Well, seems like someone got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. I'm not even going to bother asking what it is about us "fucking yanks" that pisses you off so much, I'm just going to address a few points that I feel the need to, after my standard disclaimer.
(Disclaimer: Skullhunter does not, nor does he claim to speak for all of America, as he has not yet succeded in taking it over)
Okay, now that I got that out of the way, let's start with point one.
"Why do so many of you seem to think that the only way to achieve and maintain freedom is by force of arms?"
Okay, first thing, I hate blanket statements. I personally don't think that that's the only way to achieve and maintain freedom, and I am sure I am not the only one. But I do realize that it is a viable option. There is nothing harder to subdue than an armed populace. And yes, today's modern military does have weapons that make civilian arms look pathetic, but that same modern military would probably be a bit wary of trying to fight an entrenched civilian population. Not the best option, but still an option.
"Are you completely impervious to the lessons of history"
No, nobody is, whether they choose to acknowledge them or not. After all, "Those who forget the mistakes of history are condemned to repeat them." Yes, Ghandi's example was a wonderful one for all, one that was followed in more recent times by Dr. Martin Luther King, another great man. But there is another lesson of history that some people, like myself, are also not impervious to, and that is this: The most important act of any totalitarian regime is to remove from the populace the tools of self-determination. Limit what they can read or view, and the people can't speak out or hear dissenting opinions. Limit their movement and travel, and they cannot escape. Take guns and other weapons from their hands, and they cannot resist. Since you use historical example to try and prove your point, so shall I. One of the first acts of the Nazi regime in Germany was to confiscate all firearms that were owned by people with "Jewish-sounding" surnames. Coincidence? Not likely. And the example can be taken back even further; the ruling class of feudal japan decreed that no one but the samurai, the elite warrior caste, could own swords. Ownership of such a weapon by a commoner was usually punishable by death.
"Did we ever even dream of fighting a war _against_ Britain? No. You see, we didn't need to - all we needed to do was ask them, and provide them with what we considered to be a good constitution, which they gladly ratified and set us free to follow our own course. " Well, we tried that. Apparently the rulers of England back then were a bit more upset about the idea of losing control of one of their protectorates, and decided to press the issue. We made them pay dearly for it, and we also paid in the lives of our countrymen. But I'm very happy that your change of government went more peacefully than ours.
"Why in gods name do you have to try and force your morals, your ideals, your way of life onto the rest of the world? "
I personally don't try to force anything on anyone. Most people I know could honestly care less about what you folks are up to, unless it affects us. But, this new censorship law DOES affect us. It sets an international precedent, and what's more it gives a lot of fat-assed lazy politicians funny ideas about feel-good legislation that they can make a name for themselves with, at the expense of the very people they're supposed to be working for. So you'll pardon us for having an opinion about it.
"Please, leave us to make our own way, without having to slavishly bow down before _your_ gods and heroes. We are not part of your country, nor do we want to be - we want to make our own decisions, and do things the way that we see fit. I'd prefer to live with my own mistakes than yours. "
No, you're not part of our country, so despite your vitriolic verbosity, our ability as a people to affect the policy of your nation is nonexistant. But the ability of your nation's policies to eventually affect us as a people is very, very real.
"But all too often these days I find myself absolutely _HATING_ America and how they interact with the rest of the world. It's not much fun, believe me"
Then don't do it. Hate is a blinding, wasted emotion, especially when applied to a pretty damn large group of people that you don't know.
That's not a half bad idea Shadowcat, I've got some workings of my own that would be well suited for a new moon. And I'd love to check out your site, but apparently my job's SurfWatch won't let me.:(
Well, good morning, Merry Met and Blessed Be folks. Good to see I'm not the only one paying attention, and glad someone stepped up to the plate and pointed out what I would have said myself were I a more eloquent man. It's very heartening to see you all though, gives me a good start to my workday here.
