As is increasingly becoming the case with you, DeAnander, you didn't address my point (just as you routinely failed to address my point in the Wal-Mart thread, instead relying on emotion and attack, in that case), which was addressed specifically to the controversy over the cartoons. I suspect you would find that you and I are in at least near-full agreement about US involvement in the Middle East (and South America, and Central America, and so on). I'll leave the issue of Anglo involvement to the Britons here.
I also appreciate the generalization about "the nation" -- not the Republicans, or the neocons, or the Bushies -- having no intention of walking away or "even bothering to count their victims". Nevermind the 48% of Americans who voted for John Kerry. Nevermind those of us who opposed this war from the beginning, and who spent endless hours doing everything we could to stop Bush from winning a second term. It's the whole damned nation. We're all a bunch of blood-spilling sociopaths, aren't we?
Unbelievable.
Nothing would make me happier than to see America rid itself of involvement with the current governments in the Middle East, whether Saudi Arabia, or Syria, or Israel, or whatever. Not one of those governments is worth a dime to me. Don't drag me down because of the actions of people I've worked to stop. You're more than welcome to call things as you see them, but don't throw out broad statements about Americans' views and attitudes and expect me to not respond by saying that you don't know what the hell you're talking about. Conservatives want live babies so they can raise them to be dead soldiers. - George Carlin
more seriously...
afaik Kerry has not once repudiated the invasion of Iraq, but has only claimed that he would have done it better. ditto that beacon of Democratic hopes, H R Clinton. when the Dems identify themselves as the anti-war party, then the world at large will perceive America as a divided country; but the narrative of American media and the political spin of the major players is that the anti-war contingent is a tiny fringe of marginalised malcontent lefties who show up at ANSWER events. (this is of course not accurate, as I've been to those events and seen the broad spectrum of ages and political plumage there -- and it ignores critics from the Right like PC Roberts and J Raimondo -- but it's how things are spun by the media machinery.)
I live and work in the US and have for many years. I did everything within my small power to stop the invasion of Iraq -- I also decried and protested the US' earlier buddy-buddy-ness with Saddam 20 years ago, as it happens. nevertheless I do personally benefit from the policies of Empire, as well as personally paying for them and experiencing some disbenefits. I pay taxes to this government, instead of taking the path of conscience and becoming a tax resister. in my view, I share the responsibility -- even though I am not a US citizen -- much as a moderate Muslim who donates money to a group whose radical cadres carry out violent or extremist actions shares some responsibility for their actions. at least that is mho.
and though metacomment is seldom productive... gingerly I venture to wonder when or where I ever said that I expected anyone not to respond? when I assert a strong opinion I expect a certain number of people to disagree with me. that's just life.
you do seem to be getting a bit riled here, which concerns me as the tone of debate at ET is generally civil even when strained. if you're allergic to my style as an essayist, or you're angry because I don't conform to some "rules of debate" that you would like to enforce, well... to quote an earlier meme, why not just walk away :-) in any public bar or cafe, there are going to be people you like and people you don't, people you enjoy and people you find boring or irritating. that's also just life. why waste it getting personally angry with ascii characters on a screen? just my $.02 ... The difference between theory and practise in practise ...
