Prepare for the onslaut of the Blacker than thou brigade.

I wonder....................

When the olympics comes to London, will they raise the money by increasing taxes?

Picture me as the local crimelord in the manor. There are lots of lil crews about by mine is the biggest.

My crew start beefs between the other crews and keeps them all brawling by various insidious means. My crew sells guns to one side and my brothers crew sells guns to the other side. We get together on sundays and laugh about it.

My crew taxes and drags money out of everyone in the hood because they owe it to us (no one remembers why since we got rich by robbing them in the first place). We help out though, we have lil charity events every now and again. We go feed and clothe the worst of them.

But they understand that some of the money I give them has to be used to buy more guns from my people and they aint allowed to go work for themselves or anyone else either because then they wouldnt need me and my guns and "help".

Once all the crews have gunned down enough of each other I can send my boys in to go tax everyone in those hoods too and make me even better. Then we can making money fixing everything we mashed up in the first place and begin selling the guns again how fun!!

My lil soldiers that work for me handing out the food come from the same hoods as these guys, I gave them power and they love me for it. They cant see why everyone else in the hood cant better themselves, they are lazy and troublesome.

Can only stretch an analogy so far before it falls apart Parris but you see what I mean. YOUR proud and precious nation is the one (with UK and others) starting, maintaining and CAUSING the suffering and botheration and we all know it. There is no pride to be had in one of us fighting in such an army.

@ Sooofresh

What! They pay only £8 a day. Damn how far are they going to work...2 stops? I hear Transport For London are working on a scheme to tax people on the amount of air they take in whilst walking to work because they figure that is what everyone is going to have to do when they can no longer afford public transport or petrol.

Respect

Britain isn't our country.

I've never felt any affinity towards it.

I’ll say this…. in the analogy you described...(and I get the idea.) NOT serving in the military does not make one who lives in these nations immune to the actions of its government. AND it does not remove the responsibility of nation NOT to be manipulated into killing their own people.

Simply put, the actions of your country are your own...its speaks for you, and is done in your name. Likewise with mine.

Civilians are not removed from responsibility simple because they aren't squeezing the trigger...their money pays for the bullets. The British people are to blame for the British governments colonialism, for its hand in Pakistan and India...just as the American people share blaim for its hand in the fight between Iran and Iraq and it support of Sadam.

You are quite right. I am not immune from blame. By living in the west and enjoying the benefits of the exploitations I described my situation IS hypocritical too. I am to blame insofar as I allowed the government to do what it does. I have however no intention of joining up to help them actively carry out their acts and help subjugare other directly. It is something I will have to resolve, comes back to RFYWs post about pretty speacheds I suppose.

But just because I am in the belly of the beast doesnt mean I should be an agent of the beast.

And please don't think for a moment I actually think the US belongs in Iraq...t does not...and don't please do not think that I somehow believe the USA is the heaven of humanity...it isn't....

This is a good start, there is hope for you yet.

but I am proud of my country, and proud to be an American, In my entire career I can actually say that EVERYTHING I have done personally, has been honorable.

Its not your personal motives and honourability that is in question with these things. Its bigger than you or I. Its not like I think black Americans are joining the army because they WANT to or enjoy killing black people around the world and helping to keep them down. Thats silly and would have me believing people are evil. Too simplistic. I dont think you are evil just misguided. It is important for you to be misguided or you couldnt do your job properly.

The things you HAVE to believe in are there to keep your morale up while you carry out these acts. Your superiours cant send you to go kill FREEDOM FIGHTERS because that would make you question the legitimacy and morality of your actions which is why you call them insurgents and rebels and allmanner of things. You are told that your enemy is evil otherwise as a human you couldnt fight him. It doesnt make it true though.