I am disturbed by Shawnkara's comments.

Posted by Doc from spider-wl041.proxy.aol.com (205.188.199.36) on Thursday, September 13, 2001 at 10:23am :

In Reply to: A little too bound by respect for "human life".... posted by Shawnkara from spider-tm073.proxy.aol.com (152.163.197.78) on Wednesday, September 12, 2001 at 10:25am :

Shawnkara, I have a few problems with your post. So, in the interests of a dialogue, not an argument, I'd like to ask a few questions.

"Capitalism by its very definition is an abomination to their religious ideals and they're willing to kill thousands of Americans on our own soil in a cowardly attack to send that message. This contrast between our way of life and theirs will never change."

Yes, capitalism is the bane of many terrorist organizations. However, you seem to enjoy using pronouns without ever specifying the subject that they identify. Who is/are "they"?

"This is why the people of the Middle East must stamped out entirely."

Yes, that's a very good idea. I think we should kill every man, woman and child in the Middle East because they're all evil. I know this because I've personally met and interviewed each and every one of them, and I'm sure you have too. We should also deport every American of Arab ancestry. (Did you know that there are Muslims in countries other than Middle Eastern ones? Try India, or Southeast Asia. There are lots of followers of Islam there, too.)

"You've seen the news and the joyous reactions of their people, children included. They are raising the next generation of terrorists."

There you go with the blanket "they" again. Who exactly are "they"?

"A lot of groups are thought to be dangerous by potential, these people are deadly by nature. Their entire culture and belief system serves no purpose beyond a deadly threat to every other nation on Earth."

Okay, you're improving a little here. Instead of "they", now it's "these people". More specificity would help, though.
Also, what is "their culture and belief system"? Are you referring to the religion of Islam? If you knew anything about it, you'd know that Islam doesn't advocate killing innocents any more than Judaism or Christianity does. That's why terrorists such as this are referred to as fundamentalists, radicals, extremists, or zealots. What they believe is not mainstream Islam.

"Their entire nation is united behind this one, single religious conviction."

Oh, darn. Back to using a single pronoun. What nation are you referring to?

Shawnkara, in all seriousness, please try to see these terrorists for what they are. They are not representative of the average Arab any more than Timothy McVeigh is representative of the average American white male. Islam is not an evil religion. It happens to be the fastest-growing religion on earth, actually. Nowhere in the Koran does it advocate the killing of innocent people. Most Arabs in the Middle East are horrified at what happened on Tuesday. Why? Because many of them fear being labeled as terrorists simply because of their ethnicity.

So why were there a few Palestinians rejoicing in the streets? Simple. They don't understand. The U.S. supports Israel, a lone Jewish enclave in a sea of Arab nations. The average Palestinian assumes that, every time innocent Palestinians are killed in a clash with the Israelis, that we Americans are rejoicing in our streets. You know as well as I that that simply isn't true.

I know you're really angry about what happened on Tuesday. We all are, man. But don't let rage cloud your good judgment. You're an Indyfan, which shows you have at least some taste. Killing innocent foreigners isn't the answer. An indiscriminate strike against the civilians of another nation will only invite more attacks on our own soil. So before we lash out, let's make sure we lash out against those responsibie, not at those who just happen to LOOK like them.

-Doc

Follow Ups: Post a Followup Name: E-Mail: ( default ) Subject: Message: : Shawnkara, I have a few problems with your post. So, in the interests of a dialogue, not an argument, I'd like to ask a few questions. : "Capitalism by its very definition is an abomination to their religious ideals and they're willing to kill thousands of Americans on our own soil in a cowardly attack to send that message. This contrast between our way of life and theirs will never change." : Yes, capitalism is the bane of many terrorist organizations. However, you seem to enjoy using pronouns without ever specifying the subject that they identify. Who is/are "they"? : "This is why the people of the Middle East must stamped out entirely." : Yes, that's a very good idea. I think we should kill every man, woman and child in the Middle East because they're all evil. I know this because I've personally met and interviewed each and every one of them, and I'm sure you have too. We should also deport every American of Arab ancestry. (Did you know that there are Muslims in countries other than Middle Eastern ones? Try India, or Southeast Asia. There are lots of followers of Islam there, too.) : "You've seen the news and the joyous reactions of their people, children included. They are raising the next generation of terrorists." : There you go with the blanket "they" again. Who exactly are "they"? : "A lot of groups are thought to be dangerous by potential, these people are deadly by nature. Their entire culture and belief system serves no purpose beyond a deadly threat to every other nation on Earth." : Okay, you're improving a little here. Instead of "they", now it's "these people". More specificity would help, though. : Also, what is "their culture and belief system"? Are you referring to the religion of Islam? If you knew anything about it, you'd know that Islam doesn't advocate killing innocents any more than Judaism or Christianity does. That's why terrorists such as this are referred to as fundamentalists, radicals, extremists, or zealots. What they believe is not mainstream Islam. : : "Their entire nation is united behind this one, single religious conviction." : Oh, darn. Back to using a single pronoun. What nation are you referring to? : Shawnkara, in all seriousness, please try to see these terrorists for what they are. They are not representative of the average Arab any more than Timothy McVeigh is representative of the average American white male. Islam is not an evil religion. It happens to be the fastest-growing religion on earth, actually. Nowhere in the Koran does it advocate the killing of innocent people. Most Arabs in the Middle East are horrified at what happened on Tuesday. Why? Because many of them fear being labeled as terrorists simply because of their ethnicity. : So why were there a few Palestinians rejoicing in the streets? Simple. They don't understand. The U.S. supports Israel, a lone Jewish enclave in a sea of Arab nations. The average Palestinian assumes that, every time innocent Palestinians are killed in a clash with the Israelis, that we Americans are rejoicing in our streets. You know as well as I that that simply isn't true. : I know you're really angry about what happened on Tuesday. We all are, man. But don't let rage cloud your good judgment. You're an Indyfan, which shows you have at least some taste. Killing innocent foreigners isn't the answer. An indiscriminate strike against the civilians of another nation will only invite more attacks on our own soil. So before we lash out, let's make sure we lash out against those responsibie, not at those who just happen to LOOK like them. : -Doc Optional Link ( default ) URL: Title: Optional Image Link ( default ) URL: This board is powered by the Mr. Fong Device from Cyberarmy.com