Gitasat, I always thought that in the technical sense only members of the Semitic people of the Arabian peninsula could be considered Arab, however in the context of colloquial speech, many more people consider themselves Arab, even those not indigenous to the Arabian peninsula.
freeman
JoinedPosts by freeman
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16
Iraqis in Iran (free from US military) express their support for Saddam
by Elsewhere inhttp://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,83889,00.html
200 iraqis storm their embassy in iran .
friday, april 11, 2003. .
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Curious about Abortion Stand Now
by Oroborus21 inhowdy,.
ok this is not to say that only jws are anti-abortion or that persons are not capable of fluctuating on this issue for reasons other than orthodox jw reasons or completely unrelated to them, *phew*.
but what i was wondering and my question for the exjws here is this: .
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freeman
I was once asked by a women if I felt abortion should be allowed or disallowed and my response was simply “well I don't know if that's up to me, it is the law of the land after all”. She was very pleased with my answer. That is until I asked: “do you think parents should be allowed to legally kill their children regardless of the age of the child, or should there be a cut-off age, perhaps 18 or 21?” She was not happy with me, I wonder why.
Freeman
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16
Iraqis in Iran (free from US military) express their support for Saddam
by Elsewhere inhttp://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,83889,00.html
200 iraqis storm their embassy in iran .
friday, april 11, 2003. .
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freeman
If the Iraqis want democracy they are basically on their own to find it. There are no Arab democracies anywhere else on earth.
Pardon my ignorance, but I was wondering, do the people in Turkey who voted not to allow the US troops use their land count as an Arab democracy, or is that something different?
Freeman
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Arabs confused by Iraqis acceptance of coalition troops
by Elsewhere inan article from the al jazeera web site... .
http://english.aljazeera.net/topics/article.asp?cu_no=1&item_no=2299&version=1&template_id=263&parent_id=258.
(because the address has "&" signs in it, you will have to cut and paste the address into a new browser to view to actual web site.).
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freeman
Forward you state:
The only reason the anglo saxons were and are there is for economic purposes (cause yes their economy is tipping). Please admit to that, be honest about it. You don't have to pretend your intentions were pure. You are just mad at Saddam cause after supporting him militarily for years (with the hope that you'd cash in on the deal) he didn't give in to your requests for a good deal on oil, so you took him out. What's so terrible about that. You were played, so now you threw a tantrum.
Your statements suggest you understand little about the American economy, and your use of the phrase “anglo Saxons” in a pejorative manner suggest you are not of this background yourself, of course I have no way of knowing. That said however, you are quite correct when you say “ cause yes their economy is tipping”. Our economy which even in this down cycle is the strongest on the planet is indeed in trouble. But what you fail to understand is that we gain nothing economically from this war, in fact we are only adding to our current economic problems by engaging in a war that will cost us at a minimum 100 billion dollars as a starting point and likely much more down the road.
So let me get this strait Forward, you believe the reason we are sacrificing the lives of our armed forces is that we are pissed at not getting a good deal on oil??? It seems to me that what you have described is not a valid or justified reason to go to war.
Forward, did it ever occur to you that the restriction on the sale of Iraqi oil has cost us Billions over the years? Did it ever occur to you that keeping a military presence in Iraqi with planes patrolling the no-fly 24 hr a day 7 days a week for the last 12 years has cost the Anglo Saxons a lot of money?
I’m confused, exactly how did we benefit by keeping the bulk of Iraqi oil off the market for the last 12 years?Forward, do you understand that the free flow of oil at market prices is a good thing for everyone, including the Iraqis themselves? Don’t you think that if we wanted cheaper oil it would have been much simpler to remove the sanctions that were placed on Iraq and let them start selling their oil again at market prices, or has that possibility not occurred to you? If our primary motive was cheap oil we sure went about it in a strange way, don’t you think?
I’ve only had a few economic courses in college so I’m no expert on economic matters in any sense of the word and don’t claim to be, but even with the little I do know about economics it’s readily apparent that the actions that the United States has taken thus far has in no way benefited them economically. So exactly when is it that we start getting this cheap oil you talk about? And exactly when do we breakeven on the billions we have already spent? Oh and there is one more complication; the United States has already publicly stated that profits from Iraqi oil are to be plowed back into their economy to help cover the cost of rebuilding. So unless you think we can steal this oil from the Iraqi people without anyone noticing I don’t see how the United States is going to be able to get away with it.
