After reading philipwhite's post, I would like to clarify mine.

I support this part of your friends post.
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As for anti-Americanism throughout the world, I believe there are many reasons for it but to continue to simply brush it aside as ignorance and mis-understanding by the mis-informed and ignorant 'natives' in foreign countries is to invite a further disaster. When you smell smoke, the first place you look shouldn't be outside, around the corner and down the block. America have always sought to be loved but in point of fact, America has never been loved except when we are needed and we do not love except when we need. Americans are too quick to paint any voice of dis-satisfaction or dis-agreement from abroad as simply the rantings of one that is either a socialist seeking to overthrow America, mis-guided or ignorant. Much of the current threat has been building for a long time and can be laid directly on our doorstep. Surely our leaders must have known it was coming. We have supported dictators and bad regimes throughout the world and in particular the middle-east for decades thinking only of what we would gain by doing so. We have looked the other way for too long, supporting these bad men while they oppressed, tortured, imprisoned and killed their own people. If we have not condoned it with our blessings, we have never the less condoned it with our implied silence. This was done for expediency and it was geopolitically handy. We have ignored the growing hatred of the people in these countries as long as the leadership bowed to us and met our demands and requirements of the moment. It was a brush-fire policy, a stop-gap that was doomed from the get-go and bound to fail. The Shau in Iran (past), Saddam himself in Iraq (past), the Saudi royal family in Saudi Arabia (ongoing), The Taliban in Afghanistan (past), Kadafi in Libya (past), Noriega in Panama (past), the current regime in Pakistan (ongoing), all these were or are friends of ours which we supported at one time or another with weapons, intelligence and funding and still the list goes on even today.

Sadly, until we cease our support of dictators through-out the world for reasons of expediency, I'm afraid it will continue and we should most likely get used to further things such as 9-11. Frankly, I don't see that we've changed all that much with the exception that now we are turning inward and beginning to oppress our own in a futile effort to placate the peoples desire to at least 'feel' safe.
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"It took him a while to get to the point (I don't know where he was going for a while there), "

This is me trying to politely say what philipwhite out right said. I too thought your buddy was nuts and was wondering what the heck he was talking about till I read his last paragraph.

As for John Parson's being full of BS, I don't think he ever stated anything along the lines of your friend's rant in the first place. I still believe it was a well written, thought provoking, article.

Waxy

 

Good point Chris, yet somehow I doubt that Hank is talking about college students. I am a college student myself, though I was not in college two autumns ago (I was in the Army). Today, at least at the college I attend (Cal State LA), there is definitely no blood lust. There is, however, a lackluster peace movement. I get the feeling that most college students just don't care about Iraq or foreign policy in general. I'm sure if there was a draft they would start caring!

 

Quote:
This is the only conference I read where people (of any country) can discuss any topic w/o all the juvenile name calling and cuss words. I think it is the best of FTE, unequaled.
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This is very true.

Except that, We still have to *continually Edit Out*, some profanity.

 

ranger, i think what your friend wrote, explains what a lot of canadian's think. not that's it's a good or bad thing.