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

Try http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A224623

In light of recent events, I think it would be highly appropiate to change the title of this thread from 'What's Wrong With Americans' to 'What's Wrong With Humans'.

Most of us may be shocked, but may I just say this: a lot of people are rejoicing all over the world right now.

Maybe this is the right time for a lot of people to rethink their opinions.

I'm not saying that the US should not be opposed (in many cases, it should be).

However, maybe this is a good time for people to realize that political radicalism is not a game.

This post has been removed.

SpaceCadette,I am pleased to hear that your friends are okay - though obviously, many many of their colleagues are not.. I agree with you about the Govt., and we are all afraid that they will not make sure of culpability, but will go in bombing, as when Reagan bombed Libya in 1986, and numerous incidents since!
Regarding socialism, I regard it (as originally intended) as a good thing, and I know that many people on this thread (Perium especially) absolutely disagree about that.

i can answer all your questions.I'm an arabic muslim girl.first, you asked the wrong question,we don't hate the american people , on the contrary we love your civilization and modern technology.The right question is that: what's wrong with America's POLICY? i can tell you.i watch every day children,men and women die everyday in the palastinean land,die because of vilans and monsters that have no mercy and no one has the guts or may be the will to stop them,your government supply weapons,money and all kinds of support to the damn country israel,and these animals use these weapons to kill people everyday,these people you consider them terrorists but we consider heroes,these people are defending their lands and their families that suffer humiliation everyday because of isreal and their mother America!Do you think that what happened in USA is done by muslims! why?u should all understand that all the arabic nations Muslims and christians are against the american policy,and know that they participate in what's happening in the palastinean land.we all support the GIHAD.Another thing i want to explain it to you,Gihad means is to exert all your efforts to fulfil what's right and lawful not as you think!! it doesn't mean murder!israel raped the palastinean land and as a result they are defending themselves and that's their right whih america doesn't like to admit,have u seen how much it hurts when your people die infront of you? just in a few seconds! that happens everyday in Palastine ,but u couldn't imagine that it could happen in america! neither did I.but it happened and it will happen again if the US policy remained as it is concerning the weak countries,and protecting others like the damn country israel.

I apologize if I repeat myself.

No one is blameless in the Palestian-Israeli COnflict. Israel is a nation founded on terrorism, just as the Palestian Authority is.

Terrorists are not heroes, they're criminals. There are long standing laws and conventions about how to properly fight a war. You attack the military and the polical structure. You don't attack civilians. You don't atack school buses full of children. It's illegal and immoral.

Two Bit Trigger Pumping Moron
This will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave. - Elmer Davis

Researcher. I feel for the plight of the Muslims. I do not agree with all of Israel's policies, nor do I agree with all of the US backing of Israel's policies.

But how did slaughtering probably 20,000 Americans help? Have any Muslims sprung back to life? Has awakening the concentrated rage of the nation guaranteed the end of violence?

There was a better way. Slower, longer, probably more frustrating, but there was a better way to achieve the goals you want without the wholesale murder of the inhabitants of the WTC

Hello Researcher 184478

No one doubts the existence of evil perpetrated in the world, but no one could possibly condone the perpetration of more evil, no matter what the reasons.

Many people throughout the US and the rest of the world are coming to understand that things are not as 'black and white' as they may be portrayed by the media.

No matter what you may think, not everyone in the west views the Arabic people as evil, not do they believe the Israelis are all good. People are just human, good and bad

Policies of powerful nations do change, however, and history shows us that this is true. It also shows us that those policies are rarely changed for the better by the use of force

The world is changing, and has been changed very drastically in the last 48 hours. I hope this change is for the better, but I fear such violence will only beget more violence, despite the best of intentions of those responsible.

This is not really the time or the place to discuss the issues involved here, however, but this is something that should be talked about, and h2g2 is a very good place to talk

Please come and talk about this with others in this community. I suggest if you have not already done so, that you activate your personal page, and begin writing an article or two about your experience and feelings in your journal.

