Would you please indicate where the proof lies that I am "entirely animated by hatred". I cannot find the hate in my words - a little sarcasm and fun perhaps - but hate? No. It isn’t me who resorts to full on abuse. I live in a community where muslim faces are not exceptional and yet they aren’t all trying to cut my throat at every available opportunity. In fact, I would have to say that my experiences are precisely the reverse. They could certainly teach westerners a thing or two about kindness, honesty and respect. With all this talk of nuclear weapons etc you seem to exist in some state of perpetual fear of these strange brown men with their strange religion and strange ways, perhaps ignoring the fact that for 99.9% of any population has aspirations you would recognise in yourself just as I would recognise them in myself. Fundamentally (interesting choice of word!) we all share certain things on this little rock. We are all following that old yellow star up there, we’re all born, we all go to the toilet and we all die. Our similarities far outweigh our differences. Within any section of any society there will always be those who aspire to power. They exist everywhere. It just seems that you can recognise the evil in everyone else and every other society and yet refuse to accept it within your own. A life that is unexamined is a life that isn’t lived. We all need to reflect on our own roles within the world, we all need to take care before accepting ideas that will inform our lives and we all need to see the struggles and problems of others through a less dirty lens. I would no more praise or damn radical Islam than I would praise or damn radical US imperialism. In both cases it does not reflect the people. Instead it reflects peoples relationship with the world around them and speaks to the lust for greed and power present where ever you look. Cause and effect is the usual pattern of things in this world and it is worth remembering that nothing occurs in a vacuum. Beslan for example does not occur without the total destruction of Grozny. That is not to diminish the horrors of that event but it is to find some understanding of the motivation of all of the people involved. I condemn what happened in Beslan - and indeed what happens in Iraq every day - but I also condemn the power and greed mongers who light the powder under these people in the first place. In most places that would be considered a balanced outlook. Have you ever considered what drives a man or woman to strap explosives to themselves. It must be an act of desperation, just as fear drives some of the more excessive elements of US forces to commit their own atrocities. It is also possible that people have a right to feel troubled by the US striding around the world like some out of control collossus. Just because you are powerful does not make you right. The last ten or so years have seen a terrible fall in US standing in the world and that is to be regretted but you must look for a solution within your own country as well as looking outside for people to blame.
Would you please indicate where the proof lies that I am "entirely animated by hatred". I cannot find the hate in my words - a little sarcasm and fun perhaps - but hate? No. It isn’t me who resorts to full on abuse. I live in a community where muslim faces are not exceptional and yet they aren’t all trying to cut my throat at every available opportunity. In fact, I would have to say that my experiences are precisely the reverse. They could certainly teach westerners a thing or two about kindness, honesty and respect. With all this talk of nuclear weapons etc you seem to exist in some state of perpetual fear of these strange brown men with their strange religion and strange ways, perhaps ignoring the fact that for 99.9% of any population has aspirations you would recognise in yourself just as I would recognise them in myself. Fundamentally (interesting choice of word!) we all share certain things on this little rock. We are all following that old yellow star up there, we’re all born, we all go to the toilet and we all die. Our similarities far outweigh our differences. Within any section of any society there will always be those who aspire to power. They exist everywhere. It just seems that you can recognise the evil in everyone else and every other society and yet refuse to accept it within your own. A life that is unexamined is a life that isn’t lived. We all need to reflect on our own roles within the world, we all need to take care before accepting ideas that will inform our lives and we all need to see the struggles and problems of others through a less dirty lens. I would no more praise or damn radical Islam than I would praise or damn radical US imperialism. In both cases it does not reflect the people. Instead it reflects peoples relationship with the world around them and speaks to the lust for greed and power present where ever you look. Cause and effect is the usual pattern of things in this world and it is worth remembering that nothing occurs in a vacuum. Beslan for example does not occur without the total destruction of Grozny. That is not to diminish the horrors of that event but it is to find some understanding of the motivation of all of the people involved. I condemn what happened in Beslan - and indeed what happens in Iraq every day - but I also condemn the power and greed mongers who light the powder under these people in the first place. In most places that would be considered a balanced outlook. Have you ever considered what drives a man or woman to strap explosives to themselves. It must be an act of desperation, just as fear drives some of the more excessive elements of US forces to commit their own atrocities. It is also possible that people have a right to feel troubled by the US striding around the world like some out of control collossus. Just because you are powerful does not make you right. The last ten or so years have seen a terrible fall in US standing in the world and that is to be regretted but you must look for a solution within your own country as well as looking outside for people to blame.