Irminsul wrote:
Lions and tigers and bears. Yes, they are out there. But all you are talking about are a list maybes!
We keep a well maintained military and all the advanced technological weapons that go with it, just for "Maybe". Responsible adults (not me) keep a sizeable portion of their income in savings, in addition to retirement plans, for "Maybe". People have catastrophic life insurance policies for "Maybe". Many artists who dream of making it big, also get college educations for "Maybe".
New Orleans is what happens when "Maybe" isn't taken seriously enough. Which, after all, is your argument. "Why worry about maybe?" Survival often depends on maybe. That's why. But lulled into a false sense of confidence, which you are portraying here, is exactly why things like 9-11 were possible.
And once again, let me repeat, that EXPERTS don't believe a nuclear weapon being detonated in America is a "Maybe". They are convinced it "WILL" occur.
Irminsul wrote: Sorry, but you will not get anywhere with a list of subjunctives if you are trying to paint Iran with the German Nazi brush.
Radical islamists, DESERVE such a brush. Rather than wanting a supreme "race" however, their vision is a supreme "religion". It is no less intolerant, and no less dangerous than Hitler. Remember, Hitler at one time was a wannabe painter. Had he been accepted at art school, rather than rejected, we may very well not be having this conversation right now. He was a nobody at one time. But he was a charismatic, hate-filled nobody. He rose in power to become somebody, and the world paid the price for it.
Shame on you Irmy. You are far too knowledgeable about history to be that naive of it's lessons. What's that saying? "Those who refuse to remember the past are condemned to repeat it"
Irminsul wrote:
You went on to give a good dressing down to the Muslim religion, but you know what?
(snipped)
They are moral, responsible and communaly minded people who love their families like you do yours.
Yes, that is often the case. I have had quite a few Muslim friends and we discussed theological issues, which were debated with respect. One of my best friends like that, had a wife and tons of kids, and I believe that if I ever needed something, he might provide it to me, before even some of my own family would. However, I have also been with him, when the Arab news came on, and told them that the Jews knew about 9-11 but didn't tell the American government, with the proof being that NO Jews died in the Twin Towers. Apparently, Jews all know when things are going down, and share that news, and called out sick that day. Ridiculous isn't it? My friend is actually quite intelligent. But he believed it, at first, because it is a cultural phenomenon. They hate Israel. They WANT to believe, even the most absurd statements, like the one going out on Arab television. That kind of hatred, even among normally peace loving individuals, like my friend, can work even the tamest of people into a frenzy, with chaos potentially resulting.
And to disprove your "feel-good" attitude towards Muslims, regarding lulling us into a false sense of security... Do you really believe that people of German ancestry are natural-born racists and murderers? Hitler was not alone. An ENTIRE NATION OF PEOPLE helped him accomplish his evil ends. They WERE ALL, to varying degrees, aware of what was going on. But Hitler had successfully worked them into a frenzy, believing that ALL of Germany's economic problems were due to Jews. That is an example of what is possible when, normally well intentioned people, buy into a culture of hatred, that turns them into something else. In the midst of such evil, there were courageous souls that helped the Jews, but this was the exception, and not the rule. Children turned their parents in to the S.S. for God's sake. They were more loyal to a single personality, than their entire family or conscience.
You are probably familiar with it, but for others reading, to see how culture, peer pressure and situational morality affect quite normal people in frightening ways. See what they are capable of, by looking up the "Milgram Experiment".
Irminsul wrote:
Best thing for us to do is leave Iran the hell alone. That's all they want anyway. It's all they have ever wanted. If more countries cleaved to that notion, there wouldn't be anymore need for glorious trumped up invasions.
Bullshit.
Of course they want to be left alone. They also have, as state policy, the goal of destroying Israel as a nation. Not to mention teaching their children from the earliest age, that killing Americans is laudable, and even righteous. We are not talking about a single nutcase somewhere, or a small skinhead group. We are talking an entire culture of a nation. A nation that has a strong military, and seeks a nuclear arsenal. You cannot possibly be naive enough to believe that merely leaving them alone, will solve hundreds of years of hatred and murderous intent.
Hitler wanted to be left alone too. And to our shame, we did just that... for a while.
Look Irminsul, and Anthony too...
America is not as good as many Americans would like to believe, but neither are we as evil as some of the world would like to believe.
History is replete with individuals and nations that seek to control the destiny of the world for their own ends, and will murder countless innocents on the way to accomplishing it. It is always only a matter of time, before the next one, gets closer to his goals, or at least wreaks havoc on a worlwide scale in pursuit of them.
