OT: Free speech?

[Grauzone]

Originally posted by sachmo:
So it would be better to be dead with a clear conscience than to be alive having done horrible things to defend yourself?

I think that each situation must be looked at independently.

I think as you do.

[Atrocities]

For me, all I want is to know that my family is safe, that the world is at peace, terrorism is no longer the tool of trade for those who want to get their own way, and food and gas aplenty.

I want enough money to live comfortably, and feel safe when I travel abroad and live without the fear that the FBI or other will come crashing into my home because of some computer glitch that identified me as a threat.

To walk through an airport and get on a plane without sweating the security checks, or being blown up in flight or flown into a building by crazy mad men.

I would love to live in a world where we all just focused upon making each others lives better, expanding our understanding of the planet and the universe while working toward the common goal of exploring the unknown abyss of space.

A planet where religion and people respected each other enought to never fight again over petty doctrains of idology and fear.

A planet where I am free to express my opinion, own a gun, drive a car, eat pizza, poop in the woods, fish, hunt, watch tv, play video games, take picutes, and travel from state to state without the fear of someone attempting to take those things away from me.

Image what a world like that would be like. No wars, no famons, no violence, just one big happy planet working toward the common goal of bettering each others lives while expanding our own.

But we don't live in that world, ours is filled with power hungry mad men, corprate jugernoughts out to deforest the planet and enslave the population, religious zeolots who think that God want them to kill inocent children by blowing up school busses and train stations. That the road to salvation lays through atrocities against humanity and that toppling a building full of people is how to earn your passage into heaven.

I hate the violence that is so rampant throught the world where one must kill in order to survive or to feed ones family. Have we not out grown this manality of beat they neighbor into oblivion over petty crap?

If Jesus walked the earth today he would most likely not be a yuppie driving a Hummer while talking on his cell phone to his theorpist, he would be, I think, a poor man working his life away trying to make thing better for those around him. Hey wait a minute; isn't that what most of us are doing? I am a firm believer that all of the planets hardships are caused by only a small percent of the people who live on it. The rest of us just want to live and let live.

War is bad, very bad, and I pray that the one we are in now ends soon.

[dogscoff]

So it would be better to be dead with a clear conscience than to be alive having done horrible things to defend yourself?

Within limits, yes. However it is perfectly possible for a nation to defend itself against an attack without resorting to the kind of methods outlawed by the geneva convention.

If you mean me:

I didn't mean you.

[primitive]

Originally posted by dogscoff:
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To whoever pointed out that neither Hitler nor Stalin came from their own countires: Keep your eye on Schwarzenegger.
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[mottlee]

Originally posted by orm:

quote:

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Originally posted by Randallw:
Stalin murdered many more of his own people* than Hitler yet Hitler is considered worse... Truely History is written by the victor.

*strangely enough neither Stalin or Hitler was actually from the country he ran.

I think you are right. It is the precicion and efficiency that makes germans to the worst criminals in this time (and the fact that they loose the conflict). But i don't understand why and how my generation of german adults is responsible for this crime. To criticise Israelian politics brings you automaticaly near to the position of Antisemitism, even though many of israelian doings are not so far from what Stalin has do with ethnical minorities in russia. And why do the USA protect this behaviour?

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I for one do not "Blame" Germany or the German people for what a few did, the German army was like ours, protecting their home (in the end) would we all not do that? for a people to take the "Blame" for someone else is wrong,look what we Americans have done to the native Americans here!

[sachmo]

Originally posted by dogscoff:

Within limits, yes. However it is perfectly possible for a nation to defend itself against an attack without resorting to the kind of methods outlawed by the geneva convention.

I have not read the articles of the Geneva convention, so I cannot comment on each of them in particualar. However, with just my passing knowledge of them, I think I'd have to disagree with your statement.

Just taking as an example a war where one country has a tremendous military advantage over the other. The conventional war will be over in days, but the guerilla conflict could Last for a long time. The weaker force would have to break the will of the larger force, as they cannot hope to win a military victory. To break their will, they would almost assuredly have to commit atrocities against the soldiers of the invading army before the invading army can break the will of the people.

[Gandalf Parker]

Interesting notes about Germany: Nazism was voted into power with less than 50% of the votes. The stance was rebuilding the economy and protection from things outside of the country. Early changes were in defense of national security. It was only later when they discovered that "temporary actions" werent being removed that many started getting nervous.