Posts by NewSense

38

Poll: Please Help with my Research....

by teenyuck in

jw
friends

since everyone (from the dixie chicks to newsense) seems to agree that the usa is the worst country on earth (perhaps "the great beast" even?

) and the usa does not "do" enough to help everyone else on earth, a short poll: .

1. what country is the best on earth today...ie: no taxes, free everything, no military, no enemies, no borders, free food, no crime, no locks on anything, no politicians, etc.

NewSense

Dear Teen:

I am currently living in Southeast Asia, in the tropical zone. You're right about Switzerland. When I was young (about your age, I'm guessing) I spent two years in the French Alps, in Grenoble. So, it was easy to visit Switzerland. And, what a lovely (and peaceful) place it is.

Dear "e-mail" (or whatever your name is). So, I'm a hypocrite, eh? <Newsense is taking many a deep breath and trying to keep his Irish-American temper in check> Well, since I'm in such a touchy- feely mood, I won't say the words that first came to my mind. Just let me say that you are wrong. My little remark about los machateros was stated in jest; I was just being ironic. I was trying to show that I knew something about Puerto Rican culture. Back in New England, where I came from, I had many "amigos borrinquenos". Puerto Rican people are cool. Regarding the machateros being terrorists, all I can say is that is a "loaded term." One man's "freedom fighter" or "revolutionary hero" is another man's "terrorist." Think about it. In the U.S., Benedict Arnold is a traitor, but for many of our Canadian brethren, he was a hero. On the other hand, the Yanks who held that notorious "tea party" in Bean- town were viewed as scum by the Brits. Also, you can ask the British what they think of some guys who became the leaders of Israel. I mean those dudes blew up many a British building in Palestine during and after world war two. I'm sure that Simon can tell you about those guys. So, in short, the meaning of the word "terrorist" depends entirely on what side of any given political struggle you happen to be on. To paraphrase Nietzsche, all politics is "will to power." All political systems, and I mean all, are corrupt. History lets the winners of any struggle assign the label "terrorists"to this group and "revolutionary heroes" to that group.

No doubt, there are some sick and cruel members of the macheteros; but not all of them are. In regards, to "Puerto Rico libre" I totally believe that Puerto Rico should be given total independence. They are not a colony of the U.S. although they are treated like one. U.S. policy toward Puerto Rico is a long, shameful, and disgraceful story. Puerto Rico is a lovely island with a beautiful, vibrant culture. It's culture is ancient, there were people there long before the arrival of the Spanish. And, as regards "Commandante Che," hey, what can I say? The dude was cool.

Is it true that Simon deleted my comment about the Macheteros? That can't be! It can't be true! Tell me it ain't so, Simon! If it is true, then all of my gods will have fallen.

38

Poll: Please Help with my Research....

by teenyuck in

jw
friends

since everyone (from the dixie chicks to newsense) seems to agree that the usa is the worst country on earth (perhaps "the great beast" even?

) and the usa does not "do" enough to help everyone else on earth, a short poll: .

1. what country is the best on earth today...ie: no taxes, free everything, no military, no enemies, no borders, free food, no crime, no locks on anything, no politicians, etc.

NewSense

Realist:

You say "excellent post." Are you serious, or were you being ironic? A little voice tells me that you may serious. If that's case, then let me say thank you; and bless your little sugar-plum heart! <Newsense has to stop to wipe off the tears that are streaming down his cheeks threatening to flood his keyboard and short-circuit his computer> Oh, shit, now I'm all choked up. Hell, most of the people on this board think I'm a total asshole (And, you know, they're right!). Excuse me, but the only thing that will make me feel better now is to blow my nose and fart. Be right back...honk, honk,.... FAAAARRRTTTT. Ah, now I feel much better. Now where was I? Oh, right!! Thank you for the compliment. I'll savor it and keep it in my heart forever because, between you and me, compliments directed toward me in this forum are more rare than hens' teeth.

What do I teach? I teach French, English public speaking (speech/rhetoric), computer English, advanced English reading and the literature of the Western world. All of my students are natives to this place and learning English as a foreign language. My Ph.D. is in French literature, not a "hot" subject of study in the U.S. nowadays, if you know what I mean. That's one reason why I am now living seven thousand miles from my home. I've been here eleven years, though. So, I can't complain.

