h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

My friend, whilst I empathise with your anger and your anguish, somebody else had similar thoughts to yours some time back. His name? Adolf Hitler

Peace

Not quite. Hitler based his belief on blood and ethnicity. Americans are made up of no single ethnicity. America is a conglomeration of many cultures, ethnicities and people groups, most of whom hold to some form of American Patriotism similar to mine. Not based on my blood which is as red as yours, but somehow based on manifest destiny (now translated as the American Dream). Furthermore please allow me to state I do not advocate war just for war and mongering just for mongering. A war may be immanent, but if so it is provoked. Dangerous it is in calling patriotism national socialism.

AH

more like Winston Churchill.

My friend

I do not wish to take issue with what you said, merely that, at this time so much is not known about the sub-humans who perpetrated these atrocities, and whilst I unfortunately agree that war may be an eventuality, it matters not what the reasons are for war, it is still an abomination. As I stated previously I do empathise and sympathise with the American public (although a Brit myself), but terrorism, even on this massive scale must not allow a war as a response. We don't have a very good track record over here either, (with the IRA & Co.) and still there's talk of peace, but it's a long time coming. I don't hink we'll be going to war with Ireland, despite atrocities going back many years (and on both sides, to be fair)

I wish you well.

Kim Smith (aka SBB)

I have to reply to this...


"We are the MOST productive country in the world."

No, we are not. We account for about 6% of the world's productions and we consume almost 50%. We grossly abuse our resources.

"We may rank low on the education scales but that hasn't slowed or paused our productivity in ANY WAY. We still continue to make the most things, the most money, produce the most food, clothing, energy and almost everything else."

At what cost? Many of our children leave almost 15 years of education barely able to read, they have little to no understanding of or respect for other cultures, languages, or customs. We are trained by advertisers to be discontent with almost everything in our lives and encouraged to keep running on the spinning wheel of "gimme, gimme, gimme". How many times does the average American replace their car/tv/vcr/stereo/computer/furniture or whathaveyou? We produce a lot because we consume a lot, far more than our fair share globally and at a fanatastic cost to other cultures.

Do you even realize that when something says "made in China" it means that someone is being payed starvation wages for long days, no vacation, no healthcare, and no employee representation whatsoever? Or that many of those people are children who cannot pursue any dream of education of their own, not even a mediocre American education because they desperately need that 80 cents a day to help feed the family?

What our corporations get away with is nothing short of shameful and certainly never a point of pride.

"We still work the most and the hardest to be where we are and stay there. And that is that. "

True, but where are we staying? Families now require that both parents work outside the home just to maintain a lower middle class tax bracket. Then we bellyache about "the Chilllllldren!" and the evils of mothers not staying home. In the 80's Reagan led us in the lambast of the "Welfare Queen", women who lived on public assistance, stayed home with their kids and didn't work. Now we lambast those selfish women for leaving their children in child care and not being home for them. Which do we want? Our rich are getting steadily richer, our poor steadily poorer, and the true middle class is disappearing.

"We were attacked possibly on religious terms and ideals but mostly because it is always easiest to envy and hate the best. "

We are attacked because we elect politicians who pay us lip service and then go do whatever the hell they please globally and who have no true accountability to the voter until the next election - however many years away. And when the election comes around they hire lovely PR firms to gloss up their image and their actions until we forget what our own eyes told us and vote them back into office. How many times did we hear Jessie Helms spout about "n****r and fags"? How was is possible that that man stayed in congress for over 30 years? THIS is the kind of man we want with a hand in our government? Newt Gingrich approached his first wife with a legal pad with his divorce demands written on it and had her sign it while she was just hours out of cancer surgery. THIS is an example of the kind of man we are giving power?

Don't missunderstand me, I love America, I love being American and I love other Americans. But patriotism and national pride are only as good as ones willingness to look at the flaws in ones country as well. I would do America no favors by deliberately choosing to put on blinders and ignore its flaws and continue to let those flaws grow to outrageous proportions.

