Re: War Support Ebbs

From: Mike Lorrey (mlorrey@datamann.com)
Date: Fri Nov 09 2001 - 10:34:37 MST


Dehede011@aol.com wrote:
>
> In a message dated 11/9/01 6:50:09 AM Pacific Standard Time,
> talon57@well.com writes: Everybody likes to talk world peace but then
> they all have better things to do when it comes time to clean the
> world's toilets. Somebody hand me the brush....
>
> Brian,
> Thank you very much. I have also traveled abroad and listened
> closely to foreign sources explain "America."
> Have you ever noticed that most of the criticism comes down to
> "Why won't you Americans look out for our interests not your own?"
> For that we get called "unsophisticated."

Yes, and I frequently hear many foreign sources complain about the
'simplistic' view of the world that most Americans allegedly have, yet
I've met few foreigners who don't have similarly simplistic views of
America and Americans.

The fact is that most of the resentment the rest of the world has for
Americans and our government is for those things we do not for our self
interest, but from our altruism, our best intentions. I think the best
rule we can go by is the old rule that you know what you are doing is
the right thing when everybody is angry with you.

These guys hate our support for Saudi Arabia not because our support
makes the Saudis more extreme, but because our influence has helped to
moderate Saudi society. Same with Egypt, etc etc.

I notice that congress just authorized the creation of the Radio Free
Afghanistan. I think the best thing we can do is to support the
broadcast of our regular news programs in muslim languages to the middle
east.



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