Kent:
I do enjoy the things you post and this response reflects my attitude only for your last post and it is not personal. So I trust you will accept it as such.
You must understand that all of my responses to these posts have had to do with threads either trying to understand why terrorists have attacked the United States (U.S. mea culpa) or posts that try to explain why people outside of the United States hate us so.
Some responses to these threads from people in the U.S. have been of the self flagellating nature. Mea culpas for past policies. Other post responses have been from Euros and Canadians who have also hinted that the U.S. has culpability for the attacks of last Tuesday. Given the cowardly nature of the attacks and given the number of innocent lives lost, my response has essentially been, "BULLSHIT". We didn't ask for this and we haven't encouraged this. Nobody is claiming that U.S. foreign policy has been perfect because it hasn't. But whatever errors in policy the United States has made still do not add up to over 5,000 innocent lives snuffed out by pig fucking Islamic radicals. So if Euros and other malcontent Americans are going to jump in my shit about our so-called blame in this, I won't be sharing in any of the guilt. I have mentioned that I have two sons, one 13 and one 15. I'm not at all happy that the circumstances of the U.S. response could at some time in the future put them in the military and in harms way. But the way I and most Americans look at it, living in fear of terrorism is unacceptable. Our liberty was purchased by too many lives who have gone before us. We are not afraid. And if our allies in Europe don't wish to help, or want to try to affix blame on us, we are ready to go it alone. As an American I am not arrogant, but as an American I am proud and that pride was purchased with the blood of my countrymen.
I must add that it is a freaking laugh riot when Europeans accuse Americans of arrogance.
Respectfully,
Richard