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User	Blue Monk | 2006-09-20 |
Subject	untitled
Message	Genocide and ethnic cleansing are both like the weather, everyone complains about it but no one ever does anything about it.

User	Chell | 2006-09-20 |
Subject	untitled
Message	***It occurs to me to mention that Israel has never advocated destroying any country...*** "[Israel will] create in the course of the next 10 or 20 years conditions which would attract natural and voluntary migration of the refugees from the Gaza Strip and the west Bank to Jordan. -- Yitzhak Rabin (a "Prince of Peace" by Clinton’s standards), explaining his method of ethnically cleansing the occupied land without stirring a world outcry. "[The Palestinians] are beasts walking on two legs."-- Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin "The Partition of Palestine is illegal. It will never be recognized .... -- Menachem Begin, the day after the U.N. vote to partition Palestine. "(The Palestinians) would be crushed like grasshoppers ... heads smashed against the boulders and walls."-- Isreali Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir in a speech to Jewish settlers New York Times April 1, 1988 "Israel should have exploited the repression of the demonstrations in China, when world attention focused on that country, to carry out mass expulsions among the Arabs of the territories." -- Benyamin Netanyahu, then Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister, former Prime Minister of Israel, speaking to students at Bar Ilan University, from the Israeli journal Hotam, November 24, 1989. "If we thought that instead of 200 Palestinian fatalities, 2,000 dead would put an end to the fighting at a stroke, we would use much more force...."-- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, quoted in Associated Press, November 16, 2000. It is the duty of Israeli leaders to explain to public opinion, clearly and courageously, a certain number of facts that are forgotten with time. The first of these is that there is no Zionism, colonialization, or Jewish State without the eviction of the Arabs and the expropriation of their lands." -- Ariel Sharon, Israeli Foreign Minister, addressing a meeting of militants from the extreme right-wing Tsomet Party, Agence France Presse, November 15, 1998.

User	Chell | 2006-09-20 |
Subject	untitled
Message	“Bush, in an address to world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly, tried to advance his campaign for DEMOCRACY in the Middle East saying, “Our COMMITMENT TO DEMOCRACY is tested in countries like Cuba and Burma and North Korea and Zimbabwe -- outposts of oppression in our world. The people in these nations live in captivity, and fear and silence. Yet, these regimes cannot hold back freedom forever -- and, one day, from PRISON CAMPS and PRISON CELLS, and from EXILE, the LEADERS of new DEMOCRACIES will arrive.” A DEMOCRACY (from Greek, rule by the people) is a type of government where the people living in a country, usually the citizens of that country, choose who is the ruler, or the people who make the laws. Israel moved yesterday (Feb 19th 2006) to withhold funds that the Palestinians EARN from customs and tax revenue. Perhaps a greater aggravation by the Israelis is their decision to hinder movement of ELECTED Hamas Palestinian Legislative Council members through any of more than a hundred Israeli checkpoints around and throughout the Palestinian territories. This will present significant obstacles to a GOVERNMENT’S functioning effectively…Knowing that Hamas would inherit a bankrupt government, U.S. officials have announced that all funding for the new government will be withheld, including what is needed to pay salaries for SCHOOLTEACHERS, NURSES, SOCIAL WORKERS, POLICE and MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL. This common commitment to eviscerate the government of ELECTED Hamas OFFICIALS by PUNISHING PRIVATE CITIZENS may accomplish this narrow purpose, but the likely results will be to alienate the already oppressed and innocent Palestinians, to incite violence, and to increase the domestic influence and international esteem of Hamas. It will certainly not be an inducement to Hamas or other militants to moderate their policies. The US has cancelled talks in which ministers had been expected to approve urgent measures leading to the payment of Palestinian salaries, including those of the security forces, which were frozen after a Hamas government came to power. A European diplomat said the move reinforced fears that the US WAS INTENT ON "REGIME CHANGE" in the Palestinian-ruled territories. It seems we need a new definition of democracy…maybe something like this: A DEMOCRACY is a type of government where the people living in one country, usually the people in the government of the United States of America, choose who is the ruler, or the people who make the laws in other countries. Apparently it’s perfectly fine for countries to choose who they want in office, but only as long as it’s someone the U.S. deems worthy…

User	joeyalphabet | 2006-09-20 |
Subject	untitled
Message	It occurs to me to mention that Israel has never advocated destroying any country, while numerous Arab states and groups have not only called for its destruction, some of them exist for that purpose and that purpose only.

