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blue
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Joined: 21 May 2002
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 Posted: 07/26/06 - 00:44 Post subject: Rationalizing War... (israel, kezbollah)
i struggle with this a fair bit. terrorism and all that jazz.
nine times out of ten we can't really say who the root cause is.
but people pick sides. how do you pick a side? i mean, the other side thinks it is right, so how can you be sure that you're the one that's right?
i can't accept that two prisoners were taken, and 300+ people were dead within the week as a result. that is the most insane thing i have ever heard (genocide aside).
all i understand is that people must feel compelled to pick a side and say "heyho, they gotta do what they've gotta do". and then the rest of the world will side accordingly.
i don't see the difference between kezbollah wanting to destroy israel, and the usa wanting to destroy terrorists everywhere. how does the usa or the UN or anyone get to *really* decide what's right?
why do people (and ultra-biased media) have to force their views on other people?
historically, every empire we have ever known has eventually been felled.
the current USA/UN empire will eventually tumble and everything will be up for grabs again, for all i know the orient (china, etc) will be the next powers... how can the point of view of a temporary State be taken as the true word in the world?
the whole thing is a farce. i cannot grasp this concept and on days when i let it creep back into my conscience i'm still mostly content to go about my business. i hate rhetoric throwing politicians and the news stations and oil tycoons that are profiting from the whole thing.
(sometimes being the powerhouse means knowing when not to flex your power)
i would love to see what the world was capable of if it stopped trying to be better than, richer than, more heavily armed than, the rest of the population. i mean, it's not like anyone is trying to take over the world - i can't for the life of me figure out how there isn't enough to go around for everyone.
my thoughts are escaping me and i'm not exactly arguing to a point here - feel free to stab away at my thoughts, don't bother telling me which side is right though. just let me know if you can see where i'm coming from and what you think of it.
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blue
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Joined: 21 May 2002
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Posted: 07/26/06 - 00:46 Post subject:
apparently there is no edit function in 'on topic' ... fascinating.
anyway,
the idea that your terrorism is my freedom fighting often looms in my mind.
just wanted to add that.
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andydp
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Posted: 07/26/06 - 16:16 Post subject:
Blue, it has always been Israel's policy of swift and massive response to attacks. Hezbollah, Hamas and every other country in the Middle East knows this.
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Gogirlgo
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Posted: 07/28/06 - 09:44 Post subject:
And I can understand that swift reaction, especially given the geopolitical reality of being Israel. But all of this began b/c one soldier was kidnapped, which makes no sense. There's no other conclusion to get to except that there's a subtext here, which is not the same as a swift response when necessary.
One problem for Israel is that in the past the US could come out in its favor and sway world opinion on its behalf. But that was before the world hated us.
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runaroundsue
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Posted: 07/28/06 - 10:21 Post subject:
So what part should the US play, if any?
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wanttorun100
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Posted: 07/28/06 - 10:26 Post subject:
| runaroundsue wrote: | | So what part should the US play, if any? |
keep feeding Israel beans, bullets and black oil.
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andydp
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Posted: 07/28/06 - 10:27 Post subject:
| runaroundsue wrote: | | So what part should the US play, if any? |
Be the "honest broker" and help to come up with a settlement.
You may note the US has completely and unequivocally called the Israeli minister's statement that since no cease fire was asked for at the Rome conference, Israel can keep on fighting.
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Gogirlgo
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Posted: 07/28/06 - 12:10 Post subject:
What role can we play? Well, one parental approach is "my house my rules." And so one thought is that as long as we're funding Israel to the extent we are, we get some say in what happens. The next question is should we be funding Israel? And my answer to that unequivocally is: hell, no.
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blue
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Joined: 21 May 2002
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Posted: 08/04/06 - 01:09 Post subject:
| Gogirlgo wrote: | | What role can we play? Well, one parental approach is "my house my rules." And so one thought is that as long as we're funding Israel to the extent we are, we get some say in what happens. The next question is should we be funding Israel? And my answer to that unequivocally is: hell, no. |
to which i'd reply - given the multi-trillion dollar debt the USA is largely owing to the Chinese (etc), shouldn't they (the ones owed the money) be calling the shots anyway?
geographic problems - fine. i can deal with that.
kidnapping a soldier - no, i'm not ok with that. too many people have died.
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