News Explosion At Boston Marathon 2013

[Rumors]

Be that as it may, most of the comments here are incredibly ignorant and it saddens me that we can't have a real, honest discussion..

Really? You didn't call the posters here who don't hold your opinion ignorant? Ok.

I am proud of this country and what it stands for. PERIOD.

I find your ability to say we don't need to make comparisons then you jump in with comparisons a hypocrisy. Did I ever say the US is perfect, no. Am I proud of our military, the stance we take against terrorism, and the humanitarian aid we give around the world. YES! When we entered into the Iraq war, the entire country was behind the military and the decisions our government made to be there. It was on the heels on 9/11 and the world was incredibly intolerant of regimes that were tolerant of terrorism. No question, the WMD scenario was the wrong reason to base the entire invasion HOWEVER, did that regime need to end? Hell yes. So am I proud that we entered Iraq and took a regime that killed their own people for no reason and made it a democracy? yes. Am I sad that it was under the guise that they had WMD's? yes. Do I think when women and children are killed during war time it is ok? No. It is extremely sad but do we stand by and allow regimes like Saddams to continue to perpetrate genocide and threaten the rest of the world with terror and use the people's money to harbor terrorist? NO! In life, there are hard choices that must be made and I am proud that our country has made them.

You are looking for the perfect scenario, for innocent people to never be killed and it just will never be that way. You may call it kool aid, however it is reality. There are people that make those hard choices and I am thankful for them, while people like you criticize those who are willing to make sacrifice in order for a greater good FOR ALL people because it wasn't a perfect scenario.

As for how the people in Islam feel about our military? How would we know? The liberal half of the media sensationalizes everything so if that is where you are receiving your information you might want to stop drinking that kook aid. I have family and friends that have served and for the most part they say that most of the people they encounter thank them for ridding them of saadam. Once again, there are a fanatical few who don't.

As for Vietnam, agent orange, etc. No I am not proud of that. Once again, you enjoy the freedoms of our military and government and have never been faced with having to make those decisions unless of course you have been a President. I can't imagine facing a decision that involves stepping into one of those countries to solve those issues. Were they for the wrong reasons? That is solely based on opinion I guess.

I am proud of this country. I am proud that we make the hard decisions. They come with consequences and it doesn't mean that it is always going to be perfect. If you stop believing that this country is for good and not evil, perhaps you should move somewhere that better suits your ideology.

I don't agree with your ideology. Period. That isn't personal. I don't have to. I know there are tough decisions to be made and I am thankful for those who weigh them and TRY and do the right things for a better world overall. I think if you live in a fantasy world where you think you can wave a magic wand and everyone will love one another, you will be equally disappointed in that outcome.

I look forward to a day where Americans stand behind their country and say to the rest of the world that we aren't perfect, however we make a difference. There was a time when that did happen. There was a time where Americans were proud and dared anyone to come into our house because we were so united. We weren't easily divided and our core was strong. Then the 60's and 70's came along...

Edit to add:
I want to add that I am extremely grateful to our military. I can't imagine having to fight atrocities in other countries. The toll must be difficult to overcome however, I thank each and every soldier I come in contact with by shaking their hand and telling them how much I appreciate their service.

 

[nimkekaa]

Be that as it may, most of the comments here are incredibly ignorant and it saddens me that we can't have a real, honest discussion

It is encouraged on this forum to challenge other people's view points and everyone is free to disagree with what another member says but it is not ok to call other members of this forum "incredibly ignorant". Please stick to what you think and feel and refrain from name calling or putting down other members.

 

[reallydown]

Nimkekaa, I did not call the people on this forum incredibly ignorant. I have issues with their comments, not with them. There is a difference.

Rumors, you are entitled to your opinion, of course, no matter how informed or uninformed, as the case may be. You say you don't agree with my ideology. great...but pray, what is my ideology, as you understand it? Perhaps there's been a miscommunication? You are free to be proud of your country, of course. But please don't assume that everyone on this forum who has decent command of the English language is American. As for Sadaam, etc. I believe your government sold him those chemical weapons in the first place. In the international system, it is illegal to go into a country and change their regime because you don't like it. Had Sadaam attacked the US, a US response would've been justified; had there been authorization from the UNSC, an action (though not for the purpose of regime change) would've been justified. Alas, none of those things were true. You said everyone supported the Iraq invasion? Did you miss the massive protests against the war in NY, and other cities?

 

[nimkekaa]

I did not call the people on this forum incredibly ignorant. I have issues with their comments, not with them.

I feel that calling anyone, or their comment/thoughts, "incredibly ignorant" is not respectful to them. I again ask that you disagree or challenge other members thinking but don't put them or their thoughts down.

 

[reallydown]

Nimkekaa, could you please tell me what was so offensive in my last post, so I don't repeat the offense? Also, I assume you've warned the other member, as well (for calling my comment ignorant)...Personally, I don't care but if we're going to have the same standards for everyone, it would be less confusing. Thanks. :)

 

[Nicolette]

Unless you want this thread closed, please be mindful of what you are saying - EVERYONE.

