Since the other thread was closed as I was trying to post, this is my attempt at posting again. Herein is totally my opinion, any factual comments should be considered uneducated remarks of a nerd who's led a sheltered, well-fed American life. Yes, I'm yet another Lazy American Bastard. My ass is firmly planted in a Lazy-Boy recliner at the moment, my beer cooler is calmly buzzing urging me to spoil my dinner, and I'll probably nap before too long.
Pardon me for a rant about the subject.
This video doesn't prove much at all. It shows a small scuffle between a pair of soldier boys with assault rifles, and an unarmed man who seems to be violently refusing whatever they want. It's inconclusive because it only shows him resisting 'arrest'.Buttsecks might be out of the question after a shot in the leg, but he was holding his stomach? The video is such poor quality I can't tell if he's shot in the leg or in the hackey-sack. I think as soldiers, they could have done much worse, but much better as well. I have a few Army buddies who could tackle a healthy-sized man to the ground and make him cry for mommy with no weapons on their person. In the area though, in the middle east, you never know. That guy could have a bomb strapped to his chest, or he may be a terrorist suspect, or he may just be an errand boy for the local fruit market.
On to other subjects discussed here in this thread, of which I prepare my ten cents.
I don't hate Muslims, I hate radical Islamic militants who would rather hide behind an apartment building in the middle of a large city, firing rockets into another country blindly.
There has been fighting in the middle east for thousands of years. It's not going to end today, tomorrow, or in 100 years. Many different Arab people fighting against Jews and other Arabs.
I support Israel. They've been the subject of Arab attacks for god damn, nearly 60 years now. They claimed their Independence, they fended off the attacks of many Arab states, albeit with the help of a few backing countries. Yes they're dropping bombs made in the USA, from aircraft made in the USA. Hezbollah is firing rockets made in Iran. It's all about association. Iran has objectives, USA has objectives, Israel owns the land.
I cannot grasp the mental state you have to be in, to not accept the country you live in. If you're born into Israel, whilst you may call yourself a Palestinian, are you not an Israeli? If Israel owns a part of Lebanon, it's Israel territory, not Lebanon. Win the fight and you win the disputed piece of property. Capturing an Israeli soldier on that bit of land WILL NOT MAKE ISRAEL GIVE IN TO PETTY DEMANDS. Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel, blindly in the night, and Israel drops the bombs. What's the point of provoking such devastation of Beirut?
What's the point of it all, really? If you have an accurate answer, give it up. I'm not saying Israel is a saint, I'm pretty sure they've done some dirty shit, they are probably just as guilty of nasty crimes as the rest of the players involved. Just take a look at Bush. Anyhow, it's the middle east, and in my opinion, it's all you can expect from the region. War and oil.
The USA did not gain her Independence alone. As much as I hate the fucking french, they helped us win our Independence. We Americans live in a world of vanity and different affairs. My biggest worries in my daily routine are Oprah, bits, bytes, Hertz, whether or not I forgot underarm deodorant again, how drunk can I possibly get this weekend, what names can I be called in online games tonight, and most importantly, should I pick up more beer before returning home? Perhaps, in 300 years, Israelis and Arabs can live like Canadians and Americans. I don't really like Canadians, but they're fun to beat up in online first person shooters.
Rantings and derailment into a moronic state of failure. I'll be in the Tech forum when you guys need me. Peace.