Wow,

You have altogether blown my mind. Do you really think that war altogether anytime, ever, is unneccessary?

okay,
1-my english is not good so please afford my simple english.
2-I have read most of the posted messages and with my respect but I have noticed that most of the people here are concentrating on some few point of views....most going about the crusaders and so on.
3-I have decided to contribute as an arabian, egyptian and muslem to show another point of view that may clear some shadows.
4-As an person of the previously stated nationalities, I would like to say that....no one is talking about the crusaders or history like this..when remembering america.
5-America to the Arab, muslem world now represents the israeli, zayonic charachter. how couldn't any of u point to the relation of Israel to the subject?
6-if u would forgive me. we don't see a real charachter to America or the Americans. we just see a well developed or advanced country which is controled by zayonic jewish minds.
7-we see that american individuals may be nice, peacful, but deceived by the powerful fake media. but America as a government it is responsible of their support to the israeli terrorists.
8-why Israel is a problem. Although the answer is obvious. but I will not start talking about this because it is not the core of our subject now. but to support Israel is equal to have an arabian or muslem enemy.
9-So, have no surprise when u find that the muslem or the arabian nations are not really sorriful of what has happened to America, because they have previously seen their people being killed and turtured by Israelis and America is still giving Israel weopons and build military bases for it.
10-We all know that America will reply massivly. We hope God will be with the persons that didn't do it...but they will be blown away by the reply though.
11-In all over the way. killing inocent people has been something very awful. yeah, and also killing innocent people from us also is very awful and un-affordable.
12-imagine us, arabians and muslems every day reading the news or watching the TV news to see our people killed un humannly. that makes us live in the life feeling that there is no support for us in the other nations...and they will stand still while the enemies are breaking all the rules under Americas blessings.
13-Now see the reaction when we see the payback to the American government? yeah we will feel very sorriful for the innocent people but quickly we will remember our innocent people also and look for the symbol of what has happened.
14- Okay America. reply to it. u have the complete right to do it. but afterwords please all of u think. what to do so that something like this wouldn't happen again?
15-shall u increase ur deffence?...shall u live in worry all the time? NO....shall u restart evaluation ur foriegn policy and if u wanna be a friend of X and Y. so don't give X the tools and reasons and support and blessing to kill Y.
that's it....thanks for ur patience...sorry for making it long for u.

Pride in the positives and patriotism doesn't necessitate inherent ignorance of the negatives. No, Newt Gingrich and Jessie Helms, while elected officials and who I consider bad people, are definitely a negative aspect of our country's ruling class, but they have been voted into their positions. We may disagree and even be outraged, and no what they do should not be ignored nor glossed over. But take it or leave it, our domestic policy dictates how our country functions. Being a democratic nation allows for the possibility of electing poor officials, it is part of the price we pay. No I am not proud of Jessie Helms or of Newt Gingrich, but I am still immensely proud of this country and the light that it tries to be...for the most part!


Andrew

To all, irrespective of race, colour, creed, etc. I wish you all well and may your God go with you. I'm to my bed.

Take care

In reply to the "An American Perspective (105)".

I'm a student in England. I recently spent all day watching in shock as America got what it didn't deserve. America will do as it must and Britain will support it wholeheartedly as we should but then I hope America will take stock and look at itself for a second. Here's what it should see-

-America is the top of the tree in terms of nation and power right now.-
This does cause envy from other countries (I can't believe I brought myself to type that but this is important).

-America isn't treating the rest of the world very well at the moment.-
All we see are your talk shows, sitcoms and President. Right now all we see are insults and a president trying get America stuck up itself even more. Pulling out of the world energy and pollution bill was an outrage to the entire world. Going back on past agreements on star-wars angered the world and taught us a lesson in trust.

Believe me when I say this isn't a bitching session against the Americans. I think they work hard and do a lot of good things. I also think it's about time that America realised that while it is the biggest individually, the rest of the world is bigger.

What happened though is inexcusable. If America wants revenge/justice as it so obviously does, it totally understandable. The problems of the world are problems of poitics, the terroriststryed to turn them into problems of peace.

We cannot let them succeed.

TDiD aka. Chris Surma

Speaking solely for this Christian (first) American (second) I thoroughly support America's support of Israel. Of the nations that have continually done so since the Jews regained their nation-hood we are the only country. I hope we continue to support Israel as friends and allies. I see this part of our foreign policy as essential to America to keep its place in the world. In Genesis 12:3 God established His covenant with Israel stating, "I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you." Historically Israel is vastly smaller than it has been. The Promised Land actually includes Jordan, the Sinai, Syria, Lebanon, and some of Iran and Iraq. Israel is occupying very little of territory granted them by God.

"Right now all we see are insults and a president trying get America stuck up itself even more. Pulling out of the world energy and pollution bill was an outrage to the entire world. Going back on past agreements on star-wars angered the world and taught us a lesson in trust.
"

Please bear with us Chris, we'll vote that barbarian out in the next election. (fingers crosses, knocking on wood, throwing salt over my shoulder, I swear I didn't vote for him)

For what it's worth, Bush is acting as a loose cannon. His measures and decisions do not have the support of the majority of Americans. Poll after poll has shown the lack of support for his decisions. However, we are as stuck with him for the next 3 yrs. 4 mths. as the rest of the world. And believe me, time is passing s-l-o-w-l-y here for it.

