RIGHT ON JOE!!!
I work at a major university and I have seen this trend accelerating away
from reality and towards the "FOAM RUBBER WORLD"
where everyone is safe and nobody has to look out for his own safety. It
is like they are trying to be Mommy and Daddy, and make sure that the kids
can play out in the street without having to be bothered by worrying about
those nasty old cars. They are not preparing graduates for life in the
world that they will be entering when they leave campus. I personally
think it is criminal.
Just my 25 year observation,
Jim (KB4IVH)
MVPA #17216
At 16:43 09/13/2001 -0700, Joe Garrett wrote:
>Our society and culture is based on rational, critical thinking. It is very
>difficult for us to devise a strategy for dealing with emotional and
>irrational thinking. I might add that our university system used to have as
>its goal to teach critical thinking and rational analysis. It has evolved
>away from that goal, and now teaches emotionality and doctrinaire thinking.
>How do you defeat irrational emotionalism? I don't know, but if we figure
>it out, maybe we can take back our institutions of higher learning.
>
>Joe Garrett
>cell 425-344-1402
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Military Vehicles Mailing List [mailto:mil-veh@mil-veh.org]On
>Behalf Of JaxInCalifornia@aol.com
>Sent: Thursday, September 13, 2001 1:19 PM
>To: Military Vehicles Mailing List
>Subject: [MV] history and today
>
>
>I tried to send this earlier but it never made it, so here goes again....
>
>A number of our so-called experts have presented us with the idea we may
>have
>caused our own grief. That for decades American's foreign policy has
>rained
>down death and destruction on innocent people around the world and because
>of
>that, the bully (USA) has sown the seeds of it's own destruction. They
>allege on Sept. 11th the oppressed people and victims of US aggression
>simply
>hit back.
>
>We've heard this argument before, more often in liberal university circles
>where a hidden socialistic agenda motivates their unusual opinions and
>causes
>our youth to be brainwashed for a few years. Thank God most out grow it!
>But, that is a whole other issue. The fact remains this wrong thinking has
>taken hold beyond their narrow mindedness of some wacky liberal professors.
>It's caused us some self-doubt even in some conservative areas and has us
>confused too many of us, when we should know better.
>
>I suppose it is confusing because it is a plausible argument backed up by
>half-truths that are not very easy to refute on the spur of the moment.
>However, if one did take the time to examine those allegations of US
>genocide
>they would find a very short list. Zero genocide, zero campaigns against
>civilians. And for as many actions taken against the Arab we have also
>balanced it with support. Consider the latest action being our
>multinational, United Nations, participation in the Kosovo. Ironically this
>was to stop a war of genocide against a Muslim population by ethnic
>Christians. Another irony could be found in our relationship with the
>Taliban in Afghanistan. They are fundamentalist regime we supported their
>fight with Soviet domination. We should be allies, but we are hated, why?
>We didn't do anything to them, so what's their beef?
>
>I could go on with a long list of positive policies for Moslem causes, a
>list
>that should cancel our transgressions, such as acknowledging Israel's right
>to exist, a terrible thing to do, but I am limited for space. The bottom
>line is, those claims of US bullying leading to the instigating of the
>attack
>fall woefully short of the truth. This comes nowhere close to justifying
>the
>attack of Sept. 11th. So you must wonder, what could have provoked such a
>maniacal, well-coordinated suicidal attack?
>
>Consider this, when the Koran (Qur'an) was written it commanded the faithful
>to kill the infidels (meaning any non-Muslims), in loose translation it said
>that if they came upon such infidels and they fled then they should hunt
>them
>down and kill them. Now also consider the very name Moslem or Muslim means
>to be member of the Nation of Islam and to be one who surrenders to God's
>will. In other words to do God's will as they interpreted God's will,
>according to the dictates of certain powerful religious leaders.
>
>The most radical branch of Islam was the Shiites, which began as a counter
>revolutionary force within the Nation of Islam, against the aristocracy,
>which we would now call the Sunni. Sunni and Shiite being opposite ends of
>the Moslem world, the rich verses the poor. The Shiite was in truth
>generally
>separated from the middle and upper class Moslems by their low economic and
>educational levels.
>
>This was yet another ages old example of the "haves and the have-nots". The
>rabble greatly resented the wealthy for obvious reasons were inflamed by
>leaders with less obvious reasons. But, in a rather short time the poor and
>more numerous elements were united by a shared version of Islam in which
>they
>held they were the more righteous; an army of opposition was born!
