Posted by Jeff from d53-152-230.try.wideopenwest.com (64.53.230.152) on Saturday, March 29, 2003 at 10:15PM :
On Columbia Univ. Prof. & crash course in civics
Posted By: Qasrani <Qasrani2003@yahoo.com> (free-ppp023.MODEMS.CWRU.Edu)
Date: Saturday, 29 March 2003, at 8:54 p.m.
To Peter et al.
What can I say?? Academics are more intellectually nimble and tend toward "let you think for yourself" approaches. Sorry to disappoint you, but I think that fosters learning much more. So, it spills into their politics, so what? The media is conservative, so we have balance. The media is more powerful than academics. Big business is more powerful than academia. If academia is the last bastion of liberal thought, I say all power to it. We need balance.
A recent banner read "Support the troops. Bring them home NOW". It captures my sentiment. A recent opinion piece at a local paper on March 27 read:
I do not support the troops. When people are involved in an immoral act, in this case, the invasion of a country that has done nothing to us, you cannot separate the troops from their actions.
I am not a pacifist. If Iraqi soldiers landed in Santa Barbara and tried to "liberate" me, I would be first in line to defend my family and my country.
Should the people of Japan have supported the bombing of Pearl Harbor in another infamous "preemptive military action"? Should the Germans have supported their troops in the invasion of Poland and the extermination of
12 million people?
Saying, "You have to support the troops" is right up there with "I was only following orders" and other excuses for not taking responsibility for
one's own moral actions.
signed/ Roy Kuklinsky
~~~~~~
Ever been to an anti-war rally? People get all riled up start talkiing nonsense. What's funny is that its always the inflammatory statements that get play. Whatever, it sells papers, captures eyeballs (depending on your medium).
I won't condemn deGenova. Just like I won't condemn you, Peter. I still think that people that support this war are cowards and narrow and put the lives of Americans in harms way to pursue their own interests, which sickens me. Iraq is no threat to the US. And American lives should not be sacrificed for anything short of an actual threat.
You, Peter, are not a patriot. Neither are all the rest of the Assyrians that support this war. So come off that soapbox. You don't care about how many Americans die, just so that Iraq's water is muddied enough for you to get a (perceived) window of opportunity. You also don't give a care for the Iraqis that are suffering. Because you detest Islam and 98% of Iraq is Muslim, the majority being of the most virulent (in your eyes) sect, Shi'a.
You my immigrant friend, are the last person to be telling people to get out of here. The founding fathers of this country set out some values and tried to put in place a system of government that would keep governance to a minimum. That's what checks and balances is about. That's why the Congress (theoretically) can undue what the President does and why the Supreme Court can undue the other two. The founding fathers of this country were SUBVERSIVES. HELLO! That's why they wanted out of Britain's shackles. They had a different sense of human liberty, and that most of all protecting the minority voice was of utmost value. They knew from experience that the loudest can win in any argument, but had to safeguard the rights of the minority. Why does congress have 2 houses? Sorry to get remedial on you, but you don't seem to understand what this country is about at all, Peter.
-- Jeff
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