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

I completely agree with Asteroid Lil, people are people and should not be killed simply because they live in the "wrong" [very subjective] place.

What I hope, being an optomist, is that the internet shrinks the world enough to realise people are people, and you cannot tell anything truely about an individual from one word, be that word nationality or religion.

Now, all I want to say is that I feel there are 3 sorts of people that should be condemed:
1) people that kill indescriminately
2) people who kill simply because of where there victims live, there religion or there nationality.
3) people who forcably try to change an areas ethnic balance.
Now these are very basic and glib, but they have to be applied to all or they mean nothing.

oh and remember what Ghandi said "an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.

Researcher PSG

p.s. I hope this came across as fair, peace loving and balanced, and also made sense

p.p.s I don't think people should kill at all. [I thought I'd make that clear]

Fraulin Grafenburg said:
"Think about this: if our country is destroyed or harmed, the rest of the globe suffers as well. Why? Not because we will be indiscriminately bombing countries, but because our country is the bedrock upon which the world's economy and culture lie."

Economy maybe but I'm not convinced that the world's culture lies on the bedrock of America (and before you say anything I'm not saying America doesn't have any culture because it does.) Maybe I just misunderstand you, let me know if this is the case.

Researcher PSG [Minister of Impossibility and Improbability],

I wish it worked that way... but it doesn't.... often you (read 'a person') get put in a you or them situation.

In response to perium post #3: I could not have said it better, a truly intelligent response. I am reminded of a line from a movie I once saw about war, I believe it was "tora tora tora" about WWII. Right after the pearl harbor attack the captian of one of the boats involved responds to another officers glee at the success of the sneak attack saying :

"I fear we have only awakened a sleeping giant"

I think we have recieved our wake up call.

I only hope the rest of the world see's that we are all threatened by people who think they have a divine right to kill people who do not conform to their religous view of the world.

Researcher 184433

From what smug, superior lofty height country do you reside? It is very interesting to hear your comments. Please let me know the perfect country that you live in? I am sure we all want to know and move there and ruin it.

A imperfect human being unlike yourself.

"The Muslim people will beleive what ever they have taught to beleive. This is called PROPAGANDA. And, they do not know any better. "


I have to smile ruefully at that statement. Do you remember what we heard when we got involved in Kuwait? That the evil Iraqis were raping and pillaging the poor innocent Kuwaitis? We didn't hear a word about the oil issue except from the small, independent press and a few brave sitcoms who were willing to address the issue. Would we have given a rat's patou about Kuwait if they and their nearest neighbors (SA) did supply most of our oil? Somehow I fear not. Oh, I think many Americans would have said "Why are we allowing this atrocity, we should *do* something", but I don't think our powers that be would have listened to us, they so rarely do.

And what about the images we saw during the Milosevic thing? All of fleeing refugees, of Milosevic's atrocities, only a brief image of the accidental bombing of China's embassy. Innocent people killed by our military. And how much did we hear about the failing of our own troops while they were over there, ostensibly as peacekeepers? One of our soldiers raped a woman, I didn't hear much outcry about it.

Now, I actually support the continued vigilance over Saddam. You (general you) can't just cap the claws of a wolf and then wander off hoping for the best.

But make no mistake, we are just as blinded by a magnificant propoganda machine as any other nation. If you want and idea of what really goes on I suggest you get yourself a subscription to The Nation, or some other small, pulls-no-punches, independant press paper.

Asteroid Lil, I loved your post. It is heartening to see that there is another American here who is making big red X's on her calendar to mark the days till Shrub gets voted out of office.

Fraulein, I appreciated your post too, there is so much that is wonderful about the US. The biggness of our country, the heartiness and generosity of many of the people. The way Americans laugh loud and celebrate the silliest things.

American foreign policy is disgraceful, but there is so little that the people can do about it. We try to vote out monsters, but there are always pockets of ignorance or money that will keep them in. Jesse Helms has been kept in congress for years by the tobacco lobby. A well intentioned, small town politician was voted out of her office because during her tenure she forced a local hog farming outfit to clean themselves and their land up. In the next election they funded a campaign against her that made her look like a butcher/prostitue/profiteering hag.

Our campaign funding laws desperately need reforming but, of course, every time it comes up, the congress votes it down. The American people are trying to overhaul our system, but as with many things overhaul takes time.

It would be generous of the individuals of the rest of the world to realize that we *are* trying to do it, and not judge us all so harshly by the acts of some selfish few. We are working for change just as fast as we can, but unfortunately part of our change neccessitates our next generation and teaching them better than our parents new.

Our local Muslim communities, god protect them, might be getting hate mail and threats based in ignorance and blindness, but they aren't being rounded up and put into interment camps like our Japanese population was during WWII. It's a start.

It sounds suspiciously as if he is British, and if so, his lack of compassion towards the victims of this terrorist attack is in the minority in this country.