38

Poll: Please Help with my Research....

by teenyuck in

jw
friends

since everyone (from the dixie chicks to newsense) seems to agree that the usa is the worst country on earth (perhaps "the great beast" even?

) and the usa does not "do" enough to help everyone else on earth, a short poll: .

1. what country is the best on earth today...ie: no taxes, free everything, no military, no enemies, no borders, free food, no crime, no locks on anything, no politicians, etc.

NewSense

Dear Teen:

You ask if there might not be better ways to handle the problem in Iraq. One thing that comes to mind is to let the Iraqi people take care of Saddam. Most of them hate him. Given enough time, they will settle their score with him. For all its problems, and despite everything, Iraq is a sovereign nation. No nation whatsoever has any business interfering in the affairs of another sovereign nation. Only the Iraqi people have the right to get rid of Saddam. I would say that Saddam has very few friends, either in his own country or in the Arab world. When the Iraqi people have enough of him, they will get rid him. Or maybe now I have to say, they *would have gotten* rid of him, if the U.S had not intervened. The ironic thing is, I fear, is that the U.S. intervention will prove *counter-productive* to what it hopes to accomplish. In other words, now the people of Iraq will rally around Saddam in spite of their hatred for him. There is an old Arab saying: "I fight against my brother. My brother and I fight against our cousin. My brother, our cousin and I fight against the foreigner." Think about what it says, because it says a lot. Think back to that horrible, September 11. What did the American people do? They rallied around Bush. This is only natural. What I fear is that the U.S. has given Saddam what he did not have before - legitimacy. Legitimacy and the sympathy of the Arab world, the part of the world that once feared and hated him. In so many ways, it is my opinion that intervening in Iraq (hell, let's call a spade a "spade" and say invading Iraq) is the worst thing they could have done. To end, let me say that war has never accomplished anything. War will never accomplish anything.

38

Poll: Please Help with my Research....

by teenyuck in

jw
friends

since everyone (from the dixie chicks to newsense) seems to agree that the usa is the worst country on earth (perhaps "the great beast" even?

) and the usa does not "do" enough to help everyone else on earth, a short poll: .

1. what country is the best on earth today...ie: no taxes, free everything, no military, no enemies, no borders, free food, no crime, no locks on anything, no politicians, etc.

NewSense

Hi Joanna:

Since you mention my name and something I posted, I feel that I should clarify some things. The first thing I want to say is that I am an natural-born American; I was born in the U.S.A. I have been living in Southeast Asia for the past twelve years where I work as a university professor. I, by no means, hate the U.S.A. In fact, I love the U.S. with all my heart. However, what I do not accept - what I will never accept - is the viewpoint of many of my beloved fellow Americans which states that, in order to be "patriotic," a person cannot criticize current foreign policy. I do not accpet the notion that speaking out against the war in Iraq makes a person less loving of country, or, and even worse, a traitor. This idea I reject totally. One of my life's central tenets is to question ALL AUTHORITY. I know; it's an old hippie idea, but what can I say, I'm a forty-five-year-old OLD FART (Someone attacked me for being a bigot for using that term. Maybe what I didn't express clearly enough originally was that I was including myself in that very same category. And, besides, I was only saying it humorously). Anyway, I am constantly, constantly telling my students to question all authority, all beliefs, all "scripture" of any kind. I tell them to think for themselves and to never, ever let anyone think for them. In my classroom, academic freedom rules. Any student can express any idea or belief without fear of humiliation or punishment - even if it diametrically opposed o what I think.

I believe that it my patriotic duty to question the policy of my government. A true lover of one's country will always be the first to do so; this is what I believe. To briefly restate what I have said before, I truly believe that the U.S. aggression towards Iraq is completely illegal and immoral. In short, it is total evil. As member of the United Nations, the U.S. is legally and morally bound to respect the authority of the U.N. The U.N. has given no mandate for military action in Iraq. Moreover, the U.N. has declared the Kuwaiti border with Iraq a demilitarized zone. As a consequence, the Bush administration is violating every legal and moral injunction conceivable. But, after all, MIGHT MAKES RIGHT, does it not? It's a Darwinian world out there. Screw international law! Screw international mandate and world opinion! Tooth and fang rule; and the U.S. currently has the biggest teeth and fangs.

