The Bottom of the "Slippery Slope"

9/27/01 | Pakrman

[Pakrman]

I don't post here often, but I have enjoyed reading the thoughts of a great many smart (and some not so smart) people. Most of the time I agree, at least in principle, with most of what is said here. I feel it is time for me to put in my 2 cents worth and get a few things off my chest. I suspect I will be flamed to high heaven, called petty names and branded a commie, pinko rat fink...well then so be it.

I feel that our nation has become a nation of hollow, shallow emotions. We bellow for justice and beg our President to strike our enemies down with all our military might, we wave our flags and sing our songs when we claim to be a nation of solidarity...but I believe we are further removed from justice than ever before.

We claim to be a nation of goodness and prosperity, but goodness cannot be something we show only when a tradedy occurs, goodness must go on and on, each and every day there is not a calamity. Prosperity must apply to all in our nation or it really applies to no one. I have been in the working world for some 25 years now, and I have the same dishonesty, greed and pettiness rise to the top of the corporate ladder, time and time again. A company gets profitable...cut some jobs, make it more profitable.

We are shallow nation, a nation of weak commitment. Bill Mahr of Politically Incorrect was essentially correct, we are a cowardly nation, hiding behind our robotic bombs to do the work we dare not do, lest we shed some of OUR blood. We rattle our sabre and drop a few bombs, then call out for the bar tender, get some hollywood bimbos to bare themselves on the deck our our largest aircraft carrier and call it a victory. Our enemy is willing to take the time to learn to fly an aircraft into a building. How many of YOU would do that?

We will lose this fight against terrorism, for we only practice our own form of terror. We are trying to kill what we have become, we just have better weapons and better looking whores. We are not willing to shed our blood for the cause of right, we don't have a clue what right is anymore. We have become a nation that demands others respect us because of our fancy home appliances, and jazzy television commercials, not because we are doing any good in the world anymore.

We are not a nation of right or justice any longer. We are mired in the filth we helped to create and no amount of violence will every get us clean, no amount of killing can ever make us just. I make no distinctions between Republican and Democrat, we are all just part of the larger machine, the goal is the same, we just take a slightly different approach.

So now we find ourselves at the bottom of the slippery slope we started sliding down many years ago. We will have military units at our airports, our cars, bags, and persons will be searched at random and whenever it suits the government, our speech will be curtailed, our mail, phone and private coversations will be monitored all the time, and it won't make any of us any safer, it won't make the world any safer.

So I have said my piece, some of it at least..so go ahead, tear in to me now, ask me how I would like a long weekend in Kabul or a .9mm sandwich, or some other ugly comment, it won't make any difference, the bombs are gonna fall, kids are gonna die and in the end we won't be a better or safer country.
Thanks

[Pakrman]

Until the playing field is level, there will always be a great many dividing lines in the society - don't try to tell me that everyone in the country "plays fair" and everyone has exactly the same OPPORTUNITY as everyone else - that is just not true and you know it.

[Pakrman]

So we are going to follow up the "wholesome goodness of the average American..." with...what? Some bombs, bullets a hollow trial in some courtroom?
We have been playing world cop so long, a bomb here, a small incursion there, that it only makes sense that at sometime, somplace, someone would get mad enough to strike back.
We know we are "right" Our enemies know their "right" - So what are we going to try to do, hack away at them until...until what?

For every one we kill, ten more will stand up to take their place, then what? Kill some more.

God said, "thou shalt not kill", I think he meant that those words applied to each and every day, not just when we find it convienient.

[Long Cut]

Why do you hate this country so? I mean, someone so upset with it surely would simply leave and find somewhere he was happy, no? Listen, pal, nobody's forcing you to stay. If all you can do is whine, SHOO! It just bores and annoys people of good will.

[Pakrman]

I never said I don't have concern, nor did I every imply that it is over and done with, I am concerned with continuing violence that will get us no where.
We are going to lose some more liberties, make no bones about that, but that really won't make anyone safer, not us not our allies.

