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SlckTrck
07-07-04, 01:25 PM
Some of you may have seen this. It was sent to me by several friends who had received it.
I read it several times and agree with most of it. We are divided and that could be very well be our downfall. Read and take what you want from it. I am posting it as I thought it was an interesting prospective.
_____________________________________________

THE WORLD SITUATION - A LETTER TO MY SONS

This was written by a retired attorney, to his sons, May 19, 2004.

Dear Tom, Kevin, Kirby and Ted,

As your father, I believe I owe it to you to share some thoughts on the present world situation. We have over the years discussed a lot of important things, like going to college, jobs and so forth. But this really takes precedence over any of those discussions. I hope this might give you a longer term perspective that fewer and fewer of my generation are left to speak to. To be sure you understand that this is not politically flavored, I will tell you that since Franklin D. Roosevelt, who led us through pre and WWII (1933 - 1945) up to and including our present President, I have without exception, supported our presidents on all matters of international conflict. This would include just naming a few in addition to President Roosevelt - WWII: President Truman - Korean War 1950; President Kennedy - Bay of Pigs (1961); President Kennedy - Vietnam (1961); [1] eight presidents (5 Republican & 4 Democrat) during the cold war (1945 - 1991); President Clinton's strikes on Bosnia (1995) and on Iraq (1998). [2] So be sure you read this as completely non-political or otherwise you will miss the point.

Our country is now facing the most serious threat to its existence, as we know it, that we have faced in your lifetime and mine (which includes WWII). The deadly seriousness is greatly compounded by the fact that there are very few of us who think we can possibly lose this war and even fewer who realize what losing really means.

First, let's examine a few basics:

1. When did the threat to us start?
Many will say September 11th, 2001. The answer as far as the United States is concerned is 1979, 22 years prior to September 2001, with the following attacks on us: Iran Embassy Hostages, 1979; Beirut, Lebanon Embassy 1983; Beirut, Lebanon Marine Barracks 1983; Lockerbie, Scotland Pan-Am flight to New York 1988; First New York World Trade Center attack 1993; Dhahran, Saudi Arabia Khobar Towers Military complex 1996; Nairobi, Kenya US Embassy 1998; Dar es Salaam, Tanzania US Embassy 1998; Aden, Yemen USS Cole 2000; New York World Trade Center 2001; Pentagon 2001. (Note that during the period from 1981 to 2001 there were 7,581 terrorist attacks worldwide). [3]

2. Why were we attacked?
Envy of our position, our success, and our freedoms. The attacks happened during the administrations of Presidents Carter, Reagan, Bush 1, Clinton and Bush 2. We cannot fault either the Republicans or Democrats as there were no provocations by any of the presidents or their immediate predecessors, Presidents Ford or Carter.

4. Who were the attackers?
In each case, the attacks on the US were carried out by Muslims.

5. What is the Muslim population of the World?
25%

6. Isn't the Muslim Religion peaceful?
Hopefully, but that is really not material. There is no doubt that the predominately Christian population of Germany was peaceful, but under the dictatorial leadership of Hitler (who was also Christian), that made no difference. You either went along with the administration or you were eliminated. There were 5 to 6 million Christians killed by the Nazis for political reasons (including 7,000 Polish priests). (http://www.nazis.testimony.co.uk/7-a.htm). Thus, almost the same number of Christians were killed by the Nazis, as the 6 million holocaust Jews who were killed by them, and we seldom heard of anything other than the Jewish atrocities. Although Hitler kept the world focused on the Jews, he had no hesitancy about killing anyone who got in his way of exterminating the Jews or of taking over the world - German, Christian or any others. Same with the Muslim terrorists. They focus the world on the US, but kill all in the way - their own people or the Spanish, French or anyone else.. [5] The point here is that just like the peaceful Germans were of no protection to anyone from the Nazis, no matter how many peaceful Muslims there may be, they are no protection for us from the terrorist Muslim leaders and what they are fanatically bent on doing - by their own pronouncements - killing all of us infidels. I don't blame the peaceful Muslims. What would you do if the choice was shut up or die?

