--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Sal Sunshine <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > On Sep 17, 2006, at 7:33 AM, TurquoiseB wrote: > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Sal Sunshine <salsunshine@> > > wrote: > >> > >> On Sep 17, 2006, at 2:31 AM, Irmeli Mattsson wrote: > >> > >>> --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "jim_flanegin" <jflanegi@> > >>> wrote: > >>>> > >>>> The current conflict continues as long as the West thinks that > >>>> by killing enough of the third world people, we can force the > >>>> rest into submission and servitude. It isn't working, nor will > >>>> it. > >>> > >>> Is this really how the majority of people and the politicians > >>> in the USA think? > >> > >> OF course not. What do you think? A few lunatics on the > >> right do, and unfortunately they've cheated and bullied > >> their way into power. It won't last, it never does. > > > > To present the deva's advocate position, one could > > safely say that because in theory America is a democracy, > > and because in a democracy those who get to run the country > > and set its policies can do so only because the majority > > of the population *allows* them to do so (via elections), > > America's policies towards the Third World *do*, in fact, > > represent the thinking of the American people. > > Unfortunately, Barry, I agree with you--whether it's because of > outright participation (fairly rare) or just plain apathy (much > more common, IMO) we here in the US have allowed our "leaders" > to get away with unbelievable horrors in the 3rd world. And > it's not really even that the information is or isn't out there > (although much of it is) it's that people don't even ask > questions--and haven't for decades.
Not only do they not ask questions, they settle for the Easiest Possible Answer when others do. > I can't explain it--maybe everyone is so overmedicated they > can't think straight. I actually believe that's a major factor. America is currently one of the most self-medicated cultures on the planet. > > Americans as a whole don't care whether the people in the > > Third World live or die. > > Many don't even care whether people *here* live or die--look > at the debacle of Katrina. True. > And when GB's poll #s finally started to go down, was it > over horror at what those people endured? No, it was for > purely selfish reasons--gas prices. It's a real *issue* with America. Self Interest has been elevated to such Godlike status that it's scary. > > That's why they elect leaders > > who don't care whether these people live or die and who > > design and implement their global strategies accordingly. > > The emotional reactions (and overreactions) we're seeing > > in the Arab world are because they're realizing this, too. > > I think they've realized it a lot longer than most Americans, > unfortunately. The Islamic world, for all it's poverty, > does not seem to lack for people who perceive things fairly > clearly and who are willing to fight. I might not agree with > their methods, but at least it's not apathy. Gotta agree. I currently live in France, which has MORE than its share of problems. They're *also* a remarkably Self Important culture. But one of the things they are NOT is apathetic. If a president of France had tried to fuck with the French people basic rights one tenth as greviously as Bush has fucked with Americans' basic rights, the entire population of France would have been out on the streets in protest. The country would have shut down and would not have moved again until the government rescinded its actions. The French may *be* the drama queens of the planet, but in times like these, drama queens can be counted on to man the barricades, whereas your everyday American can't even be counted upon to make it to a polling place on election day. To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