I'm dismayed to come back to my thread and find it a discussion about religion. If you want to discuss religion take it to a new thread, this thread is about the bombing/explosion. I dislike discussions about religion as they more often than not end up with people becoming emotionally invested and then it gets personal. The religion which was mentioned here may have been relevant initially but it no longer is and that stops here thank you.

 

[reallydown]

My apologies for my part in this, Nicolette.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

Re: Rumors
"When we entered into the Iraq war, the entire country was behind the military and the decisions our government made to be there."

So not true. You're making false blanket statements.

Re: Entering Iraq for the wrong reasons.

The ends don't justify the means. We were flat out LIED to by the president of our country but people forgive it because we took down a horrible leader.

 

[Nicolette]

This thread is also not about other wars or politics - it's NEWS about the Boston Bombing.

Motives of the bombers if politically or religious driven are relevant... Not the rest thank you.

 

[nimkekaa]

Also, I assume you've warned the other member, as well (for calling my comment ignorant

I didn't read it the same way you did. I thought they were talking "about" your comment and not naming your comment as such. I apologize if I missed something.

All in all. I just want everyone to be respectful of everyone else's feelings. No official warning was sent to anyone. Just everyone being aware that we can all have our own opinions without someone calling those opinions or the person whom made the comment (which I understand wasn't your attention) as ignorant or wrong.

The rules states, 1.DO respect opinion diversity and member/s rights to equality, ethnicity & cultural beliefs.

We can all be passionate about our beliefs and respectfully disagree without putting anyone down. Maybe that wasn't your intention but that was how I read it.

I hope we can get this thread back on topic of the Explosion At Boston Marathon 2013. Other threads can be opened for other topics as Nicolette mentioned above.

 

[Rumors]

RD,
I question who is uninformed here. In the 80's the CDC sent to Iraq West Nile virus, botulism, and anthrax as requested by their medical professionals for further research. The Iraqi government government lied to the CDC and used the labs for chemical usages against their own people mainly. If you are suggesting the United States wilfully gave Saddam chemical weapons or knowledge of how to use that as a weapon, that is not true.

In the 70's/80's, Iraq entered into an agreement with Russia about purchasing Uranium to produce "energy". Moscow agreed and Saddam hired the French to build a nuclear facility in Iraq. No uranium was ever shipped from the US to them. Our alliance with Israel would have prevented that no question. However, Saddam announced to the world that he was producing WMD's and Israel went in a destroyed the plant.

Fact is, the US has never condoned nuclear or chemical facilities in the Middle East because it is such a volatile area. Too many renegades running around attempting cue's and such. Change of power there does not come through election typically and even so, the election processes are notoriously corrupt therefore the corrupt win.

I am assuming since you made a comment about being versed in English but not American you don't live inside the US and are not a citizen here. It is certainly your prerogative, as an outsider especially, to view Americans as the problem. However, without our humanitarian aid, our military aid, our financial support you would find the world a much scarier place. I, for one, would be just fine staying in my country, keeping my tax money in my own country, and letting the rest of the world figure out their own issues.

With great responsibility comes great criticism especially from armchair warriors who have never faced the decisions that come along with such great risk. I consider myself a great armchair warrior too. However, when it comes to loyalty to my country and the valiant sacrifice Americans make to be the world protectors, I stand united, good or bad, with our nation.

Once again, if you allow what you watch on TV to sensationalize your opinion, you will never know the real truth. I was in NY when we went to war in Iraq. I lived in the US and I can tell you there might have been a handful of individuals who protested but it wasn't the general populace. You can never make everyone happy but at that time, post 9/11, the American people wanted terrorism stomped out at any cost. They associated Sadaam with terrorism and knew he had been harboring them as many Al-Qaeda had been caught there. It wasn't until much, much later that the American people, and not all of them mind you, became disillusioned with the war because it was costing billions, there were still insurgents, there were still terrorists, and no one could figure out what our purpose was anymore. Bin Laden was still on the loose and Americans felt beat up by world criticism of our presence in Iraq. However, did Saddam need to go? HELL YES! He killed women and children and although our presence there has taken longer than anyone ever thought, the people can now elect their own government and make decisions without total fear of retribution. Is it perfect? No but nothing is. Are they better off now? In my opinion, yes. They reap the benefit of American tax dollars to rebuild their schools, hospitals, roads, etc.

Criticism is easy, RD, when you don't have to make the decisions or deal with the consequences. I urge you to consider this. You may find you have a higher tolerance for imperfection than you think OR perhaps you might see things from someone else's opinion for a split second. I don't disagree with you that the world, our government, other governments are not perfect however, I just wish more people criticized the bad guys, the governments that don't do the right thing for their people rather than the ones that go in and clean up the mess. The thing is, if America just sat around and did nothing but watch genocide, the world would say, "where are the damn Americans?" If we go in and snuff out genocide they say, "damn Americans should stay out of it." Therein lies the rub.

 

[amethist]

Rumours Nicolette has asked that this thread be kept to how she originally intended it, a discussion about the Boston bombing, not about other issues that are not connected to it.

Please keep it on track or it will be closed.