6. So who are we at war with?
There is no way we can honestly respond that it is anyone other than the Muslim terrorists. Trying to be politically correct and avoid verbalizing this conclusion can well be fatal. There is no way to win if you don't clearly recognize and articulate who you are fighting.

So with that background, now to the two major questions:
1. Can we lose this war?
2. What does losing really mean?

If we are to win, we must clearly answer these two pivotal questions.

We can definitely lose this war, and as anomalous as it may sound, the major reason we can lose is that so many of us simply do not fathom the answer to the second question - What does losing mean? It would appear that a great many of us think that losing the war means hanging our heads, bringing the troops home and going on about our business, like post Vietnam. This is as far from the truth as one can get. What losing really means is:

We would no longer be the premier country in the world. The attacks will not subside, but rather will steadily increase. Remember, they want us dead, not just quiet. If they had just wanted us quiet, they would not have produced an increasing series of attacks against us over the past 18 years. The plan was clearly to terrorist attack us until we were neutered and submissive to them.

We would of course have no future support from other nations for fear of reprisals and for the reason that they would see we are impotent and cannot help them.

They will pick off the other non-Muslim nations, one at a time. It will be increasingly easier for them. They already hold Spain hostage. It doesn't matter whether it was right or wrong for Spain to withdraw its troops from Iraq. Spain did it because the Muslim terrorists bombed their train and told them to withdraw the troops. Anything else they want Spain to do, will be done. Spain is finished.

The next will probably be France. Our one hope on France is that they might see the light and realize that if we don't win, they are finished too, in that they can't resist the Muslim terrorists without us. However, it may already be too late for France. France is already 20% Muslim and fading fast. See the attached article on the French condition by Tom Segel. [6]

If we lose the war, our production, income, exports and way of life will all vanish as we know it. After losing, who would trade or deal with us if they were threatened by the Muslims. If we can't stop the Muslims, how could anyone else? The Muslims fully know what is riding on this war and therefore are completely committed to winning at any cost. We better know it too and be likewise committed to winning at any cost.

Why do I go on at such lengths about the results of losing? Simple. Until we recognize the costs of losing, we cannot unite and really put 100% of our thoughts and efforts into winning. And it is going to take that 100% effort to win.

So, how can we lose the war? Again, the answer is simple. We can lose the war by imploding. That is, defeating ourselves by refusing to recognize the enemy and their purpose and really digging in and lending full support to the war effort. If we are united, there is no way that we can lose. If we continue to be divided, there is no way that we can win.

Let me give you a few examples of how we simply don't comprehend the life and death seriousness of this situation.

- President Bush selects Norman Mineta as Secretary of Transportation. Although all of the terrorist attacks were committed by Muslim men between 17 and 40 years of age, Secretary Mineta refuses to allow profiling. Does that sound like we are taking this thing seriously? This is war. For the duration we are going to have to give up some of the civil rights we have become accustomed to. We had better be prepared to lose some of our civil rights temporarily or we will most certainly lose all of them permanently. And don't worry that it is a slippery slope. We gave up plenty of civil rights during WWII and immediately restored them after the victory and in fact added many more since then. Do I blame President Bush or President Clinton before him? No, I blame us for blithely assuming we can maintain all of our Political Correctness and all of our civil rights during this conflict and have a clean, lawful, honorable war. None of those words apply to war. Get them out of your head.

- Some have gone so far in their criticism of the war and/or the Administration that it almost seems they would literally like to see us lose. I hasten to add that this isn't because they are disloyal. It is because they just don't recognize what losing means. Nevertheless, that conduct gives the impression to the enemy that we are divided and weakening, it concerns our friends, and it does great damage to our cause.

