OT: Letter to my Senators

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Thu May 08, 2003 4:20 pm

Green Party members! What a mess this country would be in then!!!

I'm a proud member of the Green Party. And one day I will be president. So watch out.

jim stone · Post by **jim stone** » Thu May 08, 2003 4:54 pm

Cranberry for pres. Hey, I like that!

Brigitte · Post by **Brigitte** » Thu May 08, 2003 5:14 pm

I had this come through by email and thought I would share it. I did do the translation from German to English so I hope I used the right words:

If we would reduce whole mankind to a village of 100 inhabitants
in proportion of all existing people, then this village would have

57 Asians
21 Europeans
14 Americans (north and south)
8 Africans

52 would be women
48 would be men

70 non-white
30 white

70 non-Christians
30 Christians

89 heterosexual
11 homosexual

6 people would possess 59 % of the entire world wealth and
all 6 people would come from the USA

80 would not have sufficient housing conditions
70 would be illiterates
50 would be underfed
1 would die
2 would be born
1 would own a PC
1 would have an academic degree

If you look at the world from that point of view, it becomes clear
for everyone that the need of solidarity, understanding,
acceptance and education is necessary.

If you did wake up healthy and not ill this morning - you are luckier
than 1 million humans, who will not experience the next week.

If you never experienced a fight in a war, never the isolation of
imprisonment, never felt the agonie of torture or hunger
- then you are luckier than 500 million humans in the world.

If you can go to the church without the fear that it is threatened
to you that someone arrests you or kills you are you are luckier than 3
billion humans of the world.

If there is food in your refrigerator, you are clothed, have a roof over the
head and a bed for sleeping - you are richer than 75% of the
inhabitant of this world.

If you have an account with the bank, have some cash in your purse
and some money stached in a little box you belong to the 8% of
wealthy people on this planet.

If you read this message, you are blessed doubly because
1. Someone has thought of you
2. You do not belong to the 2 billion humans who are not able to read.

And... You have a PC!

Someone has said once

work - as if you need no money
love - as if you never got hurt before
dance - as if nobody is watching
sing - as if nobody is listening
live - as if the paradies is on earth.

This is the International week of friendship. Send this Mail to
all, which you call friends and other nice humans.

If you do not pass it on absolutely nothing will happen!
If you do pass it on, you may get a smile from someone.

at least a small ray of hope

Sleep well

Brigitte
[/list]

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Thu May 08, 2003 5:20 pm

If there is food in your refrigerator, you are clothed, have a roof over the
head and a bed for sleeping - you are richer than 75% of the
inhabitant of this world.

That really spoke to me. I think I have a rough life, but when I put it into perspective, I see I'm actually very very lucky to have the life I do. Even when we didn't have running water, electricity or phones growing up, my parents would always say 'there are people worse off than you'. How true that really is.

jim stone · Post by **jim stone** » Thu May 08, 2003 5:34 pm

I still think you should be president. By the time
you are, your views are likely to be
somewhat more centrist. Only a little.
It'll help you carry the midwestern states. Best

Celtoid · Post by **Celtoid** » Thu May 08, 2003 5:39 pm

Yes! Cranberry for President.

I have to agree with Jim on the Near East situation. We have an existing condition, and recriminating over the past will only worsen any hopes for peace. We need to accept that Israel is here to stay, and even guarantee their continued existence...under certain conditions. I would make Israel relinquish all their weapons of mass destruction...specifically the nuclear weapons, and any other weapons of mass destruction they may have, and insist on UN verification of the above. I would make them guarentee the borders of a wholly independant and contiguous Palestine together with their West Bank water acquifer which has been taken for Israel's domestic use. The Arabs would be denied any future right to return, but all former refugees would be compensated in a package of reparations determined by a United Nations Committee on Palestine. Also, the Jewish state should also give up the cherished right of return for any foreigner anywhere in the world who claims Jewish ancestry, who is currently allowed to enter Israel and encouraged to do so. This will reduce the future Jewish requirement for 'lebensraum'. Jerusalem would be the capital of Israel as it was their holy city in ancient history, and this the world can understand. The Temple Mount would be an International Site under the flag of Israel but under the jurisdiction in perpetuity of a governing body of neutral nations.
Terrorism by either nation opon the other would be investigated by the International Court and investigations supported by an expanded anti-terrorist ability of Interpol.
All this of course will never happen. I was just daydreaming.

mamakash · Post by **mamakash** » Thu May 08, 2003 5:44 pm

Brigitte wrote: If you have an account with the bank, have some cash in your purse
and some money stached in a little box you belong to the 8% of
wealthy people on this planet.