Peace

I have further news from my friends in Washington D.C., involving a very ironic thing. One of my friend's Pentagon co-workers who died there....was on the plane that hit it. Dear God.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I appreciate the reprinting of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. However, it saddens me to say that most of the other countries in that august organization do not adhere to the tenets completely, either.

The Sudan has active slavery. Afganistan does not honor women as people, forget about as equal citizens. In England, can you honestly say that your country has no racism against some of your ethnic citizens (or for that matter, no prejudice against the Irish?). The Japanese are notoriously xenophobic to all they consider non-Japanese, including the Aino, the native peoples of one of their northern islands. In Australia, I think if I asked an Aborigine how equal he was, I would get a different answer than I would from a non-aborigine. As for economic equality in the signatory nations....

There is not a nation or society on this planet which lives up to that document completely, though many come admirably close. BUT, IT IS THE PLACE TO START! It is the ideal, which we as a SPECIES aspire to and as time goes on, WE WILL GET TO THE GOAL!!!! Maybe the latest horror of this week can speed up that process. We can only hope.

As ~jwf~ would say, PEACE.

SC

None could accuse me of being religious, but I find myself saying 'amen' to that, SC

Peace

I think it’s loaded with hypocrisy. One of the articles exempts the United Nations from the declaration.

I'll have to print it out and re-read it carefully; thank you.

Like most documents with high ideals (the Magna Carta and the U.S. Constitution, to name just two) there are frequently blind spots. Remember that many of the signatories to the Declaration of Independence owned slaves. I feel, however, that the U.N. document is sincere, if not always sincerely adhered to. It's a start.

SC

I think its wrong.

For instance, it creates a right to deprive others of their property so that we can provide welfare.

We have a Consitution in this country. I don't agree with the way democrats have twisted it, but it's far superior.

You don't like the way Who has twisted it? I think almost all administrations have made big mistakes... take the "war on drugs" and find a granted Federal power in the constitution that allows that BS.

This, from a Canadian newspaper.




America: The Good Neighbor.



Widespread but only partial news coverage was given


recently to a remarkable editorial broadcast from


Toronto by Gordon Sinclair, a Canadian television


commentator. What follows is the full text of his


trenchant remarks as printed in the Congressional


Record:




"This Canadian thinks it is time to speak up for the


Americans as the most generous and possibly the least


appreciated people on all the earth.




Germany, Japan and, to a lesser extent, Britain and


Italy were lifted out of the debris of war by the


Americans who poured in billions of dollars and


forgave other billions in debts. None of these


countries is today paying even the interest on its


remaining debts to the United States.




When France was in danger of collapsing in 1956, it


was the Americans who propped it up, and their reward


was to be insulted and swindled on the streets of


Paris. I was there. I saw it.




When earthquakes hit distant cities, it is the United


States that hurries in to help. This spring, 59


American communities were flattened by tornadoes.


Nobody helped.




The Marshall Plan and the Truman Policy pumped


billions of dollars into discouraged countries. Now


newspapers in those countries are writing about the


decadent, warmongering Americans.




I'd like to see just one of those countries that is


gloating over the erosion of the United States dollar


build its own airplane. Does any other country in the


world have a plane to equal the Boeing Jumbo Jet, the


Lockheed Tri-Star, or the Douglas DC10? If so, why


don't they fly them? Why do all the International


lines except Russia fly American Planes?




Why does no other land on earth even consider putting


a man or woman on the moon? You talk about Japanese


technocracy, and you get radios. You talk about German


technocracy, and you get automobiles. You talk about


American technocracy, and you find men on the moon -


not once, but several times and safely home again.




You talk about scandals, and the Americans put theirs


right in the store window for everybody to look at.


Even their draft-dodgers are not pursued and hounded.


They are here on our streets, and most of them, unless


they are breaking Canadian laws, are getting American


dollars from ma and pa at home to spend here.




When the railways of France, Germany and India were


breaking down through age, it was the Americans who


rebuilt them. When the Pennsylvania Railroad and the


New York Central went broke, nobody loaned them an


old caboose. Both are still broke.




I can name you 5000 times when the Americans raced to


the help of other people in trouble. Can you name me


even one time when someone else raced to the Americans


in trouble? I don't think there was outside help even


during the San Francisco earthquake.




