Thru the eyes of a child - seeing the truth.

[amp]

This link is from a touchingly lucid essay written by a twelve year old. the title is " WHO ARE THE TERRORIST NOW? "

here: http://debateusa.com/featured/hull_richter.htm

 

[member 5645]

While the article draws the same parallels as many on this board have, it makes the same mistake: It compares an elected, limited government being overturned with that of a dictator whose reign was endless (via his heirs). Apples to Oranges.

 

[amp]

No, She merely discribes what is happening as though it wasn't Iraq but The U.S.

 

[studentx]

And just before she was born, Saddam killed a few thousand like her

 

[Zero]

And saying that Saddam was bad doesn't give anyone else a free pass, which sems to be the sentiment in this thread...being less horrible than the worst you can think of doesn't define actions as "ok".

 

[Dissident Dan]

phatmonky's right. It's not a good comparison. It also repeats things in a negative fashion in order to draw up emotions.

Also, can you say that we stole their natural resources? Do foreign companies now own the oil supply?

 

[member 5645]

No, She merely discribes what is happening as though it wasn't Iraq but The U.S.

Do I need to spell it out?
The comparison of the US's invasion, tot he same invasion happening to the US IS the comparison of "It compares an elected, limited government being overturned with that of a dictator whose reign was endless (via his heirs). "Apples to Oranges"

 

[hughes johnson]

Misinformed, but well written. The president's efforts in improving our schools is starting to pay off.

 

[studentx]

I can't believe it was written by an 11yr old, where is the proof?

 

[amp]

A 12 year old and the point is forgeting who's in charge of the government. A country invades you ... The question that's in the spotlight.

Suppose a more powerful country existed. Suppose it attacked us, bombed us, killed and mutilated members of your family, irradiated most of the country, invaded us, stole our country’s treasures and its natural resources, set up a militarily-enforced government with members of its choosing to govern us, closed newspapers, continued to occupy this country with armed soldiers and mercenaries, and continued to kill civilians frequently. How would you feel about those occupying your country?”

 

[LURCH]

A country invades you ... The question that's in the spotlight.

Quote:
Suppose a more powerful country existed. Suppose it attacked us, bombed us, killed and mutilated members of your family, irradiated most of the country, invaded us, stole our country’s treasures and its natural resources, set up a militarily-enforced government with members of its choosing to govern us, closed newspapers, continued to occupy this country with armed soldiers and mercenaries, and continued to kill civilians frequently. How would you feel about those occupying your country?”


And my anwer is:

If my country were ruled by an opressive monarch with absolute power who was murdering my people and mutilating my familly members by the hundreds of thousands, killing civillians far more frequently, and robbing me of any and all opportunity to benifit from his natural resources, and those occupying my country were there to throw him out and replace him with a government in which I have a voice and the chance to participate in the choosing of my leaders and their policies, I'd probably feel like this !

 

[amp]

Looking a the pics of those prisoners who were degraded would you feel the same knowing your occupiers did that.

 

[russ_watters]

Quote:
Suppose a more powerful country existed. Suppose it attacked us, bombed us, killed and mutilated members of your family, irradiated most of the country, invaded us, stole our country’s treasures and its natural resources, set up a militarily-enforced government with members of its choosing to govern us, closed newspapers, continued to occupy this country with armed soldiers and mercenaries, and continued to kill civilians frequently. How would you feel about those occupying your country?”


And my anwer is:

If my country were ruled by an opressive monarch with absolute power who was murdering my people and mutilating my familly members by the hundreds of thousands, killing civillians far more frequently, and robbing me of any and all opportunity to benifit from his natural resources, and those occupying my country were there to throw him out and replace him with a government in which I have a voice and the chance to participate in the choosing of my leaders and their policies, I'd probably feel like this !

Well put.

As Adam would point out - the little girl's argument, while well written, is a strawman.

edit: I must admit to not having read the article until just now. The article is reasonably well written, but the poll question is not (not just talking about how loaded it is, I mean grammar). I have a hard time believing a 11/12 year old wrote this.

In any case, its a good study into how not to structure a poll. If the answers are unanamous (to within the margin for error), then the poll is utterly useless.

 

[Adam]

Actually the section quoted is not a straw man.

 

[Zero]

And my anwer is:

If my country were ruled by an opressive monarch with absolute power who was murdering my people and mutilating my familly members by the hundreds of thousands, killing civillians far more frequently, and robbing me of any and all opportunity to benifit from his natural resources, and those occupying my country were there to throw him out and replace him with a government in which I have a voice and the chance to participate in the choosing of my leaders and their policies, I'd probably feel like this !

I doubt it...because of course the invaders claim that they are helping, but what is going to be at the forefront of your mind is that your friends and family have been killed by the invaders.

Hell, the communists claimed that they were only trying to spread world peace too...you didn't just take their word for it, though, did you?

 

[studentx]

Understanding it doesn't make it right. You can understand someone is outraged at someone else, and kills him. In the western world this person will be jailed for a long time. You don't set him free because you understand his anger. If you have a problem with this system than you should move to Iran.