I haven't watched the movie, so I won't comment, but I do want to get into the liberal debate here. "Liberals love this country so much they want to change it for the better?" Please.
I started to read this, but then trailed off when I realized it was just yet another person from the other side of the fence trying to tell me what I think. Funny, I didn't know I had a little man who lives in my head who knows all and sees all. I guess I'll have to get it checked out.
Listen up, Sherlock. I love America. I spent half of my life growing up overseas, so I can actually say without a doubt that this is the greatest country on Earth, I'm eternally grateful I was born and can live here, and that's not ever going to change. BUT, being complacent and not even bothering to try to change things for myself or people around me who think likemindedly is about the biggest insult I can think of to the ideals that supposedly define this country. That kind of change isn't some kind of facist, "everyone must obey" doctorine, it's simply making other OPTIONS possible. I don't subscribe to the "all or nothing" horseshit that most liberals or conservatives seem to buy into on most major social and politcal issues. I agree with Moore's stance on big business, but I look at guns a different way. I see no problem with people owning as many registered handguns, shotguns or hunting rifles as they want. I simply oppose the average joe being able to have a machine gun in his grubby hands within days of deciding he might want to do some "big" shooting.
As much as you want to, you couldn't guess my politcal or social views on most of the major issues of the day. People on both sides of the politcal divide need to stop thinking they and the other side think in these cookie cutter, black-and-white terms of what's right or wrong. Your post makes it sound as if that since other cultures "teach their children to kill", we should do the same. I'm all for with being honest about America's foreign policies and what happened with events like 9/11 with our children. The world is harsh and violent and can be very ugly. They need to understand this, but they don't need to be made to taught to hate or want to kill other people. How are we any better than the terrorists then? Part of what makes us better is that we don't have to stoop to those pathetic levels. Growing up outside of the country, I was luckily exposed to a multi-cultural view of not just America, but the world, and I got to see an honest, well-rounded view of what our country can do and has done, the good, the bad, the excellent, and the not-so-great. Like I said, we're the greatest country in the world, and we should be leading by example. We're nowhere near being a "utopia", and I doubt that could EVER happen, but it doesn't me can't strive to be the best we can possibly be.
Why "settle" for less just so we can squabble with the other countries out there that just wish they could be us? I'm not "violent" or "non-violent". I fully support an aggressive war on terror, but feel an invasion of Iraq is misguided and foolish. What about North Korea? What about Saudi Arabia? Why not make sure bin Laden is dead or captured? Why are we sidetracking from the proven and known threats to someone who "might" be a threat to us down the line?
A lot of things are good in this country, and I want to help make them great. Now quit peeing on my parade and sit down. I've got work to do, and damned if you can stop me, even if you wanted to.
<img src=http://home.ix.netcom.com/~camman/_uimages/mojopin.gif>
VP #2 for the Coalition of Angry Micks, and Minister of Bloody Mayhem.
"You can tell some lies about the good times you've had/But I've kissed your mother twice and now I'm working on your dad..."
This message was edited by TheMojoPin on 10-27-02 @ 4:16 PM