If you read this message, you are blessed doubly because
1. Someone has thought of you
2. You do not belong to the 2 billion humans who are not able to read.

And... You have a PC!

Suddenly, I feel much richer . . . .

I have an Imac! Does that make me triple blessed?

peeplj · Post by **peeplj** » Thu May 08, 2003 5:57 pm

I do not think any of us will live to see a real peace in the Middle East.

The hatred and violence is too deeply ingrained in both cultures. Both sides feel--with good evidence, in both cases--that they can never safely trust the other.

It is a shame. I look at the Middle East as being the powerkeg that may one day explode into World War III--assuming that the process hasn't already started, of course.

--James

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Thu May 08, 2003 6:36 pm

peeplj wrote:The hatred and violence is too deeply ingrained in both cultures. Both sides feel--with good evidence, in both cases--that they can never safely trust the other.

Sadly this is all too true. The killing and aggression from all sides is devastating. Not just in the Near East (though it is indeed particularly so marred, it seems) but all around the world.

Post by **Nanohedron** » Thu May 08, 2003 7:34 pm

I feel I have to mention that the examples of Japan and Germany (reconstructed) do not fit the current situation. Those wars were fought because somebody made a bid for conquest, and the cultures of both nations in general are pragmatic (by secularist lights), and not ideologically opposed to Western civilization as such. Now we are up to our necks in a country surrounded by countries where religious ideology (or its face-value) drives just about everything, and Western culture is widely regarded as a real decadence to be eradicated. No matter how thoroughly the occupying forces and their resources rebuild and and improve the lives of the Iraqis, Western influence, in my opinion, will be at best held in suspicion overall, and frequently (if not perpetually) subject to sabotage. A zealot would rather live without amenities than sleep with a percieved devil, and one that is held up as the source of his or her suffering. Yes, a real despot has been neutralized (that's handling it with tongs :roll: ), and Iraqi gratitude is there, but the notion that Iraq will soon contentedly bask in the glow of a new world-view of democracy and Western ideas of freedom is misguided, IMO. And I don't forsee that the rest of the Islamic world will "see the light" and follow, either. Conflicts of ideology go on and on and on. Conquests either succeed or are prevented, but such wars come to an end. Iraq has undergone conquest, and it would be nice to believe that the matter, other than rebuilding, is finished, but here's the rub: Islamic ideology must be factored into whatever happens there, even in opposing views among Iraqis. To dismiss this is a mistake. Of course, there isn't a zealot in every person there, but I suspect that secularist types in particular are the minority. I invite us all to do the math.

Best,
N

Blackbeer · Post by **Blackbeer** » Thu May 08, 2003 9:24 pm

Well put Nano you are exactly right. And thanks for your kind words Jim. I ran off with my horse and headed for the mountains for a while to clear my head but I wouldn`t have responded to that post in any case. There are times when I am out of tears to shed. But the struggle must continue for fairness and respect for all the occupierers of this planet. Peace to you all. And Cranberry you have my vote when the time comes. I mean how bad could you be.

Tom

jim stone · Post by **jim stone** » Fri May 09, 2003 12:05 am

Peeplj and Walden, Hi!

Certainly there's a real chance
for peace. The question is 'Will we
allow the present Israeli government to scuttle
the roadmap to peace?' Once it's clear
that we won't, the present government
will either move toward peace or be
voted out of office. Yitzak Shamir's
government fell largely because
he wouldn't make peace with the Palestinians
and it became
plain to Israelis that American funding
was in jeapordy. That's how we
got the Oslo Accords.