So what has the military actions of the United States accomplished besides costing a lot of money and lives? These actions have accomplished taking WMD out of the hands of someone that would use them against us or possibly provide them to others that would not hesitate to do so. And that was, is, and remains the stated objective according to the Bush administration.
In one sense Forward you are correct when you say: “You don't have to pretend your intentions were pure”. The fact is our motives are not pure or un-pure, they are simply utilitarian, we want to protect ourselves, we don’t want another 9-11 with the added horror of chemical, biological, or nuclear based WMD. We don’t want crazy people threatening us with WMD and we don’t want anyone threatening the worlds oil supplies. The fact that the removal of Saddam greatly benefits the Iraqi people is just one more benefit.
But overall Forward, you are completely wrong on this issue, and not because I say so as I’m no better or smarter then anyone. You are wrong because your beliefs are at odds with the facts, much like the Dubs.
edited to correct some of my poor spelling
Freeman
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Didn't you just love ALL those "special" days?
by micheal inspecial assemblies, special talks, special service days, special visits, special olympics, oh wait..
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freeman
The only special thing about it was when it was finally over.
Freeman
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Question on the War in Iraq
by dins inafter reading the face of war post on how the us in covering up the atrocities, it has finally compelled me to ask this question which has been on my mind for weeks.
i am glad to see saddam gone and think in the end it will have been the right thing to do.
but when bush told saddam to disarm "or else" what if saddam had really disarmed?
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freeman
Although regime change was the stated goal of the former Clinton administration and adopted by the Bush administration, the pursuit of military action towards that end in Iraq could easily have been avoided.
If Saddam decided to disarm as he promised there would never have been any sanctions imposed, the oil would be flowing without restrictions, and he would likely still be in power even now. But that was not Saddam’s choice.
The events of 9-11 is what changed everything. The events of 9-11 are what will drive the next action if it becomes necessary. But hopefully it will not come to that. Hopefully states that sponsor terror or are reckless with their existing WMD and would place them in the hands of crazies will take note of the example that just happened in their backyard.
Despite the noble notion of going to war with Iraq for the liberation of the Iraqi people, that was a secondary reason. The United States primary reason, the reason that got Bush to take this drastic action, was to prevent WMD from getting into the hands of crazies that would use them on the United States and its allies.
That said, Saddam miscalculated once again when he did not take Bush at his word, as he should have. Is there a lesson in all of this? Sure, and it’s quite simple. When Bush told the Telaban to hand over Bin Ladden or they would be removed from power as a consequence, he meant it.
A lot of people don’t like that matter-of-fact way of expression, particularly when coming from a politician and world leader. Perhaps they’re not used to that or they don’t trust that simple unsophisticated way of doing things. Then again, some really like it. I’m not saying whether that’s good or bad, it just how he (Bush)is. Just some thoughts...
Freeman
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Arabs confused by Iraqis acceptance of coalition troops
by Elsewhere inan article from the al jazeera web site... .
http://english.aljazeera.net/topics/article.asp?cu_no=1&item_no=2299&version=1&template_id=263&parent_id=258.
(because the address has "&" signs in it, you will have to cut and paste the address into a new browser to view to actual web site.).
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freeman
One has to remember that there hasn’t been an Arab victory since perhaps the crusades, so I’m sure pride and ego was a bit damaged by this turn of events. Also since not the entire Arab world is under the domination of a brutal dictatorship, many can’t quite put themselves in the shoes of the Iraqis. Any liberator, even a western liberator, would be welcomed. Fortunately for the Iraqis, we are in their country to liberate and not conquer and it’s obvious they realize this. And I believe it’s important that we continue to do our best to not further damage these peoples pride if we can.
Now here is the part where I get myself into trouble. I think it’s also the responsible thing to not overly gloat over the tremendous success of this undertaking. Yes the talking-heads, the armchair generals, the nay-sayers, the liberal-left, and the peace at any price crowd are in fact proven 100% wrong.
That said however, I don’t think it’s constructive to dwell on this.
