Blackwater

spike

New Member
I love the hate America crap Cerise uses. Especially that she equates posting news about a private company as "hating America". It's very telling.
 

Cerise

Well-Known Member
Especially that she equates posting news about a private company as "hating America". It's very telling.


A private company that engaged substantial military offensive and defensive operations during the Iraq War as a contractor for the United States government. :shrug: So it follows.
 

Professur

Well-Known Member
See, what you're pushing isn't Patriotism, Cerise...but Nationalism.

It is EXTREMELY Patriotic to criticize your country, because you want it to be better..you want it to be the BEST country it can be.

It isn't Nationalistic to do so, because you assume that your country can do no wrong, no matter what they do.

Interesting point. I've found several times recently that the 'common' or vulgar misuse of words is a major hindrance in maintaining an intelligent dialogue.
 

spike

New Member
A private company that engaged substantial military offensive and defensive operations during the Iraq War as a contractor for the United States government. :shrug: So it follows.

Not sure what you point is. Are you saying if you post news about a private company that has been contracted by the government you "hate America".

Sticking you head in the sand would be "loving America" then?
 

valkyrie

Well-Known Member
See, what you're pushing isn't Patriotism, Cerise...but Nationalism.

It is EXTREMELY Patriotic to criticize your country, because you want it to be better..you want it to be the BEST country it can be.

It isn't Nationalistic to do so, because you assume that your country can do no wrong, no matter what they do.
I'm reading Edgar Snow's Red Flag Over China to understand how the communist government came to power there. Interesting point you are making, Bish... the government prior to communism was a Nationalist government under Chiang Kai Shek. Under Chiang, taxation of the lower classes (peasants, farmers, small landlords, merchants, etc.) was as much as 50%, which the upper classes (large landlords, tax collectors, gentry, etc.) paid nothing. Local militia (hired by the large landlords to keep the peasants under foot) could also take their share of the farmer's crops, animals, or money at will.

Chiang's Nationalist government put into effect many laws that forbade freedoms we take for granted such as assembly, speech (all news was censored including foreign correspondence), protest and criticism of the government. These crimes were punishable with imprisonment and often death.

Mao Zedong's Communist Party (and the Red Army) won the hearts and minds of people by retaking the land from the landlords and tax collectors that was stolen from the farmers over several droughts and famines; and adopting an Anti-Japanese ("anti-imperialist") policy. They had wanted to combine with the Kuomintang to defeat the imperialist (Japanese) forces that were occupying China but Chiang's anti-communist policy focused on campaigns to wipe out the Red Army and allowed the people to suffer under the sword of Japan.

One wonders if the prior government in China had been fair and open would communism have taken foot in China?
 

valkyrie

Well-Known Member
Met an American soldier and his wife in Mexico last year. He said that Blackwater guards do a lot to harm the good name of America. He said that they spend quite a lot of time and effort to build up the trust and relationship of the Iraqis to have it destroyed in one incident by Blackwater.

I think I take this guy's word over anything. He seemed pretty sincere.
 

MrBishop

Well-Known Member
Interesting point. I've found several times recently that the 'common' or vulgar misuse of words is a major hindrance in maintaining an intelligent dialogue.

I'm not terribly surprised. It's kinda ironic.
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in that it isn't ironic at all and doesn't even come close to what real irony means, but 'ironic' is one of those words that has been waylaid for years.
 

2minkey

bootlicker
Are you proposing a boy-on-boy-69? Or taking turns on each other?

i guess i hadn't really thought about it so much.

but i s'pose that could be an apt metaphor for all that literary fanciness they done got all wrapped up with each other in.

oh am i using "metaphor" properly?

boys?
 

BeardofPants

New Member
i guess i hadn't really thought about it so much.

but i s'pose that could be an apt metaphor for all that literary fanciness they done got all wrapped up with each other in.

oh am i using "metaphor" properly?

boys?

I'm still waiting for the fall-out where they hate each other again. :rolleyes:
 
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