User	Blue Monk | 2006-09-20 |
Subject	untitled
Message	The Palestinians had to know there would be a price to pay for voting in Hamas, a organization whose stated goal is the distruction of Israel. Ironically, it is Israel who supported the Palestinians by collecting taxes for them. Hamas got cut off, not the Palestinian people. It makes no sense for Israel to pay Hamas, now in control of Palestine, who just wants to wage war with the very money Israel gives them. Note that it was Hamas they were recently fighting on the Lebanon side and Hamas was gleefully launching hundreds of rockets at Israeli civilians. Pay them, I think not!

User	abuzzbuzz92 | 2006-09-20 |
Subject	untitled
Message	buzz*

User	ES Magazine | 2006-09-20 |
Subject	untitled
Message	No, I am not saying that Israel is not in need of that money. Israel has a right to exist. Tell me this, doesn’t Palestine need the money to defend itself from Israel? And what about the thousands of Palestinian workers who did not get a salary because the US cut funding to the country.

User	mae | 2006-09-19 |
Subject	untitled
Message	buzz, are you honestly trying to say that if the U.S. didn’t help Israel with money and military materiel, that all those millions of arabs surrounding them wouldn’t pound the living daylights out of the Israelis just because they could? Come on now. mae

User	Blue Monk | 2006-09-19 |
Subject	untitled
Message	The factious groups of Iraq are the ones responsible for civilian deaths there. Any U.S. troops causing civilian death is an anomoly and/or accident, unless you consider those shooting at the troops as "civilians" just because they do not wear uniforms. Why Bush feels we have to "rebuild" Iraq with all that new construction when it never was there in the first place is beyond me. According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_reserves, there is often a broad lattitude in defining who has what (and who cares). The stolen oil of Iraq was stolen by their own people, starting with Saddam. Apparently its traditional there just like the bribes Saddam paid the French, Germans, Brits, Chinese, U.N. etc. people to get their support while he broke all the rules of his treaty from the first war. Plans are made for contingencies and many more plans are made for anything than are ever put into place, they are for consideration, graded, and seldom used unless necessary. There was no forced coup d’etat, and plans to help the country market the oil is hardly "stealing" it. Starting a war to control the revenues (like the insurgents want) is more of a bandit’s action. The "back door" to Saddam is hardly a reliable source of information in these regards since Saddam had even europeans in his pocket and probably still does.

User	abuzzbuzz92 | 2006-09-19 |
Subject	untitled
Message	" Buzz, how do America seem Anti-Muslim to Muslims from your point of view? " I’ll give you one of the most recent examples: The US grants loans to Israel for it to have one of the highest ’Defense’ budgets in the world. Israel attacks another country illegally and kills hundereds of civilians. Just some time before this, Hamas won the Palestinian elections and the US called it a ’terrorist organization’ and cut all funding to the country; almost causing a human pandemic. Now, the reason why Hamas was a terrorist organization was because it had killed innocent civilians. Isn’t that the same thing as what Israel did in Lebanon? I don’t know, but to me, the US is unfair. I also think it is unfair how the US is blaming Iran for supporting Hezbollah; when it is supporting Israel. -I do think that it is unfair that people hate Americans. I don’t agree. Americans are some of the best people I have met; and I do not have anything against them.