Oh! There I go again! Getting all pissed off. T'is truly the curse of being an Irish-American (And I sure as hell put the emphasis on AMERICAN!). Another thing that I try to teach my students is balance. So, I will now attempt to give some balance in regards my feelings toward the U.S. The truth is people all over the world would still give their right arm and/or leg for a chance to come and live in the U.S. I know for a fact that, of the hundreds of thousands of Chinese who have come to the U.S. over the years for graduate study, less than one third have returned; that means that more than two thirds have opted to stay in the U.S. It can't be denied that the U.S. continues to be -as it always has been - the prime choice for refugees and immigrants. So, I guess that the U.S. must be doing something right. And, I'm sure it is not only because the U.S. is such a rich nation. I remember reading years ago how Japan so "graciously" agreed to take in a small amount of refugees (from Vietnam of Cambodia, I can't remember). Anyway, each and everyone of those people refused to go to Japan! They wanted the U.S.

Well, this post is too long already. I'll finish, Joanna, by saying that I am not a monster (but, it's your right to still hate me, if that's what you want). I have a lot of faults; but I'm not evil. I'm no better or worse than anyone posting here, but if you believe me to be worse, go ahead. I hope that you can understand my feelings and ideas a little better now. Yeah, I know that I have an uncanny ability to piss people off. It's one of my natural abilities. But, you know, that might not be a totally bad thing. When people get pissed, they sometimes think. I like to stir things up - you know, rattle people's cages...bust balls...crush cojones...you get the picture. Like Socrates, I'm the little gadfly that bugs the shit out of people. Oh my God! I just realized that Socrates ended up dead! Oooooohhhh Nooooo Mr. Bill! (Anybody remember Mr. Bill from the 80's Saturday Night Live?)

20

Confusion about support for forces and support for war

by Simon in

the government here is claiming that support for the war is growing and encouraging people to 'get behind our forces'.. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2863055.stm.

i think they are taking advantage of the fact that people will naturally support "our forces" to make out that people are then supporting the governments actions.

to put it another way, just because people oppose the war does not mean that they want "our forces" to lose.

NewSense

It's my hope (and not a very realistic one, I realize) to see Bush brought up on charges of being a war criminal because that's exactly what he is. For example, and this is just one example, the Kuwaiti border with Iraq has officially been declared a D.M.Z. (de-militarized zone) by the United Nations. The term is self-explanatory; it means that no nation can bring any sort of weaponary or war machines into the border area. By stationing troops and military material there, and using it as point of attack, Bush is clearly in violation of international law.

Alot of people think that this little military exercise is going to be an easy romp in the park - what, a week or two at the most. The may well be true. And then again, it might not be true. It could be a very different experience that the last time around because this time the Iraqis will be fighting for house and home, for father and mother, sister and brother. They won't be fighting for Saddam, or Islam, or the Bath political party, or for Arab solidarity. These are all abstractions for which they will care nought. And to all the war-pigs out there, all I can say is: Congratulations. You now have your god damned war, just like everyone knew you eventually would. But like the ancient Greek saying goes - Be careful of what you wish for because you just may get it. Just like Sybil. She asked for eternal life, and she got it. She just kept getting older and older and older and older...forever. When she had shrivelled to about the size of a cricket, the children would taunt her and ask her what she wanted at that time. All she said is is: "I just want to die."

38

The U.S. already has the RIGHT to wage war on IRAQ

by starScream in

whether a u.s. lead invasion of iraq is necessary or not the united states has that right and here is why.

in 1990 the u.n. security council authorized the use of military force to expel the iraqi army from kuwait.

british and u.s. forces were the dominant contributors to the coalition.

NewSense

38

The U.S. already has the RIGHT to wage war on IRAQ

by starScream in

whether a u.s. lead invasion of iraq is necessary or not the united states has that right and here is why.

in 1990 the u.n. security council authorized the use of military force to expel the iraqi army from kuwait.

british and u.s. forces were the dominant contributors to the coalition.