- Of more recent vintage, the uproar fueled by the politicians and media regarding the treatment of some prisoners of war perhaps exemplifies best what I am saying. We have recently had an issue involving the treatment of a few Muslim prisoners of war by a small group of our military police. These are the type prisoners who just a few months ago were throwing their own people off buildings, cutting off their hands, cutting out their tongues and otherwise murdering their own people just for disagreeing with Saddam Hussein. And just a few years ago these same type prisoners chemically killed 400,000 of their own people for the same reason. They are also the same type enemy fighters who recently were burning Americans and dragging their charred corpses through the streets of Iraq. And still more recently the same type enemy that was and is providing videos to all news sources internationally, of the beheading of an American prisoner they held. Compare this with some of our press and politicians who for several days have thought and talked about nothing else but the "humiliating" of some Muslim prisoners - not burning them, not dragging their charred corpses through the streets, not beheading them, but "humiliating" them. Can this be for real? The politicians and pundits have even talked of impeachment of the Secretary of Defense. If this doesn't show the complete lack of comprehension and understanding of the seriousness of the enemy we are fighting, the life and death struggle we are in and the disastrous results of losing this war, nothing can. To bring our country to a virtual political standstill over this prisoner issue makes us look like Nero playing his fiddle as Rome burned - totally oblivious to what is going on in the real world. Neither we, nor any other country, can survive this internal strife. Again I say, this does not mean that some of our politicians or media people are disloyal. It simply means that they absolutely oblivious to the magnitude of the situation we are in and into which the Muslim terrorists have been pushing us for many years. Remember, the Muslim terrorists stated goal is to kill all infidels. That translates into all non-Muslims - not just in the United States, but throughout the world. We are the last bastion of defense.

- We have been criticized for many years as being 'arrogant'. That charge is valid in at least one respect. We are arrogant in that we believe that we are so good, powerful and smart, that we can win the hearts and minds of all those who attack us, and that with both hands tied behind our back, we can defeat anything bad in the world. We can't. If we don't recognize this, our nation as we know it will not survive, and no other free country in the World will survive if we are defeated. And finally, name any Muslim countries throughout the world that allow freedom of speech, freedom of thought, freedom of religion, freedom of the Press, equal rights for anyone - let alone everyone, equal status or any status for women, or that have been productive in one single way that contributes to the good of the World.

This has been a long way of saying that we must be united on this war or we will be equated in the history books to the self-inflicted fall of the Roman Empire. If, that is, the Muslim leaders will allow history books to be written or read.

If we don't win this war right now, keep a close eye on how the Muslims take over France in the next 5 years or less. They will continue to increase the Muslim population of France and continue to encroach little by little on the established French traditions. The French will be fighting among themselves over what should or should not be done, which will continue to weaken them and keep them from any united resolve. Doesn't that sound eerily familiar?

Democracies don't have their freedoms taken away from them by some external military force. Instead, they give their freedoms away, politically correct piece by politically correct piece. And they are giving those freedoms away to those who have shown, worldwide, that they abhor freedom and will not apply it to you or even to themselves, once they are in power. They have universally shown that when they have taken over, they then start brutally killing each other over who will be the few who control the masses. Will we ever stop hearing from the politically correct, about the "peaceful Muslims"?

I close on a hopeful note, by repeating what I said above. If we are united, there is no way that we can lose. I believe that after the election, the factions in our country will begin to focus on the critical situation we are in and will unite to save our country. It is your future we are talking about. Do whatever you can to preserve it.

Love, Dad

[1] By the way on Vietnam, the emotions are still so high that it is really not possible to discuss it. However, I think President Kennedy was correct. He felt there was a communist threat from China, Russia and North Vietnam to take over that whole area. Also remember that we were in a 'cold war' with Russia. I frankly think Kennedy's plan worked and kept that total communist control out, but try telling that to anyone now. It just isn't politically correct to say so. Historians will answer this after cool headed research, when the people closest to it are all gone.

[2] As you know, I am a strong President Bush supporter and will vote for him. However, if Senator Kerry is elected, I will fully support him on all matters of international conflict, just as I have supported all presidents in the past.