>
>They believed their version of morality was gradually being destroyed by
>those they characterized as greedy land owners and powerful rich, who had
>become rulers in the Nation of Islam and they rose up to challenge their
>enemy, ironically other Moslems absent any US foreign policy! The first
>great battle to be fought was at the Plains of Kerbala where the Shiite Army
>led by the son of Mohammed met the professional and much larger Yezid Army.
>When Mohammed's son realized they were greatly mismatched and had no real
>chance against the Army of Yezid, he and a few of his followers rode out to
>battle them in a suicidal gesture while his own ragtag army watched in awe
>and waiting for divine intervention. He was of course killed and to the
>outrage and horror of his followers, his head was paraded around on a pike.
>
>Before his death the Imam Hussain (aka Imam Husayn ibn 'Ali 'a ) gave a
>rousing speech to his believers, urging martyrdom to rekindle the spirit of
>what is the true spirit of Islam. Here are a few excerpts, "Death is better
>than disgrace and disgrace is better than the fire of hell... I see death as
>a blessing and life with tyrants as the most disgusting state one can be
>in."
>
>Thus began martyrdom and jihad (holy war against the rich and powerful ) and
>to this day it is still practiced by those radical elements who surrender to
>what they call God's will. Literally following a few of the more obscure
>passages in the Koran they pervert their own holy Bible, the Koran, just
>like
>some our own homegrown fanatics have done in the name of Christ. For the
>Muslim all this sacrifice has a great payoff, a guaranteed entry to heaven
>and a great reward once inside! Typically they are promised numerous
>young,
>beautiful virgins who wait on them for eternity.
>
>Many religious scholars might say they have chosen to misinterpret those
>sections of the Koran that tend to reaffirm their radical positions. That
>this is a perversity of the original religion and intent.
>
>Did our State Dept. and our foreign policy cause Kerbala? No, we didn't
>even
>exist as a nation then. But eventually it did place us in harms way upon
>the
>very first confrontation with the radicals. When issues important the
>United
>States collided with a fanatical religious movement. As a wealthy and
>powerful nation built upon Christian principles we were a tremendous affront
>to everything the zealots held near and dear. Our current societal flaws
>from our drug abuse to sexy and violent movies only affirms their zealots
>take of a demonic nation, unfit to exist.
>
>Our foreign policy touched a scorpion nest that much is true, but it had
>much
>less to do with Sept. 11th than our own lifestyle and religious background.
>That is a hard thing for most of us to believe because it is so foreign to
>our thinking.
>
>Clearly if the facts were presented to the public fairly, the responsibility
>and blame for the attack of Sept. 11th should be on religious fanaticism.
>Not on the State Dept. polices. The Muslim zealots pronounced our nation as
>"The Great Satan" and declared holy war on its citizens. The war has been
>on
>for years too; it has only just now caught up with us on the home front.
>This zealotry in the name of Islam is the enemy of Islam, of the United
>States and of civilization.
>
>Our scholars try to understand and make sense of the zealot's side,
>confusing
>their hidden agenda and current issues with our contemporary values. This
>has led to self-criticism of the United States and a finding that the route
>cause must be something we did wrong. We may well have done wrong things
>too, but it pales by comparison to the fundamental driving force of today's
>terrorism and can in no way justify it.
>
>Too many of us fail to see the obvious because they think in more rational
>terms, absent the mindset of religious fanaticism. A fanaticism that drives
>people to do bizarre and evil things. The logic of Jonestown could just as
>well be applied to the attack of Sept. 11th.
>
>===Mil-Veh is a member-supported mailing list===
>To unsubscribe, send e-mail to: <mil-veh-off@mil-veh.org>
>To switch to the DIGEST mode, send e-mail to <mil-veh-digest@mil-veh.org>
>To reach a human, contact <ack@mil-veh.org>
>
>
>===Mil-Veh is a member-supported mailing list===
>To unsubscribe, send e-mail to: <mil-veh-off@mil-veh.org>
>To switch to the DIGEST mode, send e-mail to <mil-veh-digest@mil-veh.org>
>To reach a human, contact <ack@mil-veh.org>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Mon Oct 08 2001 - 10:58:59 PDT