Let's Go Shopping!

[Downthestretch55]

This speaks for itself. NY times.
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/1127-26.htm

[timmgirvan]

Wonderful article castigates Americans for shopping for Christmas! Brilliant(not)and redundant to the Max. Most Americans are deluged by day to day responsibilities, so this is just another load of crap thrown by some weasel behind a computer,looking for a chance to write the next Great Novel! Your skills are being wasted,DTS,but apparently this is your avocation. So be it.

[Cannon Shell]

America did not start a civil war, the Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds hated each other long before we were there. I dont understand why the people of America should not live as they please because of the actions of radical Muslims against themselves.

[SCUDSBROTHER]

I see no reason why our society should change it's traditions(such as shopping the day after TXG'VN )just because these people want to kill each other over religious or ethnic differences.These are the rewards for for not having religious extremists in charge over here.They are simply paying the price for being intolerant of each other.Their prophet murdered people himself.They follow a violent prophet.So,you shouldn't be surprised that they are acting like animals.

[timmgirvan]

Originally Posted by SCUDSBROTHER

I see no reason why our society should change it's traditions(such as shopping the day after TXG'VN )just because these people want to kill each other over religious or ethnic differences.These are the rewards for for not having religious extremists in charge over here.They are simply paying the price for being intolerant of each other.Their prophet murdered people himself.They follow a violent prophet.So,you shouldn't be surprised that they are acting like animals.

Apparently we didn't discover their intolerance until we got rid of their ANIMAL dictator, and we haven't fixed their plumbing and lighting quickly enough....so Curly,Larry and Moe are gonna sit down in the near future and come to a consensus on fixing Iraq. Of course...they can't fiqure out how to adequately dress their women to protect them from Zealots. And I forgot that Mohammed said women are tools of Satan! The reason for saving the nutjobs from themselves is suddenly fading...

[somerfrost]

Originally Posted by timmgirvan

Apparently we didn't discover their intolerance until we got rid of their ANIMAL dictator, and we haven't fixed their plumbing and lighting quickly enough....so Curly,Larry and Moe are gonna sit down in the near future and come to a consensus on fixing Iraq. Of course...they can't fiqure out how to adequately dress their women to protect them from Zealots. And I forgot that Mohammed said women are tools of Satan! The reason for saving the nutjobs from themselves is suddenly fading...

I think the issue is valid but the presentation flawed! It's easy to sit around and lament over the mistakes of others, but the more productive endeavor would be to come up with ways to make the world a better place. The sad part of this thread is how quickly folks react by reducing the Iraqi people to "animals" and other subhuman terms...not really helpful guys! Should America sit around and self-flagellate 24x7? I don't see any value in that...but at the same time, the unequal distribution of wealth and resources is at the root of many world issues...and even deeper is the mindset of "me and mine and the hell with everybody else!" The simple truth lies in the fact that we are all one...all connected...only as strong as the weakest among us, only as wealthy as the poorest, only as well as the sickest! From poverty, deprivation and physical pain comes despair, hopelessness and anger! From anger comes hatred and violence...death and destruction...so it is and so has it always been! A favorite quote that I always recall, "a hero is a person who sees the world as it is but lives as if it were as it should be"...we need more heroes! Finding fault in others won't help and no person can change the world him/her self...all we can do is stay true to what is right...not some "religious" doctrine or narcissistic imposition of superiority...again, we are all connected!