[3] Source for statistics in Par. 1 is http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001454.html

[4] The Institute of Islamic Information and Education. http://www.iiie.net/Intl/PopStats.html

[5] Note the attached article by Tom Segel referred to in footnote 6 infra, the terrorist Muslim have already begun the havoc in France. (The note was not attached to the E-mail I received. Gene)

[6] I checked this article with two sources - Hoax Busters and Urban Myths. It does not come up as a Hoax on either. I also then E-mailed Mr. Segel and he confirmed the article was his.

[7] "I don't think the Army or any branch of service runs any type of war any more. It's done by senators and congressmen. There are too many civilians involved." Returning Iraq veteran, Sgt. 1st Class Greg Klees as quoted in the Cedar Rapids, IA Gazette on May 13th, 2004.

[8] There are 64 Muslim countries. This does not count countries like Spain that are controlled by the Muslim terrorists.
_________________________________________



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SlckTrck

I sure hope Heaven has a trout stream.

Bob M
07-07-04, 01:51 PM
I’m struggling with the notion that we should be united behind Bush, merely because he is the President. The same would hold true for any other President. Many Americans are not given to obsequious behavior and that is our strength far more often than it is our weakness.

Bush has propelled the nation down a path of large deficits and his diplomatic ‘skills’ and decisions have increasingly alienated us from our long time allies. It’s worth listening to these allies because there is some merit in what they are saying. Bush’s actions seem motivated more by ideology than pragmatism and the result is often deeply troubling. Fortunately even a blind pig finds an acorn every now and then, so his term hasn’t been a complete disaster.

For the moment, I’ll give thanks that Georgia is not a swing state, so we will be spared some of the detritus of the nation’s most expensive election. However, it does make me wonder; ‘Who is buying what?'

SlckTrck
07-07-04, 05:06 PM
Everyone will take a different notion from this letter as we are all American and each have the right to our own opinion. My take was not that everyone should be Bush fans but that Americans should support our President, whoever that may be at the time.
Hey it's America, Bob's right, being able to have differing opinions is a freedom we have that the terrosists hate. There is a time for debate and there is a time to unite. I think the letter talks more about the population of America as a whole needs to understand that we are not doing this for the money, the oil, or the lust for blood but to protect our great nation. People need to unite behind the fact that if we did nothing or walked away now, these extremists will continue to kill your children, husbands, wives, friends etc. They will contine to grow bigger and bigger and cause even more havoc than they are now. It makes me sick to hear people say that terrorism in not important or that we should not have gotten involved. WAKE UP! Will it take someone coming into your state and killing your family or bombing local busses or theaters to realize the entire world is at risk when it comes to terrorism?

my .2


[This message has been edited by SlckTrck (edited 07-07-2004).]

Grady
07-07-04, 10:21 PM
I'm sorry, but he lost me with this:

"Our country is now facing the most serious threat to its existence, as we know it, that we have faced in your lifetime and mine (which includes WWII)."

Bob M
07-08-04, 07:15 AM
Someone has already come into my state and put my family at risk. My niece has her orders for Iraq. I’m not sure if she is supposed to search for WMD’s, or links between Saddam and Al Quieda or Enron.

skibum
07-08-04, 08:35 AM
No, she did that the day she signed up for the military... Nobody came into her house and threw her into a truck and said your in the army now.. But I respect her for doing so!!!

[This message has been edited by skibum (edited 07-08-2004).]

Bob M
07-08-04, 09:05 AM
30+ years ago I signed papers and fulfilled a military commitment to the Army. That did not confer righteousness to a politician then, and it doesn’t do it now. Bush made this mess and we’ll have to clean it up. To walk away at this point would be foolish. I doubt that he has learned anything so I suppose we’ll be cleaning up another one in a few years. I hope he doesn't get her killed.

bingo
07-08-04, 01:00 PM
Somebody help me out here.

