From: Dehede011@aol.com
Date: Fri Jun 06 2003 - 18:25:20 MDT
In a message dated 6/6/2003 3:44:31 PM Central Standard Time,
jrd1415@yahoo.com quotes MEZ: Hmmm. I don't agree. I think the large majority of people in
the middle east *like* western culture. If anything, I think the right
approach is to consciously export *more* western culture to this region - just not
through tanks and cruise missiles. mez
Then answers: I agree, mez. I got sucked into the mass media demonization of
islam that conflates militant islamic extremism with the whole of the islamic
world. I'm inclined to accept your first person report that says Arabs (and
by extension the rest of the islamic world) are regular people who, like
regular people everywhere, find the American Dream irresistable.
Jeff,
Wouldn't you be more accurate if you described the media as being very
reserved about the US?
Have you made any great effort to find out what the people in the
middle east do think or what kind of information is being fed them? I think not.
Every since 911 our President the people that work for him and our media has
bent over backward to deliver a message that said that only a small percentage
of Muslims have tried to harm us. Heck the Iraqi Army quit so fast they are
demanding we pay them -- they sure acted more like they were on our side more
than Sadaam's. In Afghanistan the Taliban and Al Qaida only required 185
American servicemen on the ground to send them packing.
But there is a fly in the ointment. The leaders of those middle
eastern countries and the upper crust that supports them have kept the man in the
street so broke they are in immediate danger if their citizenry ever go over to
the Americans. If you check out the middle eastern media and the middle
eastern sites available on line you will find the Arab man in the street is
constantly being bombarded by a vicious propaganda campaign designed to induce
hatred of America.
But MEZ gives us a way out. He says, "If anything, I think the right
approach is to consciously export *more* western culture to this region - just
not through tanks and cruise missiles. mez"
How many cruise missiles have we fired at Egypt, Syria, and all the
other countries other than one lone nation that was threatening us with gas? We
have fired none. There leaders and through them their media made a simple
decision. They looked at America and Sadaam then decided to support Sadaam.
Why? Because if we are successful in up lifting Iraq their men in the
street will see that and the leaders of the surrounding countries are gone.
If they are lucky they will make it out of their own countries and on their
way to France.
Now we are back to MEZ. Why does he oppose us? No doubt because in
some way he sees his future tied to the rulers of those same countries. I have
no way of telling how. Maybe he just likes those people. Maybe his family
supports them.
But one thing is for sure, he has some reason for misrepresenting the
conduct of the American government and trying to delegitimize us at every
step. He isn't doing this to win a merit badge so he can make Eagle Scout.
Ron h.
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