Text 6506, 94 rader
Skriven 2010-03-31 13:16:08 av Lee Lofaso (3:800/432.0)
   Kommentar till text 6452 av Robert Bashe (2:2448/44)
Ärende: Question about democracy
================================
Hello Bob,

RB>I can see mistakes and a certain missionary zeal (not in a
RB>religious but in a political sense), but I can't see the
RB>determined imperialism you appear to see in the American
RB>system, and probably never will.

The folks on the other end of the gun see things quite differently.

Why do you think Iraqis hate our presence?  It is their country.
And Iraqis have a right to defend themselves, their homes, and their
families.

Why do you think Afghans hate our presence?  It is their country.
And Afghans have a right to defend themselves, their homes, and their
families.

Why do you think Germans hated our presence during, and following,
WWII?  It is their country.  Germans have the same right as all other
peoples, to defend themselves, their homes, and their families.

Why do you think Palestinians hate Israeli presence?  It is
Palestinian land that Israelis are occupying.  Palestinians have
a right to defend themselves, their homes, and their families.

War is nothing more than the exchange of human lives for real estate.
Real estate does not have to be land.  It can other things of value.
Such as oil.  Should we trade blood for oil?  Who benefits from such
a trade?  Not those who die.

But there are some things in life worth dying for.  Such as saving
one's family from certain death, or from a life of misery.

People have the right to self-determination.  Whether any other
country agrees or disagrees with that people's choice is irrelevant.
If a people want to live under a dictatorship, that should be their
own choice.  Not any other country's choice.

By what right does the US have to impose its own will on other
peoples?  Did the US and its Allies have the right to bomb Germany,
Italy and Japan to smithereens during WWII?  Did the US and its
Allies have the right to impose its own will after WWII by forcing
those defeated countries to be friendly to their occupiers?

Poland ceased to exist for centuries, having been divided between
Germany and Russia.  Yet the Polish people retained their language,
religion, and ways of life, eventually returning as a country of
their own.

No matter how long we stay in Iraq, the Iraqi people will retain
their own identity.  And when we leave, which we will, the Iraqi
people will return to doing things the Iraqi way.  The same goes
for Afghans, whose country is also occupied by foreign powers,
mainly by the US.

Just because the Nazis were defeated during WWII does not mean
the German people have been defeated.  Just because the Fascists
were defeated during WWII does not mean the Italian people have
been defeated.  Just because the House of the Rising Sun was
defeated during WWII does not mean the Japanese people have been
defeated.

Americans have "americanized" the Cajun people.  Americans have
forced Cajuns to abandon their language, culture, and way of life.
But not all Cajuns have complied.  And some Cajuns never will.

Americans tried to "americanize" the Philippine people.  And for
a long time, Filipinos learned English, and did things in an American
sort of way.  But today most Filipinos have returned to the culture
they once knew and loved, speaking their own native languages and
doing things Filipino-style.

How well do you know the German people?  Just because you live
in Germany, and have lived in Germany for decades, does not mean
you know or understand the German people, culture, or way of life.
The best that you can do is to learn an inkling of what it means
to be German.  After all, one does not study culture.  One must
experience culture, in all its glory, in order to fully understand
and appreciate its meaning and significance.

Society and culture are two different things.  It is often said
that culture is part of, or within, a society.  But in actuality,
it is the other way around.  Furthermore, a culture will outlast
a society.  For example, Cajuns and the Cajun culture existed
before the US even became a country, and will continue to exist
long after the US ceases to be.

--Lee


 * SLMR 2.1a * "Observe what IS with undivided awareness." - Bruce Lee

--- Maximus 3.01
 * Origin: Not the Eastern Star feedcutting centre (3:800/432)