I may not be reading this correctly. It sounds like to me that the letter writer is saying that the emphasis on "winning hearts and minds" hoping to elist the sympathy of moderate muslims is soft-headed and that considering that the muslim world constitutes 25% of the global population we need to get down to the serious business of a global war of attrition if we want to win. This is waaaaaaayyyyy to the right of where Bush and any of the neocons stand. Not only is this approach totally naively doomed to absolute failure, I think that it is morally repugnant in the extreme. I may be wrong but it sounds to me as though the author is calling for broadening the war creating battle lines drawn on simplified religious basis.

In contrast to this administration, many believe that our greatest hope lies in fighting the terrorists head-on, not waiting to develop tenuous threads of state-sponsorship just so you can convienently have targets to bomb like ("but, there is nothing to bomb in Afghanistan...") Rumsfield. I agree with Bush that we must enlist the moderate Islamic clerical community to help marginalize radical elements. Its working with Al Sistani. We've been played by Al Sadr.

If nothing else our recent misadventures in Fallujah should have proven that if we don't fight smarter on a tactical and political level we will find ourselves with a never ending supply of terrorists. In fact, according to occupation officials all of our efforts to date have not reduced the size of the insurgency...
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/02/politics/02PREX.html?hp

The wear and tear of collateral dammage caused by the lack of troop levels necessary to deliver security, our failure devote the resources necessary to deliver reconstruction in a timely manner and a failure to comprehend the nature of a country motivated by the basic Koranic invocation not to submit to occupying forces are combining to recruit insurgents quicker than we can kill them. Many people in the military predicted this and issued warnings which were ignored for political reasons. At a time when we need to fight smarter than every before, we have an adminstration that consistently operates on matters of security with political ends in mind...
http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=20040719&s=aaj071904

Johnny
07-08-04, 01:30 PM
Wow Grady, you did a lot better than I thought you would! I expected you to be lost after he said: "Dear Tom, Kevin, Kirby and Ted,".

Later,
Johnny

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Johnny Johnson
Lilburn, GA

GUTHOOKED
07-08-04, 07:05 PM
I think I'm going to be sick...

Thanks for posting this SlckTrck. This gentleman hit the nail on the head.

Grady
07-08-04, 10:07 PM
Kill them all and let God sort them out.
http://alfatihoun.edaama.org/Fichiers/Turkey/Pays/web/images/harrangirl.jpg

BLACK KNIGHT
07-08-04, 10:28 PM
I'm with Guthooked. Thanks.

Some of you are so open minded your brains have fallen out.

GUTHOOKED
07-08-04, 11:47 PM
Thanks for that pic, Grady. Isn't it nice to know that now she'll be able to go to school, vote, and participate in society?

For those of you who were touched by Grady's last post, here's a few more pictures that might get you thinking. http://www.worldtradecenterphotos.com/images/after/wtc48.jpg
http://www.worldtradecenterphotos.com/images/after/wtc70.jpg
http://www.worldtradecenterphotos.com/images/after/wtc79.jpg
http://www.worldtradecenterphotos.com/images/after/wtc90.jpg

Oh yeah, and let's not forget this one... http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/news/news_stories/cole-hole-close.jpg

For those of you who are still not convinced... http://ancapistan.typepad.com/photos/paul_johnson_beheading/pjohnsonbeheading2.html

Is it getting clearer yet?



[This message has been edited by GUTHOOKED (edited 07-08-2004).]

SlckTrck
07-09-04, 11:59 AM
Are you serious? Who said anything about turning against all muslims. And by the way, if nobody took action against terrorists how long do you think Turkey would be safe? How long do you think any of the good muslim countires would be safe if everyone just let terrorists exist? Do you think that girl would get a chance to grow up and vote, live her full life, get a job, have children?
Do you really think it would have been best not to take any action at all in Iraq? Just to let them continue to kill people in the name of obtaining power and control. Let them continue to build weapons, fund terror camps and send these scumbags to peaceful nations so they cna intimidate and scare peopel into their way of life. Hey, why we are at it why dont we let them have a few nukes so they can destroy the entire world?Lets not forget, the US and the peaceful nations of NATO are the GOOD GUYS. You cannot deal with extremists. It is there way or death. There is no middle ground. We tried that, they keep bombing buildings and rail roads and hospitals and schools and anyone else who differs from their ideas.
We are a nation of culture and of freedom, rights and democracy. Anyone can come here and make thier own way of life. Pray to whoever, get an education, speak freely about whatever is happening. These are the things that the terrorists hate. They do not want these things and anyone who has them is not pure, they are infidels. You cannot bargain with people who want nothing more than your head seperated form your body. How would you even try?