These parties nearly made peace
a couple of years ago; for most of the
90s people thought peace was
in the bag. But the settlements kept
growing, Palestinians despaired,
the uprising happenend, and an exceedingly belligerent
and expansionist government came
to power in Israell.

Peace is still doable, we
have enormous leverage because
we fund all concerned, most everybody has
a reasonable idea of what a peace
settlement would involve. Once a
real Palestinian state is created, its'
pumped full of reparation money that the
world will provide, there is hope, prosperity,
and little inclination on the part of Palestinians
to blow it all to no purpose by provoking
the virtual superpower next door.

Israel gets peace with the Palestinians
and the Arabs in return for giving up
its dream of expansion. Also it gets to
keep its Jewish character, for if it
keeps Gaza and the West Bank,
there are millions of Palestinians
that are part of its territory--and sooner
or later they must be expelled (ethnic
cleansing, to which the world will not
cotton) or they will have to vote.

People's
concerns are pretty practical and
mundane, finally. However awful
the last couple of years have been,
it's small potatos in the history of
human conflicts that have been
forgotten pretty quickly when it
was in people's interest to do so.

Please remember that for centuries
while Jews were persecuted in Europe,
they were protected in Islamic
countries. There is no ancient enmity
between Jews and Moslems.
Again, the big question isn't can these
people ever trust each other, but
'Will we let Israel scuttle the roadmap?'
And once again, that's partly up to you and me.
Beware the self-actualizing prophecy. Best

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Fri May 09, 2003 12:59 am

jim stone wrote:Please remember that for centuries
while Jews were persecuted in Europe,
they were protected in Islamic
countries. There is no ancient enmity
between Jews and Moslems.

There is a very real segment among the Muslims of that region that is quite opposed to all people who are not of the Islamic faith. There is thus the element of resentment toward the Jewish settlers who are not only not of the Islamic religion, but are of a more European, or that is to say, Western, mindset.

MurphyStout · Post by **MurphyStout** » Fri May 09, 2003 1:35 am

Jim, I respect you for having the courage to bring up this topic. Showing light to the zionist problem is a difficult thing to do, due the tenacity of the jewish population to protect themselves, and they have the right to. Even so the zionist movement is a huge threat to US and world stability and it needs to be resolved. Hehe Jim, people like you actually make me still believe that some good does come out of the Republican party.

And BlackBeer thanks for sharing your thoughts out here, you open yourself up for alot of criticism and I want you to know that you aren't alone.

And that other dude, it's not worth my time mentioning it to you but I will anyways. Germany and Japan worked out because we instituted a Marshall Plan. Since then our preformance has sucked. Iraq 1, Iraq 2, Afghanistan 1, Iran, Central America, South America, Vietnam, Korea..... on and on. Lets hope we get it right this time, but I won't hold my breath, especially with this administration and the morons on the other side of the isle(the democrats).

I could go on and on but what's the point, but I did want to thank you two gentlemen.

oops had to get this off. We are all the same, we are all part of the brotherhood of man. You, Me, Osama, The Pope, Suddam, Bush, Oprah... are all the same. The only thing different is some luck. It's so fundamental that nobody ever thinks about it. So lets not be to eager to deal out death and punishment. Keep this in mind, and let go of the anger and hatred that you harbor in life and the world will be a better place. The Brotherhood of man and forgiveness.

I'll flip the coin though. It's nice to be all nice and christian, whatever, like but if a man is trying to kill you, you better take it personal

allezlesbleus · Post by **allezlesbleus** » Fri May 09, 2003 2:07 am

...One side is mad and kills innocents on the other side,

so the other side then gets mad at the other side for killing innocents of their side and so they righteously kill innocents of the other side,

then the other side gets mad at the killing and righteously kills more innocents of the other side,

Responding to the justifiable rage of their people, the other side then kills the innocents of the other side (maybe this time they'll get the message that killing the innocents of the other side is wrong),

the other side then (of course) kills more of the other side (so they'll stop killing the other side),

so the other side kills more of the other side

so the other side kills more of the other side

so the other side kills more of the other side

so the other side kills more of the other side

so the other side kills more of the other side

so the other side kills more of the other side

so the other side kills more of the other side

...

Which side are you on?

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