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Quoted Text

Others’ hatred of U.S. isn’t necessarily bad
Richard Cohen is a nationally syndicated columnist.
Richard Cohen

   Tidying up the other day, I came across an old newspaper and, flipping through it, saw a picture on page 22 that made my heart stop. It showed Palestinians, most of them young, all of them males, reacting with glee to a particularly heinous terrorist attack. The date was Sept. 12, 2001, and the Palestinians were cheering the deaths of about 3,000 innocent Americans the day before. You can, as they say, look it up.
   What you don’t have to look up, though, is the fact that this was before America’s retaliatory invasion of Afghanistan or the war in Iraq. It was also before Guantanamo became shorthand for abuse of the president’s constitutional authority and before the outrage of Abu Ghraib, the U.S.-run prison in Iraq where suspected terrorists were sometimes sexually abused. In other words, the demonstration by Palestinians (in the Lebanese refugee camp of Shatila) preceded most of the usual reasons given for why America today is held in contempt by much of the world.
   It just so happens that I have been to the Shatila camp. It’s an integral part of Beirut and has existed since 1949, which in a sane world would simply be out of the question. The blame for Shatila’s persistence can be shared all around: the Lebanese for failing to assimilate the Palestinians, the often homicidal factionalism of the Middle East, the Arab states for continuing to expound the chimera of a return to what was once Palestine (but which is now Israel) and, of course, Israel itself for, among other things, allegedly abetting the 1982 massacre of Palestinians by Lebanese Christian forces. The Palestinians have been mistreated by just about everybody, including, of course, their own inept and often corrupt leadership.
   Still, the chief reason for the cheering on 9/11 was U.S. support for Israel. Sometimes that support has been mindless and sometimes it has been over the top, but fundamentally it is based on certain truths. The first is that Israel is a legally sanctioned state, created by the United Nations in 1948 and recognized soon after by most countries, including — amazingly enough — those Cold War adversaries, both the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The second is that at least one Islamic state (Iran) and a host of militant organizations — Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad and, of course, al-Qaeda — fervently wish Israel’s destruction. There is no way the United States could appease these groups and not, in the process, trample on its own moral values. Israel on occasion is wrong — and the settlements are an abomination — but its existence is right.
   Granted, George Bush and his calamitous war — not to mention his swaggering unilateralism — have made matters worse. It’s hard, for instance, to overstate the impact of Abu Ghraib in the Arab world. When a couple of years ago my driver in Jordan brought up the abuses at that prison, he became visibly upset. He was a college graduate who had been abroad — what might be called Westernized. Yet, the wanton contempt for Islamic and Arab sexual taboos was almost more than he could take. Soon, he had to stop talking. All in all, Bush’s presidency has been a teardown for America’s public image. The next president will have to start almost from scratch.
   But, in a way, America has little choice but to be hated in some parts of the world. The U.S. is never going to truly popular as long as it insists on adhering to certain principles.
   Russia, which is creeping back to totalitarianism, does not have this problem. China, which is already authoritarian and obstructionist on Darfur, does not have this problem, either. Cuba, which is authoritarian, obstructionist and vile, also does not have this problem. Many Serbs hate America for the NATO bombing of that country, but it stopped the killing in the Balkans. Tell me that was the wrong thing to do.
   Alastair Campbell, a one-time spokesman for Tony Blair while he was prime minister, has published a book in Britain titled “The Blair Years.” In it, he recounts Sept. 12, 2001, at 10 Downing Street and the procession of briefers who came to the prime minister that day: “One of the experts ... a total Arabist, came very close to saying the attack was justified, saying the Americans should look to their own policy on the Middle East to understand why so many people don’t like them.”
   It’s always nice to have friends. Sometimes, though, it’s more honorable to have enemies.

  
  
  

They are just jeleous.

Subject: Fw: We need a leader like this




     It would be wonderful if we had leaders who felt likewise.

>     We Need a Leader Like This!
>
> Prime Minister John Howard - Australia
>
> Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law were told on Wednesday
> to
> get out of Australia , as the government targeted radicals in a bid to
> head
> off potential terror attacks.
>
> Separately, Howard angered some Australian Muslims on Wednesday by
> saying he supported spy agencies monitoring the nation's mosques.
>
> Quote:  'IMMIGRANTS, NOT AUSTRALIANS, MUST ADAPT. Take It Or Leave It.
I
> am
> tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some
> individual
> or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Bali , we have
> experienced
> a surge in patriotism by the majority of Australians'
>
> 'This culture has been developed over two centuries of struggles,
trials
> and
> victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom'
>
>
> 'We speak mainly ENGLISH, not Spanish, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese,
> Japanese,
> Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of
> our
> society . Learn the language!'
>
>
> 'Most Australians believe in God. This is not some Christian, right
wing,
> political push, but a fact, because Christian men and women, on Christian
> principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It is
> certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God
> offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your
> new home, because God is part of our culture.'
>
>
> 'We will accept your beliefs, and will not question why. All we ask is

> that
> you accept ours, and live in harmony and peaceful enjoyment with us.'
>
>
> 'This is OUR COUNTRY, OUR LAND, and OUR LIFESTYLE, and we will allow
you
> every opportunity to enjoy all this. But once you are done complaining,
> whining, and griping about Our Flag, Our Pledge, Our Christian beliefs, or
> Our Way of Life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great
> Australian freedom,
>
>
> 'THE RIGHT TO LEAVE'.'
>
>
> 'If you aren't happy here then LEAVE. We didn't force you to
come here.
> You
> asked to be here. So accept the country YOU accepted.'
>> Maybe if we circulate this amongst ourselves, American and Canadian
>> citizens
> will find the backbone to start speaking and voicing the same truths. *

The above post is not considered politically correct in our country these days.

Quoted from JoAnn

The above post is not considered politically correct in our country these days.

Screw politically correct!

And who is it, exactly, who determines what is politically correct or not?

Quoted from bumblethru

And who is it, exactly, who determines what is politically correct or not?

sheeple.......