Sinergy
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Joined: 4/26/2004
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quote:
ORIGINAL: mistoferin
quote:
ORIGINAL: mistoferin
Is it possible to have a thread about America without it turning into a political debate on the correctness/incorrectness of the war?????
Guess NOT!
I used to think that what made America great was that I could go onto an internet message board or a public street or a restaurant or whatever and express my opinion without being jumped on by people attacking me for what I thought.
Then I studied up on it, and realized that almost from the inception of the United States being founded as a place where every person was granted certain inalienable rights by the Constitution and Bill Of Rights, we have been subjected to individuals trying to determine what the "acceptable" boundaries of free speech actually are. Free speech means there are NO acceptable boundaries. Any time you chisel away at a person's right to say whatever they feel like saying, you are trying to deny that person their freedom of speech.
I think songs like Date Rape by Sublime, I kill children by The Dead Kennedys, the Hot Coffee episode in Grand Theft Auto, Alice Cooper biting the heads off chickens on stage, Latino Gangs in World War 2 (time of rationing) wearing Zoot Suits, etc., are really symbols of how powerful our country is. These people do not have to fear a bullet in the head by their opinions, their actions, their songs, etc, whereas people in other countries (like Iraq) have to fear a bullet in the head for owning a refrigerator.
I personally do not feel threatened because somebody else thinks differently than I do. I may make fun of their position. I may provide information to disprove the veracity of their opinion. I may ask for clarification. I may ask them to provide information to support their opinion. I may do any number of things.
What I will not do is make the claim that a person does not have the right to state their opinion. I figure we are all adults, even those who are up past their bedtime because 5th grade is starting in the morning, But in a Socratic model, what determines our ability to find common cause and keep the boat from tipping over is our ability to express our ideals freely.
The reason I quoted what I did is for exactly this reason. Making comments like this detract from what makes America great.
Sinergy
p.s. Regarding the political thing. The Bush administration / Neocons failed to realize that whatever happens when they attack Iraq, send up the Patriot act to be voted on, etc., is that all of their attempts will lead to one inescapable outcome. This is known as a Phyrric Victory. In essence, this is somebody who goes to war to defend or acquire something, and endsup destroying what they went to war to defend or acquire.
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"There is a fine line between clever and stupid"
David St. Hubbins "This Is Spinal Tap"
"Every so often you let a word or phrase out and you want to catch it and bring it back. You cant do that, it is gone, gone forever." J. Danforth Quayle
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RE: What makes America great? - 
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