User	Chell | 2006-09-18 |
Subject	untitled
Message	I’m sure the Iraqi’s are tickled pink that American troops have killed at least 43,258 civilians, had no plan to keep the country from falling into civil war, and are now talking about running away and leaving the country open to extremists. I’m sure they were glad it only took American forces 15 years to show up to stop Chemical Ali. Why did we wait for so long to help? Hundreds of thousands of people were murdered by Saddam Hussein and we did nothing- until he started talking about joining the proposed Iranian oil burse due to start up at the end of this month. **Please show us where the U.S. has gained any oil or land since we purchased Alaska from Russia.** “The Bush administration made plans for war and for Iraq’s oil before the 9/11 attacks sparking a policy battle between neo-cons and Big Oil, BBC’s Newsnight has revealed. Insiders told Newsnight that planning began "within weeks" of Bush’s first taking office in 2001, long before the September 11th attack on the US. An Iraqi-born oil industry consultant, Falah Aljibury, says he took part in the secret meetings in California, Washington and the Middle East. He described a State Department plan for a forced coup d’etat. Mr Aljibury, once Ronald Reagan’s "back-channel" to Saddam, claims that plans to sell off Iraq’s oil, pushed by the US-installed Governing Council in 2003, helped instigate the insurgency and attacks on US and British occupying forces. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3320293.stm) If you check out this link it has the links to segments of the American Iraqi Oil Plan. How can we sell off Iraq’s oil if we don’t own it??? ***If you refer to Iraq, the oil and land remains theirs, the oil going on the open market to those who didn’t even help free it while the security we seek has always been for all of us.*** USATODAY.com reported on October 5th, 2004 (and it’s only gotten worse in the last two years.) “Iraq, a country that sits on the world’s second-largest oil reserves after Saudi Arabia, finds itself in the humiliating position of importing oil products such as gasoline, diesel and fuel oil. It is only able to export an average of about 1 million to 1.3 million barrels of crude oil per day. And that is on good days, when something is not ablaze. What’s worse is that a large chunk of the oil revenues is not accounted for because of graft, theft, mayhem and the near-total absence of transparency within the transitional government of Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, according to aid agencies, which say they cannot see where the money is going. Oil traders go further. They say large amounts of oil are being stolen and smuggled onto ships, with Iraqi officials and traders splitting the returns. The Iraqi people and economy see no "trickle down" effect. As for the country’s oil industry, once a proud mighty machinery of some 55,000 well-trained and highly disciplined technocrats, the situation is catastrophic. Oil fields are deteriorating for lack of maintenance, fires, accidents and lack of funds. Oil refineries that were looted in the first week of the war have yet to be repaired. To date, of the $18 billion in so-called reconstruction money allocated for Iraq by the U.S. Congress, less than $1 billion has been disbursed for that exact purpose, according to congressional-oversight reports and the United Nations.” And the U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan stated today that “If current patterns of alienation and violence persist much longer, there is a grave danger that the Iraqi state will break down, possibly in the midst of full- scale civil war.” Sounds like the Iraqi people are much better off thanks to our involvement….

User	Blue Monk | 2006-09-18 |
Subject	untitled
Message	I think the term "Islamo-facists" was coined by one Michael Savage on his way out there radio talk show. Everyone else just picked it up. FYI - He’s ready to bomb everyone who squeeks wrong. I do agree that we have no business trying to export democracy everywhere for the reasons you mentioned and others. Much of the hatred in muslim countries is fed by the Mullahs who do not want to be reduced in stature as would happen if democracy took over. I think peace could be possible if we respected their desires instead of running a holy war of democracy everywhere. (Sad to say, most people are too stupid for a democracy to work, we are getting there ourselves.) Sheeple. In fact, the sad truth is that our royal "friends" in Saudi Arabia support wahabbi mullahs and schools who teach such hatred of the U.S. Remember where the 911 pilots and ABL originated? Besides, why would they want a democracy when they have a perfectly good kingdom with billions of dollars to keep in the family? Has Bush mentioned maybe their changing over to democracy? I can’t wait until we don’t need imported oil.

User	Chell | 2006-09-18 |
Subject	untitled
Message	I know that a large part of it is the fact that America is hell bent on making the whole world democratic. Islamic law varies greatly from democratic law. Islamic law covers all aspects of life, from government and foreign relations all the way down to issues of daily living. Islamic laws that were covered expressly in the Qur’an were referred to as hudud laws and include specifically the five crimes of theft, highway robbery, intoxication, adultery and falsely accusing another of adultery, each of which has a prescribed "hadd" punishment that cannot be forgone or mitigated. The Qur’an also details laws of inheritance, marriage, restitution for injuries and murder, as well as rules for fasting, charity, and prayer. Islam isn’t just a religion, it’s also a outline for government, and it is very hard to follow the rules of Islam when mixed with democracy. Americans would freak if our (Christian based) laws and way of life were under threat by a non-Christian country. It also doesn’t help when our government creates terms like "Islamo-facists" and uses profiling in attempts to "secure" America.