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SlckTrck

I sure hope Heaven has a trout stream.




[This message has been edited by SlckTrck (edited 07-09-2004).]

bingo
07-09-04, 12:57 PM
Nobody (except maybe Kucinich) is saying that we can "cut and run"!

Nobody is claiming that we have any other choice other than to aggressively fight terrorism!

Nobody is saying that we can negotiate w/ Al Qaeda or Hezbolla etc.....

The way I read that letter, it suggested to me that the writer was saying that we needed to view the entire muslim world as our adversaries. It suggested to me that doing anything strategically to ally ourselves with moderate muslims was as worthless as hoping that the ordinary German populace would eventually stand up to the Nazis. I acknowledged that I may be misinterpreting it and asked for someone to set me straight if I was. Getting Al Sistani (the most powerful cleric in Iraq) to preach that the insurgents are acting against Allah is not the same as blindly hoping that you can negotiate with Zarqawi! I think we can agree that would be nuts!!!!!!!!!

I may be guilty of oversimplifying and mischaracterizing the argument of the letter writer. If that is the case I apologize. It's probably true that (as the letter writer suggests) that the Nazis killed nearly as many Christians in total than Jews. But the essential difference was that the Christians for the most part were for "political reasons". Their faith was virtually immaterial. Their deaths were not an attempt to exterminate them as a race. When I read this, it struck me as though he was attempting to diminish the holocaust. I failed to see how this tidbit advanced his argument. In fact, all it did was set off my bigot radar!

I think in principle we probably agree more on the urgency of fighting a war on terrorists than disagree. After reading your critique of my post I think I probably set off your pacifist radar. Boy, is that ever wrong! Kill all terrorists I say, the sooner the better. I do think that we can more efficient about it though....

Anyway, I'd like to extend an olive branch by way of a little politically incorrect joke to you....

Two Arabs are sitting in the Gaza strip chatting over a pint of goat's milk.
One pulls his wallet out and starts flipping through pictures and they start
reminiscing.

";This is my oldest son. He's a martyr."

"Here's my second son. He's a martyr, too!"

After a pause and a deep sigh, the second Arab says wistfully, "They blow up
so fast, don't they?"


[This message has been edited by bingo (edited 07-09-2004).]

bingo
07-09-04, 01:55 PM
I really don't mean disrespect by pointing this out but it kind of does prove my point.

The girl in Grady's photo is from Harran, Turkey not Iraq (check the URL). She probably already goes to school (no thanks to us). And when she's of age -- no doubt she will vote (Turkish women have had the right to vote for 66 years now). Turkey has been our ally ever since the end of WWII and we would have had a heck of a time fighting Gulf War I or II without the use of their airspace. They were on the front lines of the Cold War when the USSR was seeking warm water ports. Still, Turkey is 98% muslim.

Malaysia is muslim, Cameroon is muslim, Albania is muslim. And so are bunch incredibly diverse places with little to nothing in common with the evil bastards that we are currently plagued with. I don't know for certain but I doubt anyone from Albania has ever entertained the thought of beheading an American national. I don't think there are alot of Jihaddis in the Maldives..... Want make sure that there are? Declare some blanket war on all of Islam. This is exactly what Al Quaeda has stated as their ultimate goal from beginning. They will never be able to unite all of Islam behind their banner without our help. But first shouldn't we kick Turkey out of NATO so they can't see out battle plans?


