Posts by Xander

22

"Bush fiddles with economy while Baghdad burns"

by Simon in

an interesting article which somewhat reflects my own take on what i see happening.

please note that this does not put any judgement on whether i think it is a good thing or not so please do not "shoot the messenger".. whether you believe or accept the points or not it is an interesting read.

i personally think that the action bush has taken in the last few years has done more harm to the usa than it's enemies ever could which is surely a crime?..

Xander

The point of imperial declines lasting a long time is valid - indeed, one could argue that remnants of the Roman empire still manage to exist to this day (in the form of Italy partially, and the Vatican certainly).

(so far i haven't heard one {and i'm not holding my breath})

What, you mean you doubt the just reasons for this war?

Like the chemical weapons Saddam has, and would certainly use on the US forces? Or, er...wait....troops 50 miles from Baghdad and still haven't found any chemical weapons. Hmmmm....

OH, wait! Iraq not disarming! Yeah, that's the ticket! All those scuds they didn't destroy! Except...no...wait....they don't have any anymore?

Hey! How about how cruel Saddam is to his own people!! Yeah, there you go! We are liberating the oppressed Iraqis! Just like we liberate all equally oppressed citizens, like those in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Kuwait....er....nevermind.

But, hey, this war certainly isn't about oil or American imperialism. Otherwise, you'd see things happening like US troops taking protectice custody of Iraqi oil fields, the Vice President's former employer being given contracts to rebuild Iraqi oil wells, and in all cases of contracts awarded to 'rebuild' parts of Iraq awarded to US companies.

29

Michael Moore's actual quote

by Xander in

just thought i'd post this so everyone can see the quote that got him 'booed off the stage' and so horribly offended so many people:whoa.

on behalf of our producers kathleen glynn and michael donovan from canada, i'd like to thank the academy for this.

i have invited my fellow documentary nominees on the stage with us, and we would like to they're here in solidarity with me because we like nonfiction.

Xander

Somehow I doubt he was expecting the reaction he got - the quote as above just isn't that 'gutsy'. It could almost be read entirely tongue-in-cheek as a simple jab at the current administration.

The way people are reacting, you'd think he announced he was the antichrist come to earth to topple god's kingdom (as manifest in the Bush administration) or something.

It's just silly the scope of the over-reaction.

3

Thoughts on Iraq FROM Iraqis now....

by Xander in

from various sources.. john donovan of abcnews.com reports:traveling unescorted into safwan today, i got a far different picture.

rather than affection and appreciation, i saw a lot of hostility toward the coalition forces, the united states and president bush.

some were even directed towards the media.

Xander

From various sources.

John Donovan of ABCNews.com reports:
Traveling unescorted into Safwan today, I got a far different picture. Rather than affection and appreciation, I saw a lot of hostility toward the coalition forces, the United States and President Bush.
Some were even directed towards the media. (It was the first time I heard somebody refer to me as a "Satan.")
To be sure, conversations with people on the street here begin relatively calmly. But the more they talked, the angrier they got.
In part, much of their discontent stems from the unknown. In speaking with them, the newly-liberated Iraqis ask the same questions that seem to nag many outside Iraq.
Why are you here in this country? Are you trying to take over? Are you going to take our country forever? Are the Israelis coming next? Are you here to steal our oil? When are you going to get out?

Slate has a correspondent there. It sounds like emotions are running high and feelings are mixed, but we clearly haven't reached the promised "welcoming the liberators with open arms" stage quite yet.
The mood on the streets remains somber and sullen. Stores are mostly closed, and those that are open have run out of duct tape, gasoline, and aluminum foil (which is wrapped around computers to shield them from e-bombs). People seem sad, resigned, sometimes resistant, mostly fearful. There is universal opposition to the war: George W. Bush's name is spit with venom. Yesterday, a soldier saw me on the street and shouted, "George Bush, I fucked your mother. We will win this war because you are here. You are a human shield. We are all human shields and the world is with us." Still, Iraq's celebrated hospitality remains, even in wartime. I have been greeted with kisses and hugs as often as I have with people pointing fingers at me and yelling pow-pow.

And then there's this:
By deciding to pursue their enemy into the city center, the Americans appeared to have enraged many of the Iraqi civilians who live there, including those who said they were predisposed to support the American effort.
One of those, Mustafa Mohammed Ali, a medical assistant at the Saddam Hospital, said he had spent much of the day hauling dead and wounded civilians out of buildings that had been bombed by the Americans. Mr. Ali that said he had no love for the Iraqi president but that the American's failure to discriminate between enemy fighters and Iraqi civilians had turned him decisively against the American invasion.
"I saw how the Americans bombed our civilians with my own eyes," Mr. Mustafa said, and he held up a bloodied sleeve to show how he had dragged them into the ambulances.
"You want to overthrow Saddam Hussein's regime?" Mr. Mustafa asked. "Go to Baghdad. What are you doing here? What are you doing in our cities?"

