Don't get me wrong, I love my country. However, I don't love the way my country is currently behaving. There is a big difference between not liking someone and not liking how someone is currently acting. As far as people coming over to the U.S. in lifeboats across the Florida Straits -- just ask Elian Gonzalez what he thinks of our policies. I was in England when I saw the morning paper with a picture of a US customs agent holding a loaded weapon right at the kid. All I heard that day were gasps from Europeans -- and I don't blame them. Yeah, that's real American and filled with decent human values. Is that the kind of thing I want the rest of the world to view about America? No. It's bullshit.
I try, and I go where I can go, and where I can afford to go. And of the countries you mentioned, which of them are Arab countries? Look, TF, I would be very happy to be proven wrong. I hope you can tell me that Islamic women in Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, etc. can vote, hold office, drive a car, have their fingernails done at their local beauty salons, etc. Have their hair done and dress attractively for a Saturday night out on the town. Is this the case? I have never been to those countries, because they wouldn't let me in if I tried. My passport has been stamped in Israel, so I am out of luck. Hopefully one day that will change. I believe (am not certain) that I can go to Egypt. And I would like to. So maybe there is hope for future trips. But not now. Peace, rs7
No doubt. America is the ideal, in theory at least. That is why it's necessary to analyze and criticize policies that run counter to the things that made America great. The Constitution. The Bill of Rights. Freedom of speech and of dissent. Equal power of vote. The concept of equals living under a rule of law, not heredity or title or land ownership. The ability to pursue liberty. Freedom, to the extent possible. These were revolutionary when enacted, and sadly are still rare in the world. These made America great, not antagonistic foreign policies, preemptive 3rd-world military strikes at the behest of special interest groups, or doubletalk media propaganda. And America already has them - the task is to DEFEND them, both from fanatics and from politicians. I took what Aphie said in that light - I didn't see it as stupid at all.
Rs7, you're just to funny. So whern it pleases you you speak of Islam fanaticism. Afghanistan for instance that is not an arab country and when not you speak of arab countries. Well, well well. My point is you said women do not vote in muslim countries and I proved quite the contrary. Concerning muslim countries my god you can go wherver you want. You're not the only one that have been to israel and certainly not the last one. It is important to change your already made idea about the subject. If you have a problem going to the main muslim countries let me know.
Benazir Bhutto was jailed, and Pakistan is now under military rule following a coup. Not quite one's democratic ideal. I think there is a tendency to confuse a Taliban style Muslim state with its medeval restrictions and abuses of women with other states with muslim populations, where the restrictions and abuses are of a more modern flavor.
I was pretty sure I specifically said Islamic Arab countries. If not, then I apologize for my inaccuracy. However, now that I have cleared the issue (hopefully) what rights do Islamic Women In Arab Countries have? And no I cannot go to Syria with a passport stamped in Israel. (for example). Nor Iraq. And as for the other "neighbors" of Israel, I am pretty sure the same holds true. Though a friend of mine did get into Jordan with an Isreali stamped passport. I will ask her the circumstances and let you know how she did it. If it was easy or a roundabout kind of thing. Either way, she brought back photos. Very beautiful. (She did have a difficult time re-entering Israel however). How come the Palestinians did not want to stay there? (Jordan?) Peace, rs7
Indonesia is the largest Muslim nation in the world with a population of over 220 million people: who cares about Arabs?
THE CONSTITUTION OF THE U.S.S.R. 31 January 1924 CONSTITUTION OF THE UNION OF SOCIALIST SOVIET REPUBLICS PART I DECLARATION Since the foundation of the Soviet Republics, the states of the world have been divided into two camps: the camp of capitalism and the camp of socialism. There, in the camp of capitalism: national hate and inequality, colonial slavery and chauvinism, national oppression and massacres, brutalities and imperialistic wars. Here, in the camp of socialism: reciprocal confidence and peace, national liberty and equality, the pacific co-existence and fratemal collaboration of peoples. The attempts made by the capitalistic world during the past ten years to decide the question of nationalities by bringing together the principle of the free development of peoples wilh a system of exploitation of man by man have been fruitless. In addition, the number of national conflicts becomes more and more confusing, even menacing the capitalist regime. The bourgeoisie has proven itself incapable of realizing a harmonious collaboration of the peoples. It is only in the camp of the Soviets, only under the conditions of the dictatorship of the proletariat that has grouped around itself the majority of the people, that it has been possible to eliminate the oppression of nationalities, to create an atmosphere of mutual confidence and to establish the basis of a fraternal collaboration of peoples. It is only thanks to these circumstances that the Soviet Republics have succeeded in repulsing the imperialist attacks both intemally and externally. It is only thanks to them that the Soviet Republics have succeeded in satisfactorily ending a civil war, in assuring their existence and in dedicating themselves to pacific economic reconstruction. But the years of the war have not passed without leaving their trace. The devastated fields, the closed factories, the forces of production destroyed and the economic resources exhausted, this heritage of the war renders insufficient the isolated economic erforts of the several Republics. National economic reestablishment is impossible as long as the Republics remain separated. On the other hand, the instability of the international situation and the danger of new attacks make inevitable the creation ol a united front of the Soviet Republics in the presence of capitalist surroundings. Finally, the very structure of Soviet power, intemational by nature of class, pushes the masses of workers of the Soviet Republics to unite in one socialist family. All these considerations insistently demand the union of the Soviet Republics into one federated state capable of guaranteeing external security, economic prosperity internally, and the free national development of peoples. The will of the peoples of the Soviet Republics recently assembled in Congress, where they decided unanimously to form the "Union of Socialist Soviet Republics," is a sure guarantee that this Union is a free federation of peoples equal in rights, that the right to freely withdraw from the Union is assured to each Republic, that access to the Union is open to all Republics already existing as well as those that may be bom in the future, that the new federal state will be the worthy crowning of the principles laid down as early as October 1917 of the pacific co-existence and fratemal collaboration of peoples, that it will serve as a bulwark against the capitalist world and mark a new decisive step towards the union of workers of all countries in one world-wide Socialist Soviet Republic. http://users.cyberone.com.au/myers/ussr1924.html
I don't know about this - they've started to pump the N. Korea angle over the past few days. http://news.google.com/news?q=North-Korea Wonder if they are setting up an escape hatch if their Iraq strategy falls through....
Nothing is perfect...but just take a moment to think about what I posted...Consider yourself lucky that you were born in such a great Country even with its faults....trust me....The World is an ugly place, sometimes the grass isnt greener on the other side of the fence........peace and jasperilla P.S. That Elian picture was a cheap shot by the way. To think that American Children and Women are held agaisnt their will in Saudi Arabia. American Children with Saudi Fathers are taken from their American Mothers with the help of the Saudi Government........Just Sad