User	Blue Monk | 2006-09-18 |
Subject	Flag tearing
Message	FYI - Cutting or tearing up the flag along the seams and burning each strip and the blue field is the proper way to retire a worn out U.S. flag. The yahoos got it half right and didn’t even know it! Some day, most of those people will shout for joy when they see that same flag bailing them out of an earthquake, famine or (God forbid) genocide. The same goes for the Christian flag in such cases, I don’t care who you are. You sure don’t see the U.N. leading the way. They’re too little, too late. Ask the folks at Darfur. "The mass media has described the conflict as both "ethnic cleansing" and "genocide." The U.S. Government has described it as genocide, although the United Nations has declined to do so." - Wikipedia Read more at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darfur_conflict and pay attention to the numbers! And yet, if the U.S. were to move in and save those people, the U.N. and petty tyrants it consists mostly of would declare us to be war mongers and "bullys"? who said that? Ok everybody, watch them die. You may be next. Who you gonna call? Chell - "the big bully that hurts others for gain. (or security, or oil, or land..)" Please show us where the U.S. has gained any oil or land since we purchased Alaska from Russia. If you refer to Iraq, the oil and land remains theirs, the oil going on the open market to those who didn’t even help free it while the security we seek has always been for all of us. Do you remember a little spat over Kuwait, what Saddam’s men were doing to the people there besides planning on stealing the oil wealth of that nation? Do you doubt that he would have eventually continued his march across the Arabian Peninsula? Easy pickins for his army! Not accusing anyone but too many people have short memories and little foresight. " Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." --George Santayana

User	Magnolia Steele | 2006-09-18 |
Subject	untitled
Message	Buzz, how do America seem Anti-Muslim to Muslims from your point of view?

User	rouge wave | 2006-09-18 |
Subject	untitled
Message	I’m slow on the news and I just got my web back. Who here lives in Isreal? I need other-side P.O.V.’s. Far as I’m concerned, this is a gang war, pure and simple. Christians Vs. Muslim. Of course you’re going to team up with your colors - and if you speak out against them they’ll look down at you and shun you. Hang on a second, I just checked something and found that Israel is actually predominantly Hebrew/Judaism (Wikipedia). See what I’m led to believe from word of mouth? Although maybe things have changed? I think this has some to do with how we are going about things...like how everybody thinks Saddam is the devil. Isreal - 2.1% Christian (2004) USA - 76.5% Christian (2001) ...actually, I just realized I don’t have much to contribute to this discussion right now, so I’ll just sit back and watch.

User	abuzzbuzz92 | 2006-09-18 |
Subject	untitled
Message	I would like a world with out any violence myself. It is sad to see the state which we’re in. I am pretty sure the reason why many Pakistani’s, Muslims rather, don’t like the US as they see the country’s policy as ’Anti-Muslim.’

User	cabbalistic | 2006-09-18 |
Subject	untitled
Message	’I have no doubt that most of your country hates Americans like me.’ Since most of the country is poverty-stricken, illiterate and quite taken with the dogma spewed on a regular basis by the ’elders’-- a word which is often synonymous with ’leaders’--they’re quite confused about who they should really hate.

User	Chell | 2006-09-17 |
Subject	untitled
Message	It killls me that the US has gone from being the big brother that helps others with charity to the big bully that hurts others for gain. (or security, or oil, or land..) I grew up very patriotic. I cheered as The Wall came down. I cried when the Challenger blew up. I voted at 18 years of age. I worried when America agreed to help Kuwait. I blushed and shrugged when a president got caught getting his dick sucked. I died a little when the towers came down. And now, only 6 years later, I’m ready to move to Canada. (But alas! I can’t- the government won’t let me leave the U.S. for another 6 years....long story.) I don’t doubt that your teacher said nothing about the flag tearing. I have no doubt that most of your country hates Americans like me. I just hope we can get off this destructive path and start working together on the things that really matter- world hunger, cancer, AIDS, alternate fuel sources, climate changes, the exinction of animals and plants, etc. I mean, seriously, don’t we already have enough shit to fight???

User	abuzzbuzz92 | 2006-09-17 |
Subject	untitled
Message	And if Hamas is a ’terrorist organization’ then Israel shouldn’t be left out.