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

Josh Wrote:
"Racial Profiling- I'm walking on eggshell here, so bear with me. I certainly don't support things like the prison camps for Japanese Americans that were present during WWII (I was born in Japan), but if I were at an airport security terminal and a Middle Eastern man wanted on the plane, I would most certainly be more suspicious of him than the other passengers. Would I keep him off the plane at all costs? Strip-search him? Of course not, but I would definitely check him and his background more closely and ask him a few more questions than the other passengers. Furthermore, if I were that Middle Eastern man, I would be completely understanding of the added attention that I received. After all, he has nothing to hide, right? See what I'm saying? I would probably be severly repremanded for such actions, though. Our world has compromised security simply to avoid "offending" people."

You do realise that you have virtually defined racism there, then supported it? To discriminate someone because of their race is not only immoral, it is illegal. How would you feel if you were discriminated against in such a manner? Oh, you have an idea because "you were born in Japan", so you don't support that kind of racism because if that happened today it would affect *you*. That is just pure selfishness.

"The Right Wing- I believe the Democratic party has broken away from its roots in patriotism, democracy, the Constitution, and the will of the people. I can't wait to register as a Republican."

How's this for patriotism: The Bush administration has cut the budget of the VA (Veteran's Admin) Hospital here is San Diego by MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. Mainly to pay for Bush's tax cuts to the rich. Current and former military personnel who put their lives down for their country and paid the price with service-related injuries cannot now get a decent level of health treatment. It is disgusting.

Democracy: a Republican-biased Supreme Court put Bush in the White House. No Democracy there.

Will of the people: The will of the people stated that they wanted Gore in office.

I suspect, Josh, that this page will be moderated again in the near future...

Anyway, how's the Uni Project entry coming along? Managed to not mention evolution yet? Check mine out: http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A673319

&

Ste

If a bunch of white people had bombed buildings, and I was given extra scrutiny and an airport or something, I would see it as completely justified.

I'm not a racist. I just think people ought to place security above the avoidance of hurt feelings. To suspect someone of terrorism just because they are Islamic is wrong, but it ought to be at least minor criterion.

Just to be fair, most Right-wingers I talk to disagree with me.

Well, I'm off to read your entry.

It isn't simply "hurt feelings", I think you "misunderestimate" () the severity of what you're suggesting.

Imagine how you'd feel if at every security checkpoint you were pulled aside because you *knew* it was because of your race. I would be furious, and justly so. One would not feel simply "hurt", one would feel outraged.

What do you think of the VA hospital budget cuts then?

Ste

Hmmm. Charles Darwin was a Christian? Other than that, I thought it was very comprehensive and well done. Many times while reading literature by naturalists I find myself wondering whether all their big words and lengthy sentences are just put there to discourage the average person from reading it, but I found yours very readable.

I'm not suggesting that we just pull all Middle Eastern people out of line. But if a dirty guy buys a one way ticket with cash and is acting a little odd, and also happens to be Middle Eastern, that would be cause for alarm for me.

Yeah Charlie Darwin was a Christian, he thought God had once put lots of animals and stuff on the planet a while ago, and from there they had adapted to the changing environment, as witnessed on the Galapogas Islands by himself.

Ste

Really? I heard several people tried to combine Darwin's theory and Christianity, and he strongly rebuked them.

I'm not suggesting that we just pull all Middle Eastern people out of line." Isn't that what "racial profiling" is???

If you see a suspicious acting person (whatever that ctually means) you would act no matter what his ethnic background. Are you saying that if he was "a dirty guy buys a one way ticket with cash and is acting a little odd" but wasn't middle eastern-looking, you wouldn't pull him aside?

Ste

No, there are also people like John Walker out there. My point is, all the terrorists so far have one particular trait similar among all of them. I don't have to tell you what that is.

By condemning American Airlines for taking an extra hour to question the secret service agent (I'm sure you've heard about that), we send them a message to leave all Middle Eastern people alone and let them get on the plane as quickly as possible. A background check my "offend" them. I think that pilot was completely justified with what he did, making sure the guy was really a secret service agent. He could have done the easy thing and taken his identification for granted and let the guy on the plane with a gun, but he didn't. I'll be flying to Japan next summer, and I hope I have the same kind of pilot.

People allied to the Taliban and Al Queda cannot be just classed as "arab". It is a gross oversimplification, and dangerous.

Islamic extremists are not all arabs. Richard Ried was middle-eastern ethnic but a British citizen, John Walker is a white middle-class American. Basically what I'm getting at is that you cannot rely on such presumptions.

And besides, if an enemy sees security focusing on a certain race, what will they do? Send in another all-white, all-American to do the dirty deed, we know they exist.

Ste

Look, here, I'm going to do something I really hate doing. I've though it over, and you're right. I've taken the paragraph off my personal space. I'll try not to let my paranoia get the best of me.

Of course, you're still wrong about everything else...

Hehehe, thanks for the compliment

I think it would be too easy to over-react to the Sept 11th stuff, that's exactly what happened during WWII and the Japanese internment camps.

No, sir, it is you who is wrong about a great many things



Ste

Oh yeah, here's my other entry that is in the Project: http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A671717

I'd be interested in your opinions on it...

Ste

About your entry, I think you are definitely right about a lot of religious folk. I go to a school with 95% Christian population. To show their ignorance, I polled some of them for their thoughts on the Big Bang. They didn't believe it, most of them said, because it contradicts the Bible (which it doesn't)! However, I think you have to be fair to the rest of us. I, personally, came to the conclusion of Creationism through scientific research, as, I am sure, many before me have.

Cool.

Could you describe to me this research that you undertook?

Ste

I grew up in a Christian home, so it would be unfair of me to say my research was totally objective, but it happened this way.

My grandmother subscribed to Discovery magazine, which I always loved to read. But, I was unsettled by the articles on evolution. They made so much sense, but they also conflicted with some of the things I had been taught in church. I talked to my mother about it, and she bought some books for me. I read some of Charles Colson's books, and some by Philip Johnson. I began to reread some of the stuff I read in those magazines, and was frustrated at how they always seemed to be about HOW evolution happens or WHEN evolution happened; I couldn't find anything about WHETHER it happened. So I decided that my parents were correct.

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not
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ok it is dustin lol

hey josh




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