NewSense

Dear Brigadoon:

It seems that nowadays most of the people left with a sheer modicum of sanity are Europeans. I agree 100% with what you, and I understood your point about how the common German people suffered during WWII. Their mistake was to listen that madman, Adolf Hitler. Likewise, too many Americans are now listening to G. Bush, who in many ways is evil incarnate, just as Hitler was totally evil.

Unfortunetely, you are more or less wasting your time. Many (not all, by any means, but many) of the people posting now on this board are ignorant, gullible Americans who have blind faith in a madman. Simon is a real cool guy, but he's British, so he's bound to have some intelligence. But,as for the rest, they range from **** to **** who advocate thermo-nuclear annihilation of the Iraqi people. They somehow cannot grasp the fact that Iraqi fathers and mothers love their children just as much as Americans love their children. These sons of whores cannot seem to imagine the destruction that will soon be unleashed. In a way, the ignorance of Americans regarding the hell that is warfare can be explained by the fact that the American Civil War was the last war to ever be fought on American land. In every other war since, Americans have gone abroad to wreak destruction. In short, Americans are simply too naive and stupid to realize the hell of war, war fought on American soil.

47

Peace vs War

by songmistress in

jw
friends

for anyone who is interested, there are candlelight peace vigils being held sunday night 3/16/03 around the world starting at 7:00 in all locations.

information can be found at www.moveon.org.

these are intended to be peaceful, silent vigils.. we live in a country that values freedom, and this freedom, has to extend to both sides of the war issue.

NewSense

Wednesday, you have a hell of a lot of nerve accusing me of "stalking" you. I would never stalk anyone, ***********************************************. You're trying to stifle my freedom of speech. I got news for you,*********; it's not going to work. ***********************.***************************************************************

***************************************************. For example, we all know ************************** that the Bible is divided into chapters and verses. What is the Qur'an (Koran) divided into? In ancient days, Iraq was the site of what great civilization? What do Moslems believe about Jesus, Abraham, Moses, Mary, Issac? When did the prophet Mohammed receive his revelation, that is to say, when did Islam begin? When Moslems speak of "jihad" ("holy war"), do they mean a literal war fought with real weapons? Or, do they mean a psychological and spiritual exercise intended to steel and stregthen one's faith? Did you ever stop to think that Western civilization owes its very existence to Arab/Islamic culture? After the fall of Rome, during the Dark Ages, it was the Arabs who safeguarded Western culture.

I bet you're asking yourself what these questions have to do with the impending war with Iraq. My only answer is that********************* you would know the answer for yourself. **************************. Let me ask you again. Can you imagine a situation in which Jesus Christ would say that war is O.K? Can you honestly say that Christ is/was a coward? How can war be reconciled with Christian doctrine? ********************************************* What I want to know is, do you have any answer at all to my questions? Or, are you really too much of a coward to answer? And my last words to you are: No one had better try to stop me from expressing my ideas and thoughts. It won't work; I'm no one's puppet.

47

Peace vs War

by songmistress in

jw
friends

for anyone who is interested, there are candlelight peace vigils being held sunday night 3/16/03 around the world starting at 7:00 in all locations.

information can be found at www.moveon.org.

these are intended to be peaceful, silent vigils.. we live in a country that values freedom, and this freedom, has to extend to both sides of the war issue.

NewSense

Wednesday:

Your profound ignorance will never cease to amaze me. You claim that it is supremely cowardly to resist joining a war effort and slaughtering innocents in the name of one's country. I personally think that it is the Americans who are being supremely cowardly.I mean, if you compare America's military power with that of Iraq's, it won't be too much of a fair match. And you talk of the Iraqi authorities "amasing" (you mean "amassing," don't you, you ignorant moron?) weapons of mass destruction. Well, what the hell do you think that the U.S. has been doing for the past 55 years or so? This only shows the hypocrisy of Bush and company in that he's about to invade another sovereign nation under the false pretense of possessing the very same kind of weapons that the U.S. holds in its arsenal.