And about supporting Israel come hell or high water. I support Israel having its own state. I support giving Israel the assistance to protect that state from terrorism. What I do not support is an Israeli sniper executing a Palestinian father and his small son AND the red cross worker trying to save them both. I do not support Israeli tanks going into the West Bank and annihilating Palestinian homes and shooting anyone who tries to protect their property. We don't hear about these things here in America do we? But we do hear about the palestinian suicide bomber who drove into an Israeli nightclub killing/wounding dozens.

Realize that our government and our press both select the information that we get and that when you support our governments position on Israel, like it or not, you are sometimes supporting unconscionable acts of murder.

"loose cannon"? The president I see is fully in control of his faculties and his mind. Stupid people and uneducated people don't graduate Yale with an M.B.A. Oh yes, I am one of "those.' I approve of Bush, and even prayed to Jesus that he would be elected over Gore. Yeah, I am sitting in my cubicle at the office ov my church where I work, my radio is on, my cell phone is on, I have more than one computer and more than one CD player and I even drive a new car. Tomorrow, what I will be doing is listed on my Palm Pilot (actually its a Handspring Visor, also new). Yes, I am comfortable in my position in life. But to me it isn't this that counts. To me Israel is still under the hand of God. And to quote Paul Simon, "who am I to blow against the wind." But that doesn't mean I never try.

Thanks very much for replying.

Thanks also for taking my admissions and thoughts as they were intended. I had this horrible feeling I was about to get bombarded by hate replies.

I remember reading this somewhere -

"Sin is when bad people act. Evil is when good people do nothing."

Let's hope we can all remember this in the coming weeks.

Chris (Maths Student, you probably guessed that by my post!!)

"Stupid people and uneducated people don't graduate Yale with an M.B.A. "

He graduated with grades averaging C's and D's (That translates to "average" and "below average" for folks unfamiliar with the American grading system). His academic record was so apalling that Yale sealed them so that they couldn't become fodder for the press. People have come forward recalling his days of cocaine and alcohol abuse.

He has asked such luscious question in front of the camera as "What we have to ask ourselves is, is the children learning?" And who could forget the "We must see to it that Americans get a higher piece of the pie."

His education is sub-par, he was admitted to Yale as a legacy student because his father went there, not because of his academic record. Had you or I applied with those kinds of marks we would have been refused utterly.

His education is a joke. His qualifications are a joke. He was governor of a state in which the governor has the *least* power in the union. He knew nothing about foreign affairs, when asked by a female journalist about the Taliban he replied that he didn't listen to rock music. The man is in no way qualified to run our government.

And his inclusion of christian dogma at every opportunity is insulting to our incredibly diverse culture which includes Jews, Muslims, Bhuddists, Shintos, Hindus, and many other faiths.

in reply to that person who wrote "an arabian view"....
is it realy an arabian view?

it is an israeli view....promised land is only in ur book....and we do not have to follow what ur book wrote.

If u know that muslems beleive in moses and that he was a true prophet from Allah (God) so u know also that muslems beleive that jews deformed their relegion after moses was gone and as a result they turned into an enemy of God after they have been the choosen nation of God.

now Don't ask us or the world to read ur book and obey what is written in it because u have just written it by ur pen.

what happens in palastine is an invasion...occupation....and the invader or the occupier...as long as the time goes...and as how far he stays....he will go at the end....it is just a matter of when.

too bad

"
it is an israeli view....promised land is only in ur book....and we do not have to follow what ur book wrote"

Very true, but bear in mind that the same holds true of others. That the Palestinians feel that they have entitlement to the land does not mean that the Israelis have to follow it.

There have been no heros on either side of the Israeli/Palestine fence. The most inspiring moment was when Yassir Arafat and the Israeli Prime Minister (forgive me, his name escapes me just this moment - he was later assasinated) shook hands on the White House balcony.

Just the sight of it gave me so much hope for their relationship in the middle east.

I know that many, many bad things have been done on both sides since then, but hope springs eternal and I hope with all my heart that Israel and Palestine can find their way to peace.

There was a story in an east coast paper here (I'm in the US) about children from the middle east, Israeli and Palestinian alike who all went to the same summer camp. At the camp they learned about one anothers faiths and cultures. One of the children was killed back in his home country and his parents had him buried in his camp shorts and t-shirt in the hope that the message of ultimate brotherhood would live longer than their son.

I fervently wish for peace between you all. And Us.

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did someone just ask if war is unnecessary?

why do we need it? why do we need hate? predjudice? anger? what is its function, please tell me, because i don't get it.

can't we all just f*****g get along?!?!