Our neighbors have faced it alone, and I'm one


Canadian who is damned tired of hearing them get


kicked around. They will come out of this thing with


their flag high. And when they do, they are entitled


to thumb their nose at the lands that are gloating


over their present troubles. I hope Canada is not one


of those."




Stand proud, America!


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


This is one of the best editorials that I have ever


read regarding the United States. It is nice that one


man realizes it. I only wish that the rest of the


world would realize it. We are always blamed for


everything, and never even get a thank you for the


things we do.




Maybe each of you can send this to at least one person


and they might send it to one of their friends until
this letter


is sent to every person on the web.


I am just a single American that has read this,


I SURE HOPE THAT A LOT MORE READ IT SOON..

This, from a Canadian newspaper, no less, is worth sharing.


America: The Good Neighbor.


Widespread but only partial news coverage was given recently to a remarkable editorial broadcast from Toronto by Gordon Sinclair, a Canadian television commentator. What follows is the full text of his
trenchant remarks as printed in the Congressional Record:


"This Canadian thinks it is time to speak up for the Americans as the most generous and possibly the least appreciated people on all the earth.
Germany, Japan and, to a lesser extent, Britain and Italy were lifted out of the debris of war by the Americans who poured in billions of dollars and forgave other billions in debts. None of these countries is today paying even the interest on its remaining debts to the United States.
When France was in danger of collapsing in 1956, it was the Americans who propped it up, and their reward was to be insulted and swindled on the streets of Paris. I was there. I saw it.
When earthquakes hit distant cities, it is the United States that hurries in to help. This spring, 59 American communities were flattened by tornadoes. Nobody helped.
The Marshall Plan and the Truman Policy pumped billions of dollars into discouraged countries. Now newspapers in those countries are writing about the decadent, warmongering Americans.
I'd like to see just one of those countries that is gloating over the erosion of the United States dollar build its own airplane. Does any other country in the world have a plane to equal the Boeing Jumbo Jet, the Lockheed Tri-Star, or the Douglas DC10? If so, why don't they fly them? Why do all the International lines except Russia fly American Planes?
Why does no other land on earth even consider putting a man or woman on the moon? You talk about Japanese technocracy, and you get radios. You talk about German technocracy, and you get automobiles. You talk about
American technocracy, and you find men on the moon - not once, but several times and safely home again.
You talk about scandals, and the Americans put theirs right in the store window for everybody to look at. Even their draft-dodgers are not pursued and hounded. They are here on our streets, and most of them, unless they are breaking Canadian laws, are getting American dollars from ma and pa at home to spend here.
When the railways of France, Germany and India were breaking down through age, it was the Americans who rebuilt them. When the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central went broke, nobody loaned them an old caboose. Both are still broke.
I can name you 5000 times when the Americans raced to the help of other people in trouble. Can you name me even one time when someone else raced to the Americans in trouble? I don't think there was outside help even
during the San Francisco earthquake.
Our neighbors have faced it alone, and I'm one Canadian who is damned tired of hearing them get kicked around. They will come out of this thing with their flag high. And when they do, they are entitled to thumb their nose at the lands that are gloating over their present troubles. I hope Canada is not one of those."

Stand proud, America!

This is one of the best editorials that I have ever read regarding the United States. It is nice that one man realizes it. I only wish that the rest of the world would realize it. We are always blamed for everything, and never even get a thank you for the things we do.

Wow that's weird!

Just a quick reply to Space Cadet:
About the question of xenophobia re: Australian aboriginal v other(non-aboriginal)Australians. This sort of polarization(black v white)is the root of many problems, I myself am of mixed aboriginal/anglo-saxon decent and have a real hard time working out what the yelling is all about. It seems that until we ALL learn to see in the true shades of grey, that we shall never know peace.
Again my thoughts are with the victims of a terrible crime.
Here'sfor past and future alliances.
Lest we forget....
Rocket

I think it's wonderful. I shows there are still enough compassionate people out there to let freak 'accidents' like this happen.

WOG and Zorpheus - many thanks to both of you.

I wonder why when I posted the canadian newspaper article....I was moderated.....



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