Slashdot Mirror
Well, seems like someone got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. I'm not even going to bother asking what it is about us "fucking yanks" that pisses you off so much, I'm just going to address a few points that I feel the need to, after my standard disclaimer.
(Disclaimer: Skullhunter does not, nor does he claim to speak for all of America, as he has not yet succeded in taking it over)
Okay, now that I got that out of the way, let's start with point one.
"Why do so many of you seem to think that the only way to achieve and maintain freedom is by force of
arms?"
Okay, first thing, I hate blanket statements. I personally don't think that that's the only way to achieve and maintain freedom, and I am sure I am not the only one. But I do realize that it is a viable option. There is nothing harder to subdue than an armed populace. And yes, today's modern military does have weapons that make civilian arms look pathetic, but that same modern military would probably be a bit wary of trying to fight an entrenched civilian population. Not the best option, but still an option.
"Are you completely impervious to the lessons of history"
No, nobody is, whether they choose to acknowledge them or not. After all, "Those who forget the mistakes of history are condemned to repeat them." Yes, Ghandi's example was a wonderful one for all, one that was followed in more recent times by Dr. Martin Luther King, another great man. But there is another lesson of history that some people, like myself, are also not impervious to, and that is this: The most important act of any totalitarian regime is to remove from the populace the tools of self-determination. Limit what they can read or view, and the people can't speak out or hear dissenting opinions. Limit their movement and travel, and they cannot escape. Take guns and other weapons from their hands, and they cannot resist. Since you use historical example to try and prove your point, so shall I. One of the first acts of the Nazi regime in Germany was to confiscate all firearms that were owned by people with "Jewish-sounding" surnames. Coincidence? Not likely. And the example can be taken back even further; the ruling class of feudal japan decreed that no one but the samurai, the elite warrior caste, could own swords. Ownership of such a weapon by a commoner was usually punishable by death.
"Did we ever even dream of fighting a war _against_ Britain? No. You see, we didn't need to - all we needed to do was ask them, and
provide them with what we considered to be a good constitution, which they gladly ratified and set us free to follow our own course. "
Well, we tried that. Apparently the rulers of England back then were a bit more upset about the idea of losing control of one of their protectorates, and decided to press the issue. We made them pay dearly for it, and we also paid in the lives of our countrymen. But I'm very happy that your change of government went more peacefully than ours.
"Why in gods name do you have to try and force your morals, your ideals, your way of life onto
the rest of the world? "
I personally don't try to force anything on anyone. Most people I know could honestly care less about what you folks are up to, unless it affects us. But, this new censorship law DOES affect us. It sets an international precedent, and what's more it gives a lot of fat-assed lazy politicians funny ideas about feel-good legislation that they can make a name for themselves with, at the expense of the very people they're supposed to be working for. So you'll pardon us for having an opinion about it.
"Please, leave us to make our own way, without having to slavishly bow down before _your_ gods and heroes. We are not part of your
country, nor do we want to be - we want to make our own decisions, and do things the way that we see fit. I'd prefer to live with my own
mistakes than yours. "
No, you're not part of our country, so despite your vitriolic verbosity, our ability as a people to affect the policy of your nation is nonexistant. But the ability of your nation's policies to eventually affect us as a people is very, very real.
"But all too often these days I find myself absolutely _HATING_ America and how they interact with the rest of the world. It's not
much fun, believe me"
Then don't do it. Hate is a blinding, wasted emotion, especially when applied to a pretty damn large group of people that you don't know.
Skullhunter
That's not a half bad idea Shadowcat, I've got some workings of my own that would be well suited for a new moon. And I'd love to check out your site, but apparently my job's SurfWatch won't let me. :(
Well, good morning, Merry Met and Blessed Be folks. Good to see I'm not the only one paying attention, and glad someone stepped up to the plate and pointed out what I would have said myself were I a more eloquent man. It's very heartening to see you all though, gives me a good start to my workday here.