People have various points of view, and all are equally worthy of consideration, some just happen to be completely wrong, and others happen to be correct. I believe that the important thing is that the Iraqi people be provided with every opportunity to transition from a 30 year brutal dictatorship to a form of government that will care for it’s people instead of suppress them. In fact the entire Arab world needs to be shown how much better things would be if they gravitate in that direction.
Further, it’s also important that the Arab world and others understand what is at stake and how much they have to lose if they continue to foster hatred towards the west, and in particular the United States. The United States is the solitary super power and as demonstrated, it absolutely will use its incredible military might when it feels it is in fact necessary.
One last thought; As the days go by, I’m sure we will be discovering all sorts of things in Iraq that will further validate the correctness of the Bush Administrations actions. However, I caution those who may have been in opposition to give credit where it is due and cease your negativeness or you will become irrelevant and non-credible, and for those who have been cheering this action on to just remember that if you rub it in peoples faces, it only serves to irritate instead of educate.
Freeman
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When The Circuit Overseer Visited, Why Did You Do More Than Usual?
by minimus inwas it pressure, the desire to conform, was it because you thought that you could work in service with him???
were you trying to get appointed?
did you really think it was a "special week of activity"?
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freeman
Well I didn’t do too much extra myself during these visits, however my wife and her friends always went over the edge when this carpetbagger showed up. What am I saying, she still does. Yep her and the local gaggle of hens all calmer for the “honor” of serving this windbag a meal fit for a king.
Yep I sure do remember. I also remember long ago when we were not exactly well to due having to sacrifice for this great honor. It pisses me off to know that this creep gets pocket money that I earned, drives a late model luxury car that I helped pay for, eats a really nice meal that I completely paid for, and then lectures my wife on the need to do more. You want more done? Get off your FU**ING ass and get job!
At this stage my wife knows she better make sure I’m at work when this freeloader comes calling or it won’t be a very pretty a scene.
Freeman
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Since leaving the org..what do you do with the time that you now have free?
by MoeJoJoJo inafter quitting meeting attendance, study for meetings and field service we gain alot of time.
i wasn't used to having that time to just do nothing and i've never been used to doing just nothing (relaxing and having time to stop and smell the roses).
so i joined the pto, my kids signed up for sports, i became a parent volunteer at the school, i became a coach and the list goes on.
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freeman
Sometimes on a Sunday morning I’ll sit there in the living room or out on the deck when the weather is nice drinking my coffee, reading the paper, and contemplating the world and local events described therein.
My wife sometimes will join me, drinking her coffee and reading her paper about events that are promised, but never seem to happen.
My paper is filled with mostly bad news, but I enjoy reading it, her paper is filled with "good news", but she finds no real enjoyment.I read my paper leisurely and flip through the pages one after the other until I find something of interest. My wife reads her paper systematically and underlines portions of the page with a yellow highlighter; there is no interest only the obligation to hurry-up and finish her task before she runs out of time.
She showers, puts on her make-up, and gets dressed in her finest formal skirt. I chill out in my old comfortable sweats and ripped tee shirt.
As she hurries out the door on her way to her meeting, she glances back and says with words that are never spoken, poor foolish man, I will lose him at Armageddon because he does not come with me to these vital meetings. But what can I do about it?
And she says goodbye and shuts the door behind her, I sit there and sometimes I shake my head and every now and then I just can’t help but burst into tears for her because this unloving cult runs her ragged. But what can I do about it?
Don’t get me wrong, I truly relish my freedom, I just wish I could share it with my wife, she deservers better; she deserves much better.
Freeman
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freeman
Let’s not be so quick to render a harsh judgment against this young man. How do we know the pie didn’t lead him on? Did the pie put up a fight, did it scream? Oh no I guess that was him screaming, never mind. It seems to me the only way to get to the bottom of all this is to have the Elders investigate this.
Movie or no movie, there are just certain places you don’t put your pecker. These include: Meat grinders, barbeque grills, and the carving table of a Japanese restaurant. And now I guess we can add pastries to the list, particularly hot apple pie as a place NOT to put your pecker. Just when you think you have heard it all...
All kidding aside, this is one sick puppy!
Freeman