NEWS FLASH: People Do Bad Things to Americans

[PhilDernerJr]

Though it was horrible, the treeatment of prisoners as Abu Gharib is something that the US is still notliving down.

Meanwhile, things like...

...dead Marines' bodies being dragged through the streets and beaten by crowds in Somalia gets forgotten...

...American workers bodies are hung from a bridge in Iraq...

...and as reported today; http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/04/ ... dex.html.. (http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/04/05/iraq.main/index.html..).

....are all quickly forgotten by the media. God forbid we hold a grudge against any other people for doing thigns to our nation. Even the Port Authority got blamed for 68% of the 1993 WTC bombing.

[RDU-JFK]

I hear ya, its absolutely horrible. For a class assignment I was required to look at the photographs from Abu Gharib which are available online, and honestly I wasn't that moved by them...by far worse things were, and are done to Americans. When someone said, "how can you be unaffected by those photos?" I responded, "after seeing pictures of hands and feet in the papers after 9/11 and looking at IDs and bloody shoes and clothing as I walked by Pace University the day afterwards on 9/12, I have no sympathy for terrorists and their supporters, like those in Abu Gharib.

[PhilDernerJr]

I do have sympathy for those victims at Abu Gharib, but if anyoen expects me to hate my own country becuase of it, they are mistaken.

Though I do love my government as well, disliking your government is not the same as disliking your country. Many liberlas don't realize it, but them fighting the government menas thatthey really do, in fact, like their country, as much as they might not want to admit it.

[moose135]

Though I do love my government as well, disliking your government is not the same as disliking your country. Many liberals don't realize it, but them fighting the government means that they really do, in fact, like their country, as much as they might not want to admit it.

I think you have that backwards, Phil. Most times Liberals (like me) get blasted as being "unpatriotic", even "traitors" for criticizing the government. Even Bush and Cheney have said such criticism "gives aid and comfort to the enemy."

Remember, dissent is not disloyalty!

[PhilDernerJr]

But I hear many extreme liberals saying that they hate this country, when what they really mean is that they hate the government, and they don't even know it.

Country is physical and mental. It's the land you are in and the people that make it up. If they really hated the country, they'd leave. They only stay because they do, in fact, love this country, and want to improve it.

That, and they love to complain about everything they can.

In addition, it's those same liberals they will say that they government doesn't care about the people, yet they are the first people to say that Americans are idiots, sch as Michael Moore saying exactly that; "They are possibly the dumbest people on the planet."

[Tom_Turner]

sch as Michael Moore saying exactly that; "They are possibly the dumbest people on the planet."

He's an interesting director and scores some points here and there to be sure, but I knew he was off the rails in Fast Food Nation when he was scandalized to find out a single mother being "forced" to wake up at the crack of dawn (gasp) and commute (gasp) to go to work - and then - in his mind the clincher - in a restaurant she could not afford to eat at.

:roll:

But then again we live in country where the union "actors" that make commercials, think we should not cross their picket lines because it would impact their quality of life (multiple vacations/homes/private schools etc.) if commercials were made cheaper.

Tom

[USAF Pilot 07]

Phil, most of the liberals you hear say that aren't very educated or are out in la-la land.

I'm a moderate, in that economically I lean conservative but "socially" I lean towards the middle and am split on many issues between being liberal and conservative.

I do agree with you though Phil, there are people in this country who believe that the whole world should all just get along and live happily ever after. Unfortunately that will never happen, and anytime the US makes a move militarily or that could be the least bit questionable, they are the first to jump on the US and the Military about our policies and how we're being cruel and incensitive.

I do want to say that what happened at Abu-Ghraib was inexcusible, and the people responsible should (and are) paying for it. The things that happened there went completely against regulations and nothing was gained by the actions that took place there. But people need to understand that these were actions by individual solidiers, and even though this type of behavior may have been known to happen up through the chain, that this was not a US military policy and that the US did not condone this type of behavior.

Being said, it is important that once we obtain and detain terrorists, or those contributing to terrorist organizations, that we be able to put certain pressures on them. These people aren't stupid, and using a "traditional" justice system, where they would be afforded just about every luxury, will not get them to talk and divulge perhaps extremely important intel. With that said though, we need to ensure that all types of behavior for US soldiers in charge of, and interrogating these prisoners are monitored and held up to standards and not cruely abusive.