers.  Most thugs wield AK-47's from Russia or China.  US arms are too expensive.  Even if it were true, it is just indicative of US industrial might and the world's very un-John Lennon-like nature. 

 
That's American government, Tom.  No diplomacy anymore, just a big bully.  America has more weapons
 of mass destruction than any other country on earth. And it was America pointing the WMD finger at Iraq. 


America maintained a huge stockpile of WMD since WWII and never used them on anyone (Agent Orange does not count).  Iraq gassed the Iranians and its own people. The US maintained WMD so that the Soviet bear will not roll across Austria and Western Europe.  Iraq used its WMD to kill. -- Maintain to protect. -- Use to kill. --  See a difference?

Duh, yup... Therefore, I'm very much against the U.S. government.  

You can be a critic without being an enemy.

 
It is not my fault America elected the most obvious puppet in it's brief history for a second term. Americans did this, Tom. 

Puppet of whom?  I thought he was a cowboy that did not listen to anyone but yes men.  Is he an idiot or an evil genius?  You need to get your Bush-bash line straight.

"Duped" Americans.  Yes, I'm extremely embarrassed "my" country actually did this.

And I'm embarrassed that you represent me and my country.
 
 
Are most American
CITIZENS evil and bad people today?  Absolutely not.

We agree!!!

Were most German CITIZENS evil and bad people in the 1930's?  Absolutely not.

Maybe not.  Most were prejudice against Jews.  Most were too weak to stand-up to the fascists either because they were afraid of the social or economic consequences or because they secretly were rooting for them.  Either way, the Germans of the Third Reich were prejudice and either bad or weak.  There is no moral equivalence between American today and a generation of Germans that are responsible for the deaths of 5.7 million Jews, 5.6 million Poles, and 23 million Russians.  Even if you take Al-Reuters' inflated civilian casualties figures, the blood on the Americans' hands (and I don't even think that is where the blood belongs), it is dwarfed by the global blood bath caused by your beloved Germans. 
 
You are absolutely right, history does repeat itself.

I did not say history repeats itself.  I said those who are ignorant of history are doomed to repeat it.  I am well aware that the freedom that the West enjoys today has been threatened by Fascism, Nazism, and Communism.  Each one of these totalitarian ideologies could have deprive us of some your most cherished freedoms.  I am familiar with the way these violent ideologies emerge and assert themselves and came to destroy or threaten to destroy our way of life.  I see the parallels today.  You are snug in your cocoon thinking it could never happen to you in beautiful Austria, just like the Viennese of the 1930's.  History does repeat itself for those who ignore its precedents.   
 
Diplomatic Dave R.
 
ps... did someone kick your ass, or beat you up bady, at sometime in your past?  Maybe when you were a kid?


No.  I was big and athletic.  I didn't mess with anyone and no one messed with me.