It is a good question that has been posed, but the answers given so far don't satisfy me. I guess I would really like to hear the opinion of someone that hates the United States and its citizens, even if that hate does not go so far as to condoning the murder of thousands of innocent people. I doubt he is a subscriber to this web site.

Why America in particular?

What have we done that could have resulted in such hatred?

Is there anything we could do (without compromising our basic ideals) that would reduce the hatred?

From this end, it looks like jealousy of our success, which we believe is the result of our efforts, openness and ingenuity. Is that belief arrogance? Is the real motivation for the attacks a desire to see us brought down a peg?

Sorry, should have pointed out clearly that my post no 188 was in reply to post 186

To poster tdavide - I personally suspect the reason the US is targeted by people with hatred of the west, or the current economic system, is simply that it is the most powerful western country.

It is not down just to America being wealthy (how many people hate Norwegians?) - it is down to America being rich and powerful while they remain in poverty and apparently powerless.

As to what to do? Write off world debt, try to persuade multinational companies to stop using sweatshop labour, and hope that at somepoint Israel and Palestine will stop trying to kill each other and actually negotiate in good faith would all help.

However, none of these are up to the US alone. The first two at least involve the entire Western world.

Stabirth, you are absolutely correct regarding your quote from 'TORA TORA TORA'

The individual who said 'I fear we have only awakened a sleeping giant' was in fact the Japanese admiral, and this was not just a dramatic line in a movie, but an actual historical quote

This time is a bit different, however, in that the 'sleeping giant' is the entire free world...

Peace

Seatshops, god how I hate sweatshops. When this American rules the world it going to be illegal to pay foreign workers a penny less that legal minimum wage in the US. Corporate scoundrels.

Personally, I can't fathom why a worldwide boycott on American products hasn't happened. Boycott them all! Nike, Reebok, McDonald's and all of the others. Don't spend your Euros there. Make them treat your locals well or tell them to get the hell out.

Out of curosity, I really don't know. UK companies produce nothing made in another country with cheaper labor? If UK products are produced in another country, then is the going rate the rate that would be paid in the UK?

Interested in knowing?

A worldwide boycott on American products would be hitting the wrong targets. The target is any 'first world' product that is actually made by exploiting others. There are plenty of non-American products that fall under this category, and plenty of American products that don't.

I personally think the hatred comes down to imperialism, and a struggle against it. American imperialism is unlike any other that we saw in the past (colonial European etc), it is mainly cultural and economic. You can't physically fight against it, for there are no troops to attack. So what does a person who wants to fight this do? Hit straight at the source.

Ste

How could you say that? Have you ever been to Canada, Singapore etc and the economic and cultural effect Great Britain has? You are way off base with little feel for history.

Well that certainly sounds like Nike and McDonalds. Nike exploits both sweatshop and child labor in China and other Asian nations. McDonalds support farmers in the Amazon region who are decimating the Amazon forest in order to raise cattle to supply meat for Mickey D's.

Those are reasons that my family does not support either of those business' here in the US. And god knows how I yearn for the taste of a chicken McNugget.

Processed chicken....mmmmmmmmm.....

Still, politics before palate.

I disagree. Rather than "way off base with little feel for history", I think Ste has identified a large part of the issue. Naturally, there are additional factors involved, which would cause some countries to hate the USA. Countries like Mexico, which has probably been the most influenced due to its proximity to the US, do not launch terrorist attacks, so economic imperialism is not the only reason.
Researcher 184639, it would greatly help the discussion if you explained your point and provided further information, rather than just saying "you're wrong". Clear grammar would help, too.

I thought I would post this in answer to post 189. While I will admit that I am ignorant in many regards to the plights and troubles in the middle east, I have a friend that is Muslim and of Palestinian decent. I have really gotten an education in why there is so much anger towards the way the U.S. treats other countries. Understand that I can only relate what I have been told and have looked into myself.

For years now the U.S. has given millions of dollars in aid to Israel. And while they claim it is to keep the peace, the Israeli military raid the homes of innocent Palestinians, torture, or worst, kill them in the most brutal manor. The Israeli is constantly invading areas that are were given to the Palestinians. When the leaders of Palestine try to have their grievances heard in the U.N., the U.S. vetoes the request (one of only 5 nations that have the ability to do so).

There are many more things that I have been told by her and her family. Since I do not yet have proof of those actions I won't list them here. I am looking into them though. This is only one group of people in the middle east. I can't speak to any other groups, but I hope this helps.

I too have heard of the cruelties of Israelis, who are better armed and financed, towards the Palestinians. I've heard of Jewish settlements, collections of large comfortable homes, that, when the land beneath them is returned to the Palestinians, are bulldozed rather than left to stand for the Palestinians to live in. I've heard about unequal distribution of water. I've heard many things. If half of them are true then the Palestinians have good cause to be angry with the American policy that finances these actions.
So do the Muslims that hate the USA do so out of solidarity with the Palestinians?