Ethics and morality,

Norm

In the west we are rightly very concerned with child labour and other such matters. Western consumer Groups boycott firms that have their clothes made by factories using children. I know this is usual in Europe and I guess it is in the US too.

In other areas we see no such concerns. Western countries including the US has been travelling around the world lecturing China, Iraq, Iran, North Korea and such nations about human right's.

This has of course not been very easy for the Americans which has one huge human right violation in common with many of those countries, namely capital punishment. The EU will
not accept any nation as a member if they have capital punishment, the few nations in Europe that still have it are east European countries. But they are now abandoning such barbaric practises so there is progress after all.

But if China or any of those nations have something we need in the west, we have no qualms doing business with them. One of the most revered country as a "trade partner" for the US is Saudi-Arabia, a country with a regime that makes anyone concerned with human rights cringe. The regime in that country is a kind of Taliban not so "light". Of course the US press doesn't print much about the appalling and barbaric violations of human rights that are carried out in that country, being the world’s largest producer of oil, the regime will get unlimited support from the US no matter what hideous things they do to their population. It is no coincidence that the majority of the suicide terrorists responsible for the September 11 tragedy came from Saudi. The "reasoning" seems to be that "sure they are evildoers but they are our evildoers" and they mostly stick to oppress their own population

You never hear any talk from consumers about boycotting Saudi-Arabian oil until they clean up their act. The American and other western consumers couldn't care less about what insane brutal rulers do as long as they have plenty of gas to move their fat asses around in their cars. Moral, nope, understandable, yes, admirable, no. Ethic, nix.

Norm

TR

Speaking of oil,

I wish the U.S. WOULD dump Saudi Arabia as a trading partner. If the liberal democrats would quit crying about environmentalism, we could drill for more oil in our own country.

As for the death penalty,

We need to speed up executions instead of dragging out a fifteen year appeals process. However, there are a lot of innocent people convicted, so unless there is overwhelming evidence of a murder, the death penalty should not be imposed.

TR

I hold it to be the inalienable right of anybody to go to hell in his own way.
--Robert Frost, 1935

LDH

The American and other western consumers couldn't care less about what insane brutal rulers do as long as they have plenty of gas to move their fat asses around in their cars.

Yeah, we should just quit using oil today! Let the Arabs keep it all to power their camels, right?

Norm, the rest of the world can't continue to have it both ways! Either you WANT the US to police y'all or else you just want our consumer dollars and you want us to stop caring HOW products get to market. Hey, I'm all for the little Pakistani kids weaving rugs for $1/day if it means I can buy it at Macy's cheaply! NOT!!!

We are not perfect. The sum is not greater than the parts. That said, I don't see musicians trying to 'make it big in Norway.' Or the oppressed in Saudi Arabia trying to flee to Ecuador. [:D)

The rest of the world is jealous of America, without realizing that America is made up of people of all nations.

Lisa

LDH

PS as regards capital punishment, I have a solution.

Let's send all the career criminals/murderers to Norway! Surely the bleeding hearts/human rights champions won't mind paying their tax dollars for a lifetime of incarceration!

Lisa

JanH

Lisa,

You pay more than twice as much for the process of executing someone as you do to keep someone in jail for the rest of their lives.

If cost is what is the most important thing, just give the police the right to shoot everyone they suspect on the spot. Would save a shitload of money. If you don't accept that, you're a "bleeding heart liberal".

Sheehs, and they wonder why Americans are considered neanderthals by europeans.

- Jan
--
- "How do you write women so well?" - "I think of a man and I take away reason and accountability." (Jack Nicholson in "As Good as it Gets")

LDH

just give the police teh right to shoot everyone they suspect on the spot

Jan, this works for me! Just kidding. I know you and I will never agree on the death penalth thingy. I know it cost more per se to kill someone than keep them locked up for life, but like TR said, not if you shoot the bastards immediately and don't let them spend 15 years in the appeals process.

It's not that I'm a cold hearted bitch. But for someone that's already proved that there is no rehabilitation left for them, I say dispense with the justice already, and quit delaying the inevitable.

Anyhow I don't want to debate the death penalty thingy over, just saying there's NO easy answers and the rest of the world really has no right to condemn us for trying to figure them out.

If the US stopped buying foreign made products today, the economy would collapse tomorrow. Period. We are the trendsetters, and the ones with the money to do it.

I'm not bragging, rather I'm saying REALIZE that America is nothing more than a microcosm of Norway and every other country.

Lisa

JanH

Yikes. So you want to remove the appeals process even??? Innocents have been filling up your death rows for years, and you've no doubt executed quite a few innocents as well. If your idea went through, you'd be lucky if half of those you executed were guilty.

You are the only country in the western world insisting on executing people, and you also have by far the worst crime rate. Coincidence? Hardly.

- Jan
--
- "How do you write women so well?" - "I think of a man and I take away reason and accountability." (Jack Nicholson in "As Good as it Gets")

puppylove

Are ALL people from Norway as irritating and as self-righteous as you two?

puppylove

I also need to add that not *all* states execute people. I believe the count is 18 out of 50. And there is a case before the supreme court right now that is exploring whether this (execution)should be considered "cruel and unusual punishment".

LDH

you also have by far the worst crime rate. Coincidence? Hardly.

ESPECIALLY when you consider the fact that we have the Russian Mafia, the Japanese and Chinese crime syndicate, the Colombian drig runners and those inner city thugs and hoods that originally came from Africa! [8>]

Get it Jan? People from EVERY culture and lifestyle live here and in fact, make up America!

Lisa

Ethics and morality,

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