Bulldog - then doesn't it stand to reason that since all countries have such "dirty laundry" as you call it, that it is a fundamental tennent of human society that through human error, ignorance, and imperfection that all a certain degree of bad actions are always going to occur in any stable system of governance. That the only government without "dirty laundry" are those who are quickly overthrown?

In that case, wouldn't it stand to evaluate a country based on how it behaves in the current day by comparing it to all the other countries in the world? For instance, the internment of Japanese citizens durring WW2 was not the correct action to take, but when you look at what was going on in other parts of the world where Germany purposely killed 6 million human beings on concentration camps, all of a sudden, Japanese internment seems more like a vacation by comparison!

True America has likely tortured terrorists in an attempt to gain operational intelligence to destroy the terrorist netowrk that is attacking her (if we haven't I'd be pissed off because that means more American citizens are dying than have to). But compared to the millions of Iraqis that where tortured and killed in the most brutal inhumane ways, America looks like a god damned saint! Add in all the horrors of the Taliban regime to that pot and you can see why almost all the people in that country view Americans as great liberators. But then again maybe you don't care, maybe you are one of the people that stalin was right about, "one man's death is a tragedy, a million men's death's are a statistic." Maybe you'll cry about one or ten tortured terrorists but not give two shits about the hundreds of thousands of innocents killed by Saddam Hussein.

After a careful study of human history you will find that there have almost never been nations that are 100% good against nations that are 100% evil. Overall America is a great nation and has been more benevolent and altruistic with its power than any other nation that has been the only superpower of its day. So if you are going to raze an entire nation to the ground over a small number of moral infractions then you had better prepare yourself to live under the rule of a nation that commits far far far more crimes against humanity because that perfect moral nation has never existed and if history is any judge, is likely to never exist.

WD, I find your follow up post baffling. Its as though you didn't read what I wrote, your read whatever you were looking for me to say.

SHERMAN EDIT: Lets try to play nice?

Originally Posted by bulldogg

WD, I find your follow up post baffling. Its as though you didn't read what I wrote, your read whatever you were looking for me to say.

Your post said something to the effect of "before one country judges another it needs to look at it's own list of wrongdoings"

I've heard that logic over and over again for why America is a horrible power. Or that all powers are equally horrible and therefore none can truely be judged.

If this was not your point then you should endevor to make yourself more clear.

Originally Posted by Whispering Death

Your post said something to the effect of "before one country judges another it needs to look at it's own list of wrongdoings"

I've heard that logic over and over again for why America is a horrible power. Or that all powers are equally horrible and therefore none can truely be judged.

If this was not your point then you should endevor to make yourself more clear.

No. I abso-EXPLETIVE-lutely did not say that. You are reading into what I wrote. In no way, shape or form was it critical of any particular country.

I hate repeating myself but since you do not comprehend the message I will say it again for you.

Perhaps unless the (insert any country here) citizens persuade their government to curtail their activities then "thicker skin" would be the order of the day.

Since this seems a bit much I will elucidate the point for you, WD. Unless the people of a country (ANY country) want to influence their leaders to pursue policies that do not run counter to their (the people) own beliefs/values/etcetera then they (the people) must learn to live with the criticism that results from those actions (their government's actions).

And perhaps before the rest of the world hurls stones at (insert any country here) a little introspection would be in order.

Now, this means that before (ANY)one criticises the actions of another country (ANY country) a person should be sure your own house (their country) is in order first. There was something like this in the christian bible, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."

WD my post was an appeal to reason not blaming anyone for anything or criticising any one, place or thing. Why you posted in response is bewildering I can only make assumptions as to your motives for your argument is not based on the message I posited. Perhaps it was out of peer pressure or a need to be included, I dont know. Whereas Redneck, 03, Missileer and others on this board may have very divergent views from mine we do tend to address them logically and point by point not from supposition and inference.

Bulldog, do not attack (or psychologically analyze) the other members. Same goes for you, Whispering Death.


Everybody play nice now, to borrow from DTop.

Originally Posted by Redneck

Bulldog, do not attack (or psychologically analyze) the other members. Same goes for you, Whispering Death.

Damn, but Bulldog was doing my therepist's job for free

Stay on topic.