Hi Matt!
BM>    before a Japanese officer holding a sword.  The next
BM>    photo showed ...
BM>    FT> Another shot showed a rather simple but attractive young
BM>    chinese female tied to a post, ... The next pkoto showed he
BM>    minus ...
BM>  
BM>    Nice piece of descriptive writing, Frank. It conjured up
BM>    powerful and compelling images.
BM>    But it was uncalled for. It would have been quite
BM>    sufficient for your argument to note that atrocities occur.
 MS>     I disagree.
,   Thanks, Matt.
 MS>     Many American students go to schools where 
 MS> "multiculturalism" is so important that the _fact_ that 
 MS> the Third World is routinely far worse than the worst 
 MS> of its "colonialist oppressors" is pushed under the 
 MS> rug.  Kids need to learn the truth.
Absolutely, but teachers need to be aware of it first and it's got 
to be more than a simple note that atrocities occur.
BM>    Had you thought it absolutely necessary to elaborate, I
BM>    suggest it would have sufficed to note that beheadings and
BM>    mutilations took place. You went out of your way to startle
BM>    your readers with a disturbingly graphic description of
BM>    these atrocities.
 MS>     I wouldn't say so.  He just woke them up.  American 
 MS> kids today graduate from HS with little or no 
 MS> understanding of just how brutal the Third World is 
 MS> (out of fear of offending anyone), and then policy 
 MS> questions come up for them to relate to.
 
Simply noting that beheadings took place wouldn't have conveyed the 
imperialistic smirk of the officer posing for the shots and wiping his 
sword -- nor the innocent and pathetic look of the people.
...you took the intent correctly -- it wasn't to offend.  However, 
(and you realize that this may cost me 30 days on the bench :) )
while we may agree on the need for educator awareness I'll have to 
fess up that my motives would lay primarily in objecting that the 
capitalist is trying to hide that it's to those most likely to commit 
these atrocities that they are delivering America's production 
capability to.  ...lock, stock and barrel.
Rather than help our own in need prepare for these jobs we're 
making a terrible mistake in destroying ourselves as a market 
even (that should be a capitalists' nightmare) in favor of 
strengthening others.
I do see his point, however, in that I wouldn't want young kids 
suceptible to nightmares to be troubled by stuff like this 
and I really don't desire to post distasteful stuff in front of 
those who'd rather not see it.  ...sometimes ya gotta toss a coin.
 
The squeemish and easily offended lost that particular toss.
ext, ill, elete, etc. has been the creative software author's 
answer to this dilema.  First Ammendment rights aren't anywhere near 
as well protected as you'd like to think.  Sheila mentioned a netmail 
she'd received from a participant but she didn't tell you she forwarded 
it to me after she'd removed the name.  The acuser stays anonymous. :(
...anyway, we are into educator awareness as a topical item and while 
I'll have little time to read/write in the next thirty days I don't want 
to ruffle Sheila's feathers to where she has to take action -- but I'd 
rather "go on the bench" than let my position be misunderstood.
Anyway, thanks again for the suppoortive "two cents" -- it's been fun 
"sparing" with you over various issues even though I've taken quite a 
bit of heat over that too in the past.  If I didn't think you were 
a worthy opponent I wouldn't have given you as provocative a return 
over the time.  I hope it's been as stimulating for you as for me.
...above all, I hope it has gotten others stimulated to investigate 
and consider alternatives to the standard dogma as well.
See ya in thirty days -- gotta go build Genentech a bran new home. :) 
Best,
 
-frank:)
--- Maximus 2.01wb
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