29

Michael Moore's actual quote

by Xander in

just thought i'd post this so everyone can see the quote that got him 'booed off the stage' and so horribly offended so many people:whoa.

on behalf of our producers kathleen glynn and michael donovan from canada, i'd like to thank the academy for this.

i have invited my fellow documentary nominees on the stage with us, and we would like to they're here in solidarity with me because we like nonfiction.

Xander

Just thought I'd post this so everyone can see the quote that got him 'booed off the stage' and so horribly offended so many people:

Whoa. On behalf of our producers Kathleen Glynn and Michael Donovan from Canada, I'd like to thank the Academy for this. I have invited my fellow documentary nominees on the stage with us, and we would like to — they're here in solidarity with me because we like nonfiction. We like nonfiction and we live in fictitious times. We live in the time where we have fictitious election results that elects a fictitious president. We live in a time where we have a man sending us to war for fictitious reasons. Whether it's the fictition of duct tape or fictition of orange alerts we are against this war, Mr. Bush. Shame on you, Mr. Bush, shame on you. And any time you got the Pope and the Dixie Chicks against you, your time is up. Thank you very much.

Honestly, I thought it was funny! 'The Pope and the Dixie Chicks against you', indeed! LOLOL!

My gods, what kind of high strung world are we living in when a quote like THIS causes such reaction?

27

Halliburton wins Iraq rebuilding contracts

by Trauma_Hound in

lol, , i and many anti-bush people were right.

hate to say this, but told ya so!

http://money.cnn.com/2003/03/25/news/companies/war_contracts/index.htm.

Xander

Yeah, cause we know how popular people that question the current administration stay, don't we?

99

Milton Henchel is dead

by beroea in

jw
friends

this morning they announce to the bethel family that brother milton

henschel passed away on

in the full time service for 69 years and was the 5th president.

Xander

So, tell me, sword, would you have been upset at those who didn't grieve when Hitler died? How about Stalin? Maybe the death count they have on their heads is too high to compare - at least Manson, surely? Would you be upset if no one grieved when HE died?

30

Newbie question about the NGO story

by gcc2k in

i've seen the reproductions of evidence in the ngo story.. let's say i was to discuss this matter with a local friendly elder.

i imagine that the following criticisms would ensue:.

1) that is not a real letter sent by the society (saying it was just for a library card, or as the version from portugal said, to gain favor in certain nations).. 2) the reply from the librarian at the un saying that becoming an ngo is not a requirement for a library pass is not real.. my main concern is with the latter.

Xander

The public relations department at the UN is, in fact, PAID to answer questions.

So what if you ARE the half-millionth person to ask? It's a valid question, go ahead and call and ask. They'll send you the info, and you'll have all the proof you need.

32

Oscars

by LuckyLucy in

michael moore mad a fool out of himself when he trashed the president.

i loved it when the audience starting booing him.

i'ts like these celebrities are cutting off their noses to despite their faces.

Xander

So, are you luckylucy or rubytuesday today?

4

DINOSAURS!

by gitasatsangha in

ok.. odd question.

why are their dinosaurs in old nwt inner jackets?

i don't have one any more, but i recall that there was one of the two legged variety walking hapilly along the continent of africa on the old bible.

Xander

I think that dated back to when they taught that dinosaurs and men roamed the earth together until the dinos were destroyed in the great flood.

There teachings on this matter have since changed, and, thus, reprints were needed.

33

What's The Strangest Thing that ever happened to you OUT IN SERVICE??

by NaruNaruChan in

jw
friends

i once had a guy answer the door naked, and i laughed my butt off... you?

Xander

Geez, why couldn't *I* ever get a flasher at the door. Except, you know, FEMALE. And hot!

*grumble*grumble*grumble*

I remember always having a story or two to tell on the topic when in the cargroup, but now that I'm OUT of the b0rg, I find that they weren't really FUNNY stories at all.

I think, in retrospect, I'd describe this popular, funny tales of field service as: "Normal people having normal reactions to cult members at their front door." Which kinda takes 'teh funAy' out, if you know what I mean.

---------

Like, for example, the lady who we got at her back door. Placed two magazines! Got back in car (which was behind her house - wraparound driveway), and were passing the front of the house when the magazines came flying out the front door! Well, sister pioneer in our car went right out and picked them up! HAHA! So funny! Well SHE'LL be throwing things around when she's burning at armegeddon, won't she! HAHA!

Errr....see? Not funny now.