From: Doc Bryant (rbhonk1@cox.net)
Date: Tue Jul 01 2003 - 08:11:56 PDT
The "perception of misinformation" is an awfully neat phrase.
I am a newbie to this forum, having been directed here to the font of
knowledge of all things olive drab, desert sand et al and mobile. It is a
wonderful place.
Until we start chatting up politics. You see, gentle reader in case you had
not noticed, the great majority of us here fix, collect, sometimes operate,
and even sometimes curse at military vehicles. Vehicles that go to war,
carry people to war, carry implements of war, you know, things like that.
So why all of a sudden is there this dust up over the fact that some country
has purchased whacking big bulldozers and been spotted using them on CNN?
Sometimes they were spotted knocking down settlements belonging to Hebrew
settlers (apparently in territory where they were not supposed to be) and
sometimes they were observed knocking down the dwellings of people who for
one reason and or another saw fit to blow up a transit bus, themselves
included.
Now, if we wish to label a bulldozer an "anti-terrorism weapon" so could we
name M-37 trucks (whooeee, I got one of them!) or any thing else that the
United States or any other country, agency or company sold the state of
Israel or an Israeli company, or an Israeli citizen? Hellfire missiles,
F-16 fighter-bombers, even 5.56mm ammunition can be labeled.
>From what I can see on the telly, there seems to be a war going on in that
neck of the woods. People do simply awful things to each other during times
of war. Sniping, wrapping themselves in vestments made of plastique and
detonating same in public with intent to cause harm, stomping down the home
of someone who did the aforementioned loud deed in public just to show the
disapproval for that loud deed, you know things like that. Or taking pot
shots at Mercedes-Benzes with anti tank missiles. Now don't you know that's
a hell of a statement.
But to get all whiney over a bulldozer? Shouldn't we also get whiney over
half tracks, armoured personnel carriers, weapons carriers and the other
things we have in our driveways, leaking petrochemicals?
Labelling behavior is indicative of a lack of knowledge. You know, tarring
with the broad brush. If you decided to take umbrage over a crawler tractor
because it is used in a military operational environment then you should
equally despise most, if not all of the other wheeled and tracked vehicles
discussed within this mailing list's confines.
You know, I bet not every day of the week finds one of those Caterpillars
being used as a symbol of Zionist oppression. Why, do you think they might
even grade a road or two with it? Just like not every day is some transit
bus blown into tiny bits, occupants included (and including one special
occupant that decided that particular day was a great day for a plastique
enhanced political statement). Some transit buses go about their entire
service life not getting blown up. So we should call them a transit bus
then, rather than "a suicide bomb destroyed transit bus."
See where we can go if we start getting political about things?
One last thing. "Alleged." If someone wraps himself in explosives and
mashes down that red button it is pretty hard to label him (ohhh, labelling
again, sorry) "alleged." The fellow who just blew himself up is dead. And
if he's dead, he does not need that house. Flatten it, Moshe.
I agree with Mr. Bedel. It does indeed look cool. I have a Caterpillar
master key on my key ring. I would not mind a bit the opportunity to test
drive one of them round the back yard for a spell.
Doc Bryant
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