Re: [Gnu-arch-users] [OT] facism gaining ground in US

[Frank T. Pohlmann]

>     Frank> My thoughts, exactly.
> 
> Why are you saying this to the guy that Tom has
> dissed for caring too
> much about media distortion?  Pierce already knows
> that.  Why do I get
> the feeling that you are paying no attention to
> anything that you
> couldn't have written yourselves?

:) Because the media distortion has become so bad that
I am afraid any attempt to present the situation in
nuanced terms is going to be drowned out. So I write
in response to some of the stuff I am reading here to
balance things out. 

> 
> And what do you propose as a solution?  Censorship,
> so that the media
> only disseminates exactly what Bush wants them to? 

The reality is that very, very few journalists and
fairly few bloggers attempt more balanced reporting. I
read French and German, so I try to get other views
and a more complete picture.

> 
> C'mon, guys, be part of the solution, not part of
> the problem.  We
> know what you think is the problem, and it would be
> really nice if you
> took the recording off "infinite loop".  What do you
> suggest we do
> about it, besides becoming copies of you?

I noticed your sig and I understand your position. But
I am, or rather was, actually equipped to part of the
solution and back in the days when it would have been
relevant, I was told in no uncertain terms that having
expertise in the history of Islam is the most useless,
irrelevant expertise one could possibly hope for. That
was in 1991-1994.

So, I am probably a bit too angry at times to make as
much as sense as I should. Frankly, I have no idea to
this day how to have any kind of impact on a very
screwed-up situation. Even if I just tried to write on
Muslims in the UK (or India, which is my main interest
these days), or try to teach the history of Islam
somewhere, it is very unlikely that it would get
published or that I would get a job in it. People in
the UK are way too scared and in India, well....long
story.

> Cool.  The results are unquestionably nightmarish,
> though it looks to
> me that compared to the periods 1979-1990 and
> 1990-2002, it's mostly
> that a different set of people are having
> nightmares.[1]  Others are
> having more pleasant dreams.  

I am not so sure. Between 1990-2002, many got to
dream. I have met some Republicans since who have
nightmares, too.

> Would you do me a favor and explain
> 
> 1.  What is U.S. foreign policy?
> 
> 2.  What do you propose as an alternative?
> 
> 3.  What is the "foreign" policy of the EU?

Hold it. We were talking about Iraq, right? Is there a
point to this?

> 
> 4.  What are the foreign policies of the three big
> member states
>     (France, Germany, Britain)?
> 
> 5.  How would 3 & 4 have to change in response to 2?
> 
> 6.  What are the benefits and costs you expect from
> these changes?
> 
> This is just a test.  If this were a real
> policy-planning session, you
> would be required to be complete and if you missed
> anything important
> to any major interest group, you would be
> disqualified from futher
> participation.  ;-)

Yes, perhaps; frankly, I would love the exercise, and
if I ever get into this at my advanced age, I will
make sure to drop you a note, but let me just say
this:

It seems that one of the major thrusts of US foreign
policy to ensure that the US economy can function in
its present form unchanged and for as long as possible
by threatening and dominating any country with oil
supplies worth mentioning. I know that a number of
people on this list have argued that the US could have
gotten secure oil supplies in other ways, but frankly,
realities in the ME suggest that this is the US major
interest.

> 
> 
> Footnotes: 
> [1]  Not to mention that there have been plenty of
> nightmares that the
> U.S. had nothing to do with, and Europe did nothing
> about them, either.

Yes, indeed. But present US policy scares other
countries away from doing anything whatsoever. I dont
know about you, it is becoming ever more apparent to
me that the UK doesnt have a foreign policy and
medium-sized countries like Italy or Poland don't seem
to have a positive foreign policy in a many fields...



-Frank

> 
> -- 
> Institute of Policy and Planning Sciences    
> http://turnbull.sk.tsukuba.ac.jp
> University of Tsukuba                    Tennodai
> 1-1-1 Tsukuba 305-8573 JAPAN
>                Ask not how you can "do" free
> software business;
>               ask what your business can "do for"
> free software.
>  


        
        
                
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