[Pakrman]

"We owe nothing to anyone who isn't willing to earn it. As a nation we are more than willing to help those who aren't able to do it on their own, but we are not going to make everyone prosperous, no matter what. Socialism can't do that either "

So we throw band-aids at bullet holes and consider our conscience clear?

[Long Cut]

By the way, what upsets you more, that we might win this war, or lose? c'mon, Turbo, let's hear an answer!

[Long Cut]

By the way, I'm military, and not only is my conscience clear, I sleep like a baby. How about you? Ever serve your country? Well?

[Pakrman]

"We are not willing to shed our blood for the cause of right, we don't have a clue what right is anymore. Do not project your own inadequencies on others. " What inadequencies would those be? Is my difference of opion an inadequency to you?

What is right about supplying arms to one side or another in a civil war in a foreign country. What? Is it the logic, of "if we don't do it someone else will?"
Fixing foreign elections
disposing of people who have different politics than we do...what is so right about those things. We have been doing those things and more than likely will continue to do those things and worse, so how can we be so right.

[MHGinTN]

God said, "thou shalt not kill", I think he meant that those words applied to each and every day, not just when we find it convienient. Posted by Pakrman You can't even quote God accurately, so how do you expect to be understanding the world around you? Turn off the TV, stop playing whenever you can get off work, and go volunteer to help someone else, like at a nursing home or a soup kitchen. Your whine is terribly hollow and most telling of your state of life ... but what you rail against isn't the true nation around you. Whining changes nothing but the sound level in the room. Get a life.

[Pakrman]

That this war will never end...my children, my grandchildren will be fighting this war, and will get worse not better.
When we kill one of them, 10 more will stand up to take their place...how many are we willing to kill?
When I was growing up I believed that world would get better and better, safer and everyone would be able to share the blessings I had been given. They would be able to share, not because they were God fearing Americans, but because they were people, human beings like me.

[gjenkins]

"Until the playing field is level, there will always be a great many dividing lines in the society"

There will always be dividing lines. We are individuals, and any attempt to define the ideal life for 'us' will be oppressive.

[Pakrman]

So God said it was ok to kill...whenever we want?

[Long Cut]

Man, no sweat. We MEN will protect your childeren and grandchildren. We have LOTS of ammo and even more guts. most importantly, we do not doubt ourselves or live in fear. No one promised anyone peace outside a box, anyway. But my initial questions are still unanswered...

[Pakrman]

"ask me how I would like a long weekend in Kabul "
It's ironic how people with a differnt opinion suddenly hate this country and should go someplace else.
Sorry to dissapoint you but I am staying, and voting and going to make my opinion heard when I feel is is appropriate. Also, I don't hate this country. I just want it to keep getting better.

[Long Cut]

Oh, yeah, the things which did this weren't people. They were animals, dogs. Don't attach YOUR ideas of humanity to them.

[Pakrman]

"No one promised anyone peace"

I thought we were supposed to try at least..oh I know, we didn't start this (or did we) but we sure are going to finish it.

[neutrino]

Prosperity must apply to all in our nation or it really applies to no one

It doesn't work that way. Never has, and never will. Life - including economic life - can be described by some form of normal distribution curve. Thus, there will always be rich and poor.

Those companies that cut workers to become more profitable may well be making others wealthier by upping the stock price.

[Long Cut]

Just as I thought. Hates the country (obvious from the original post), but shucks! He's going to stay, anyway, and enjoy the benefits of being an American (voting his conscience). Isn't it nice that you get to do that, and guys like me get to PROTECT you, Pac-man? You are not only a coward, you are also a hypocrite.

[Pakrman]

"Lots of people are trying to kill us. If we bomb them they will probably die. Dead people are rarely very dangerous and the chances that there rotting corpse can still harm us is greatly reduced. Therefore we are safer."

Are we?
Until their children grow up and learn to hate our children
Then what, our children kill their children...and this crap stops where?

[paul51]

I'm afraid your depression is getting the best of you.