To make this short, I just want to say that people have totally ignored one major point. Namely, they should ask themselves what Jesus would have done in a similar situation. As I interpret Jesus' words in the Bible, I maintain that in no way would he ever joined any war effort at any time. In my humble opinion, Jesus despised all killing, no matter what the reason for it supposedly was. In my opinion, Jesus would have resisted killing for the sake of state-sponsored terror. So, does that make Jesus a coward? I know, Wednesday, that you are an ignorant idiot who can neither write nor think. However, I have to wonder if even you could call Jesus a coward. Ask yourself: what would Jesus have done? This is a question that Bush should also ask himself. Here is an individual who claims to be a Christian, but ignores one of the most basic precepts of the Bible - THOU SHALL NOT KILL. Here is an individual who claims to be a Christian, and yet he shows nothing but contempt for the advice given to him by the leaders of most Christian churches, both Catholic and Protestant. It's abolutely disgusting.

P.S. I believe that refusing to fight in W.W. II and subsequent wars was one of the very, very *few* things that the dubs did right!!! That was one of the very, very few instances where they actually interpreted biblical admonitions and teachings correctly. God can bless them on that account, at least.

46

To all the wednesday haters out there...

by Valis in

jw
friends

back off will ya?!!

or at least try picking on someone else for a change...i actually happen to agree w/wednesday about people who serve being at least be able to communicate with you as the customer...i don't speak laotian, chineese, vietnameee, any african language, and just enough spanich to get me in trouble or slapped eheh... yesterday i went in to get a postal stamp from 7-11...well the poor soul (he looked vietnameese probably just started and he couldn't get was i was asking for whatsoever...i asked about three times then just smiled and walked out...i went accross the street where the guy from lebbanon knew exactly what i wanted and gladly sold me stamps...i actually like going there better cuz its his store and not another corporate tool...(i want to be my own corporate tool) eheheheh.

i deal with it every day and lemme telll you sumpin...people who want to learn english and thrive here will, those that don't will keep serving you at thankless jobs all over the country...almost all of my foreign students gladly take esl classes (notice: english as a second language) that's right...they learn the other language to make their learning experience easier, which includes interacting and being a part of our culture, and existence in our country better...not only does it make their lives better/easier, but it makes my job and existence easier.

NewSense

First, I want to say that I do not hate Wednesday. If I have any feeling for her, it is that of pity. She is an ignorant, un-educated fool. In many ways, she is the embodiment of one of America's biggest flaws - its myopic, ignorant and arrogant monolingualism. There are - of course - exceptions, but in general, the "track record" of Americans in learning foreign languages is disgracefully abysmal. And, by natural consequence, since Americans are so terrible at learning foreign languages, they never are able to come to even the most basic understanding or awareness of foreign cultures. As a result, many Americans are totally "tongue-tied" when it comes to speaking foreign languages. In fact, they are so ignorant that they are even tongue-tied when it comes to speaking their *own* English language, as is the case with our beloved Wednesday. And because they are so poor at speaking foreign languages, too many Americans are in essence alienated from the world, left to wallow in their ignorance like the fat, arrogant pigs they are. As a consequence, a vacuum of ignorance fills their minds. And, since nature abhors a vacuum, their minds are left to be filled by the lies and trash that they view on T.V.

But I digress a bit. My major qualm with Wednesday, simply put, is that she has absolutely no right to be at all critical of a non-English-speaking foreigner in the U.S. when she herself writes English like an utter cretin. In her previous posts, she writes "grammer" when she should spell it "grammar." She writes "workded" for "worked," and "privatley" when it should be "privately." And, it's not just her spelling. In a nutshell, an ignoramus has no right to expect anyhing from anyone.

And, to those who say: "This is America, and everyone should learn the only official language, which is English," I will respond by saying that this is precisely the problem!!!! America should not, cannot not, must not remain a monolingual society. Many people in various European and African nations speak three, four, or even more languages. In fact, people in most countries of the world put most Americans to shame when it comes to speaking other languages. Many of America's problems derive from the fact that it is a mono-lingual nation where basically only one language is spoken. Monolingualism contributes to ignorance and its accompanying arrogance and cultural chauvinism.