Originally posted by Pam
Jonza I have always enjoyed your Fister posts and stories. This post of yours is quite different.
I'm sorry if I have annoyed so many of you, most of whom I like and respect, but I'm afraid I have to disagree. The way I see it, if you want entertainment or a good joke, don't come to the Dog House. I have nothing whatsoever against a good joke from Richard, but there is nothing funny about the way the Bush administration is ruining America and harming the global environment to facilitate big business interests. We don't make jokes on posts about horrific animal abuse now, do we?
This isn't a Hollywood film or a reality television show we're talking about, we're destroying our planet fast and getting our priorities wrong, and unfortunately the Bush administration is leading the way at the moment. I just happen to feel very strongly that something must be done about it.

Perhaps people outside America get a different perspective on this mess through their media. It does seem that most of the information in America comes from just a few, very often heavily biased outlets. Over here, in comparison, we have access to many in-depth documentaries, news and debate programs from Britain, France, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Canada etc etc as well as the American versions. (We can even get Arab and Turkish TV, but I must admit we don't watch them!) I would imagine that these together give if not a more balanced view, then at least a broader one. Sometimes one can get a more accurate, objective view from parties that are not personally involved, and who are at a distance.

From Richard:
"Let me get this straight.....A peace mongerer like you wants the civilized society to rally and FIGHT against who???"

I presume that you're purposely misconstruing what I meant. It's obvious that Al Quaida and other terrorist organizations are an international problem that have to be destroyed. I've never suggested that one should never fight. One just shouldn't fight in the wrong place on the basis of a lie. I praised the Americans for invading Afghanistan. But then it all went wrong, and the invasion of Iraq for the wrong reason at the wrong moment broke international law, split alliances and gave the terrorists a wonderful opportunity to expand their activities. I am absolutely 100% sure that Bush's invasion of Iraq has NOT made the world a safer place. And if the argument is that Saddam was a horrible dictator etc and had to be removed, and had devious plans for the future, then what about all the other ones? They're all over the place. But most of them don't have any oil of course.

"If you "take me" seriously can we stop for an ice cream first?"

No thanks, I honestly don't like ice cream, a decent beer would be fine, but I'll remember not to take you seriously, then we can all be friends!

From Christa:
"LOL, Jonza, you want to have a serious political discussion, go to www.dnc.org . . . They'll agree with everything you say."

Thanks for the link, partisan sites are not something I have time for, but I did take a peek, and found an interesting little article on Bush and Kerry's credibility in last Friday's debate (if you can be bothered):

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/arc..._10/004897.php


It's funny, I don't think that many people who know me consider me arrogant or narrow minded, but I suppose the Internet is really not a very good forum for debate, misunderstandings arise much too easily. But I have very definite ideas about what's right and what's wrong. Perhaps I'm just old-fashioned.

… and anyway the way I see it, a discussion is a bit pointless if everybody agrees with you! I don't feel the need to polish my ego, and I try to be open-minded.