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Articles:
Counterpoint
Ignorance
at its Finest
Thursday, March 9, 2006
I
hate getting into arguments on the Internet. When two people
with very different perspectives on an issue decide to butt
heads, no good ever comes from it. They'll both yell until
they're blue in the face and neither will open their eyes
to the opposing viewpoint. Nevertheless, I periodically see
comments on various message boards that provoke me into speaking
up. Why do I subject myself to such an exercise in futility?
I guess it's because when I see a consensus forming among
a group of people, I feel compelled to step in and offer an
alternate opinion. Some times I don't even really believe
in what I'm saying, I'm merely offering another view in order
to hopefully inspire some constructive thought.
Other
times, I believe whole-heartedly in the opinions I express.
Recently there was a thread on a message board where everyone
was getting together and bashing Muslims as a whole. I was
irritated by it, but I wasn't going to get involved. That
was, until someone said something that really made me mad.
Their comment is below, along with my long-winded reply.
Quote:
Originally Posted by (name withheld)
"ALL muslims hate us"
Now
see, comments like that get under my skin. I don't live far
from Dearborn MI, perhaps the largest population of Arabs
and Muslims in the US, and I pass through there once in a
while. I've eaten in their restaurants, bought their gas,
and stayed in their motels, and they've got nothing but appreciation
to live in the US. The Iraqi-Americans I've talked to despise
Saddam as much as the next red-blooded American.
While
there definitely IS a sub-group of Muslims who believe ALL
Americans hate Muslims, there appears to definitely be a sub-group
of Americans who believe ALL Muslims hate Americans. This
kind of ignorance fuels all this BS on both sides. I'm not
saying be all bleeding-heart about the plight of the "poor
Iraqis" or any BS like that, I'm just saying save the
stereotypes for the KKK rallies. You can't hate Muslims based
on the actions of an extremist minority any more than you
can hate white people because Timothy McVeigh blew up the
Oklahoma City Federal building.
Now
see, it pains me to see the American deaths in Iraq. I've
got nothing but admiration for US military personnel who defend
our country. But you have to ask yourself this...if Iran decided
Bush was a terrorist and was a bad leader for our country,
and subsequently invaded to remove him from power, wouldn't
YOU be setting off bombs to get rid of them? I can't blame
Iraqi militants for doing what is, to them, defense of their
nation. Yes it pisses me off that they're killing Americans,
but you know what? WTF are we doing there? You can't tell
me our leadership didn't SEE this coming. Did they honestly
think you can unilaterally invade a country and no one will
try to stop you? I've been against going into Iraq from day
one because, frankly, no good is going to come to the US because
of it. Removing Saddam could help the Iraqis in the long run,
but we have our own problems. Our country evolved on it's
own good time through blood, sweat, and tears, let them evolve
on their own good time.
And
after that, someone's bound to say I'm anti-American and hate
the troops or whatever ignorant flag-waving propaganda the
right wing throws around to defend this idiocy. And let me
say for the billionth time, I've got nothing but respect and
admiration for the Americans doing their job over there. It's
just those in power who decided to put Americans in harm's
way for BS reasons that get to me.
What's
more American?
A:
protecting Americans from undue harm; wanting to keep our
military strictly for our own immediate defense; spending
tax dollars at home for internal development, improving education,
health care, infrastructure, business development, research,
science, technology, etc. to ensure America remains the best
damn country in the world;
OR
B: jeopordizing the lives of Americans, and indeed resulting
in the deaths of thousands; waste hundreds of billions of
dollars trying to save a country that can't be saved, that
has no bearing on our future; jeopordizing the future of the
US by directing much-needed funds away from domestic spending
and into that money pit in Iraq; carrying out a war based
on misinformation, I mean, come on, I STILL talk to people
that think Iraq was behind 9/11, despite bi-partisan investigations
that determined they were not.
In
the face of a government that chooses to sacrifice American
lives and billions of taxpayer dollars, risk the future of
our country, and drive the national debt to unseen levels,
for no clear, decisive reason that benefits the US, how are
THEY not anti-American?
No
nation is permitted to live in ignorance with impunity. --Thomas
Jefferson
Nothing in the world is more dangerous than a sincere
ignorance and conscientious stupidity.
--Martin Luther King, Jr.
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