history lesson

[wildsweetone]

apology accepted and truce in action.

hell yes it was fun. maybe we too should chat some time, we probably have more in common than it appears on here. omg did i say that?

and make note that i'm way too chicken to ask what i really want to know. lol

 

[Ray Dario]

VeraGem -- WELL SAID! RIGHT ON!

Oh that I were as eloquent as you.


WildSweetOne, don't be afraid to ask any question. I'll either give you back a smart remark or an answer

Ray

 

[wildsweetone]

Ray

have you worn a military uniform, if so, what kind, how long did you wear it and where did you wear it to any particular event?

pure interest/curiosity is all.

yes VeraGem i agree also, it's a sticky one. there Ray, we did it, we agreed on something.

wish to hell i could come up with an answer for it though.

 

[Riven___Caulfield]

Hello.


I randomly clicked on this link, read the first ten or so posts,
and decided to throw in my two cents. I haven't peered into the
entire convo, but these are my thoughts, as someone who lives
outside of all countries directly involved.


The attacks on 9/11 were, assuredly, an action of evil.

But who among us considers himself an evil man? The
misguided souls who engineered and performed this act
believed, in their hearts, that they were tiny Davids against a
true Goliath.

Mere men. Evil men? Misguided men.

In their belief that what they're doing is morally right, they snuff
out lives. Infinitely too many lives.



The United States strikes back with all its force and fervor.

The international community looks on and nods.

And in their belief that what the US is doing is morally right, they
snuff out lives. Infinitely too many lives. .


The US should put a stop to the Taliban's ability to commit any
such acts. And then they should set the first example by speaking of Peace.

With great power comes great responsibility.

-Spiderman

That's it.

But me personally, I say put the Taliban in a pine box six feet
under. Then sit back and be happy, as other groups look at
Pakistan and see that the reaction to their misguided action...
would be quite a thing.


Thanks.

-Caulfield

 

[Ray Dario]

Re: Ray

have you worn a military uniform, if so, what kind, how long did you wear it and where did you wear it to any particular event?

pure interest/curiosity is all.

I proudly wore a U.S. Marine uniform for six years. I was never directly involved in any conflict that I am at liberty to discuss. I was honorably discharged, in case you were wondering. I now wear my uniform in parades, when asked, and to some few other very special occasions.

I am proud of my heritage and my country. Some of my people have difficulty understanding how I can be both, but I don't blame my country today for the things it did 100 years ago. I have lived long enough to understand that only rarely is there a "good" solution to the puzzles and trials that life puts in front of us. Usually we are left making the "least bad" choice.

Riven___Caulfield - As far as America striking back with "all its force and fervor", I know you probably didn't mean it as literally as I am taking it, but we didn't. We could have gone over there and turned the entire nation into a parking lot. We could have made it so that nothing could live inside the the borders for the next 10,000 years. We didn't.

To go farther in this conversation, might be breaking the truce called between me and WildSweetOne, so I will stop here.

Ray

 

[VeraGem]

Ray, thanks for the compliment. I started that post before you and Wildsweetone began eyeing the hatchet; I chose silent noninvolvement because I believe that to a large degree both of you have very valid points. I'm glad to see that you two buried that hatchet someplace other than a human skull.

It's not so hard, really, to agree to disagree.

Now - how am I going to finish that wonderful piece of smut I started?

**********

PS: Edited my post - I wrote 'racial' instead of 'radical.' Interesting slip; it almost worked but sounded a bit too narrow, if you know what I mean.

 

[wildsweetone]

ray

thanks for your answer on the uniform, much appreciated.

please feel free to go head to head with Riven___Caulfield or anyone else that takes your fancy. the truce was merely between you and i.

i wonder, though the notion of World Peace is almost in the realm of fantasy, is it a worthy enough goal for us all to work towards?

if we achieved this world peace, how would it affect us? i like a good challenge, a good discussion. i do read the newspapers and watch tv. if world peace were achieved could i cope with watching and hearing about all the lovey dovey goings on?

maybe it is an impossibility.

what am i here for if all everyone wants to do is either wipe each other out or rule over each other. for in both of those scenarios there is much unavoidable death and destruction.

what is the point to life?

...just thinking out loud is all.

 

[its Leslie]

Hmmm

Imagine a world where there was no hunger, no famine, no disease.

No war, no hate, crime.

No pollution, or harmful creatures.

Everyone had a job and everyone was happy.

With no need for money and no need for religion.

No this isn't my lame version of the song. Just wondering what people would do all day.

Ever wonder what would happen if humans stopped dying?

The books would all be boring, because nothing would ever happen. There would be no bad guys, and as a result no plot lines. Newspapers wouldnt sell because there would never be any news to report.
Movies would be dull as no one would want to watch grass growing. We wouldn't be able to watch Cops on TV because of no crime. There wouldn't be ER because no one ever got hurt. We wouldn't be able to watch Mother Nature shows as she would be boringly sunny all the time.
No models basically, well maybe sailing ships, they don't pollute much.
Lifestyles of the rich and famous, nah no one is rich or poor now, and because of that fame means nothing.
There wouldn't be any relgious shows because everyone was perfect. No point in worrying about the souls of perfect people eh.

Man I am glad the world sucks......

I couldn't handle living in a perfect world, it would drive me fucking crazy.

 

[wildsweetone]

*wink*

now who am i to argue with such eloquency?

 

[Ray Dario]

Perfect World

My grandfather teaches about a land beyond death, where warriors can fight without killing or hurting each other, where coyote hunts rabbit and buffalo and bear rule the earth together.

On the other side of my family, my grandmother talks about heaven and hell, paradise and horror. To her paradise is where all our needs are met without struggle and streets are paved with gold.

I personally would despise living in either. Oh I love nature well enough, and I enjoy spending weeks in the mountains, just me and my tent and down-filled sleeping bag, but I want to come home to my computer after a while and return to the struggle of life.

World peace, is certainly something to strive for. But not something to give yourself away for. If peace cannot be achieved while retaining freedom, then it is not worth the cost to me. Others may not feel the same. In today's world, peace comes at the cost of freedom. Maybe someday in the future mankind will be replaced by cockroaches and world peace will be achieved.

Ray

P.S.
Remember that a pessimist is just an optimist with better information. And a realist is just a pessimist with better information. I am a realist.

"Why do people hate cynics? Because they are always right."

 

[wildsweetone]

...and maybe Orwell's vision of the animals taking over would be an improvement too...