[This message has been edited by bingo (edited 07-09-2004).]

SlckTrck
07-09-04, 02:36 PM
That is sick yet funny at the same time. Olive branch accepted.

Bingo, I did not mean to come across rude or harsh so my apologies if I did so. My reply was not really meant just for you but to the general public.

------------------
SlckTrck

I sure hope Heaven has a trout stream.

streamKAT
07-09-04, 05:55 PM
Sorry, but if yiou ask an ACTUAL Turk they will INSIST that they are a SECULAR nation with a large # of muslims.

In fact, a Turkish general has to swear to take control of the govt. in the event of a theocratic coupe. A Turk , who is pro turkish govt. anyway, gets offended that you say 'muslim democracy' .... they have enough experience with this faith mixed with government to know better.

This is no bull ... check it out yourself , from something other than moveon.org... use something actually factual to verify it. My info comes from an actual Turkish general....

streamKAT
07-09-04, 05:57 PM
IMHO , Turkey and Israel are the only civilized , modernized nations in the region.

There are a couple that come close(Jordan, Morocco ...) , but not quite.

bingo
07-09-04, 07:10 PM
I hear you.

I was trying to be sardonic when I suggested that we attack Turkey. Not that this means anything, but an ex-girlfriend of mine recently vacationed in Instanbul and came back glowing about how wonderful it was.

You're right, the Tukish Military does see itself as the keepers of Attaturk's secular tradition, but that doesn't mean that these forces don't exist in Turkey. In 1997, the military broke up an an Islamist coalition between the Islamist Welfare Party (WP) and the True Path Party (TPP).
http://www.csis.org/turkey/TU9704.html

in January of 2002 the AKP (an Islamist party) won the majority in Parliamentary elections... and yes the military was pissed.
http://www.worldpress.org/Europe/835.cfm

Still, the AKP is definitely NOT a radical muslim party and from what I've read, the Turkish populace wouldn't support one. In comparison to other govts in the region, the Turks have been pretty darn progressive aside from their periodic repressions of Kurdish minorities and the Armenian genocide (1914-1922).

BLACK KNIGHT
07-09-04, 07:33 PM
Having spent a little time in Turkey myself, get outside Istanbul, and a few of the coastal developed cities, and you can see the glory of Turkey- including gypsy ghettoes, state run brothels (where the girls are forced to work off their crime, or that of their husband), and poverty out the wazoo. Of course that was the late 80's.
Maybe it's a paradise, now. http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/ubbngto/wink.gif No, I don't want to attack it. I just ain't fond of their version of civil/human rights.

Tom
07-10-04, 05:56 AM
Now, BK, let's not have any of this practical experience philosophy floating around!

bingo
07-10-04, 10:18 AM
Anytime you have to say these folks are relatively progressive (compared to their neighbors) and qualify it by saying that they haven't comitted an act of genocide since 1914 and only periodically repress ethnic minorities... you ain't talking about paradise.

BLACK KNIGHT
07-10-04, 06:01 PM
Tom- I forgot- we don't need no stinkin' facts. http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/ubbngto/smile.gif They only muddy up the argument.

Bob M
07-11-04, 05:23 PM
All too true, all too often.

jamessig
07-12-04, 11:24 AM
Hmmm, "an act of genocide". I couldn't help but think of Wounded Knee. I had to look up the date-1890. "periodically repress ethnic minorities", that hasn't happened in this country since the sixties, right??

------------------
james

streamKAT
07-13-04, 04:45 PM
Considering all that has been discussed in this thread....

The summation that seems appropriate to me comes from one of our canonical references:
This may not be the exact quote as it is from memory:

"... you will soon find it both factually and theologically true that man by nature is a **** mess"

-Norman McLean

Bob M
07-14-04, 11:30 AM
Dead on target. And while we would sometimes have it otherwise, in terms of evolutionary processes: 'it works'. It's grimly amusing to realize that holy wars are elements of evolution.