What Will Your Excuse Be That You Give To Your Kids?

[NATO AIR]

When your kids learn about the Holocaust in school, and then come home and ask you and your spouse why America didn't stop genocide in Darfur, what will you tell them? What excuse will you give?

I have mine I think. I'm telling them the whole truth. My country was busy fighting terrorists in Iraq. The media didn't tell the American people about what was happening, they cared more about Britney Spears and the Boston Red Sox, so the people couldn't demand action. A very, small minority on both the left and right (honey they're called socialists and Fortress America conservatives) oppose brave American men and women defeating tyrants and other bad men and rescuing people in serious trouble. And as for myself, son/daughter, I faced court martial from the Navy if I went to help, and I would've been sent to jail for a very long time if I'd done what I wanted to do and grabbed a gun and tried to fight the murderers myself.

A terrorist supporting oppressive regime is wiping out three tribes of people with a final solution that would make Hitler proud. No one in power cares. Its all but guaranteed America will not get involved, and usually, as America goes, so does the rest of the world. America's inaction gives other nations an excuse for inaction. America's the leader, and leaders lead the way. With no one leading the way, nothing is getting done to save these people. I love my country but our silence and inaction is so, so wrong.

 

[White knight]

They will be too busy playing PS3 or too selfish and stupid to care what happens overseas.

 

[NATO AIR]

They will be too busy playing PS3 or too selfish and stupid to care what happens overseas.

i think the ps4 would be out by then (5 year console cycles) and kids are a lot smarter and more idealistic than we give them credit for.

 

[White knight]

I hope so, I would like to meet some of these kids, All the ones I see can't hold a job, not because there are none, but they don't want to work weekends or work period. Some don't want to change their extreme appearnces, to fit into the work culture.
But yes a few are making us proud
I can blame the others too much, they were not raised right, their families were all torn apart, single parent, divorce etc.. topics for a Jerry Springer show.

 

[eric]

I love my country but our silence and inaction is so, so wrong.

I agree Nato. Though, I do believe that this would be the perfect opportunity for the UN to save some face, and lead on this one. This is not only an American problem, but one for the world. You are right though, America would have to lead to procure any action from the rest of the world. I guess there is no profit for the UN, so there is no motivation.

 

[Mr. P]

Nato...you know I think highly of you, but the premise of the thread assumes
there needs to be an excuse. IMO all that is needed in this scenario is a presentation of facts
and a lengthy discussion of why BAD things can't always be fixed by ONE Country alone.
Hey, it's one of those cold hard facts of life.

 

[NATO AIR]

Nato...you know I think highly of you, but the premise of the thread assumes
there needs to be an excuse. IMO all that is needed in this scenario is a presentation of facts
and a lengthy discussion of why BAD things can't always be fixed by ONE Country alone.
Hey, it's one of those cold hard facts of life.

We know the facts pretty much (ha, I've posted what about 50 darfur threads?). The discussion we do need to have, but I think we're really all waiting for the election to be over and see if Pres. Bush or Pres. elect Kerry change their tune on US intervention (doubtful but you never know).
There are many bad things we stand by and do not fix, you're right to say we can't fix everything.

There are,however, some instances where BAD things are so bad inaction is inexcusable. This is one of those. Its a perfect storm for intervention save for the media not giving a damn and these folks being black muslims slaughtered by Arabs.

We have
(a) clearcut case of genocide for only the third time in modern history (Nazis and Hutu Power owning the other two)
(b) oppressive, nightmare regime that will not stop with Darfur, there are other parts of Sudan it will target in the future, so this is just the beginning.
(c) a terrorist supporting government.
(d) an alliance like never before between American evangeicals, liberal human rights interventionists, conservative anti-terrorist warriors and moderate hawks.

 

[NATO AIR]

Good point Mr.P, however it will be our fault that nothing was done! We are simply here at convenience with many countries, they depend heavily on us but one lift a finger in effort when it comes to peacekeeping as they would prefer us to do the dirty work. Our blood is on there hands, they know it, we know it, yet nobody seems to care.

well its funny right... we can either say

(1) the system has worked.... and this is the result, inaction.

(2) the system is screwed.... it doesn't work.

either way, its bad for Darfur, bad for America and bad for the future

 

[White knight]

IMO all that is needed in this scenario is a presentation of facts and a lengthy discussion of why BAD things can't always be fixed by ONE Country alone.

I have been thinking about a topic along these lines, long before OBL made his apperance.
I will call it "Ripples in Time" Why bad things should not be allowed to happen.
I will work on it and post it in the furture,

 

[Hobbit]

We can't do anything in Darfur at this time.

We have spread ourselves thin by trying to secure two countries who were a threat to us. There simply aren't enough soldiers to occupy Sudan, so how can we fix that.

If you're in the military, will you serve two extra years in a combat zone? Will you sign up to serve if we go to Darfur? Will you support a draft to get the amount of soldiers we need?

 

[NATO AIR]

We can't do anything in Darfur at this time.

We have spread ourselves thin by trying to secure two countries who were a threat to us. There simply aren't enough soldiers to occupy Sudan, so how can we fix that.

If you're in the military, will you serve two extra years in a combat zone? Will you sign up to serve if we go to Darfur? Will you support a draft to get the amount of soldiers we need?

sure, i already wish i'd joined the marines (life is boring on a ship except fighting fires and flooding, playing dominoes and shooting dice.

realistically though, i would gladly be the first to set foot in darfur and stay till the mission was completed. i cannot fathom living in a world where this kind of evil is tolerated and thriving without doing my utmost to fight it.
i am under threat of court-martial if i go over there (which i wanted to do but was told countless times by my chain of command no) and i've been thinking about going there anyway.

i am not in favor of a draft but of a requirement for national service for everyone (no exceptions except for the chronically ill, you may not have to be in the military but you may have to work for a fed/state gov't agency or project) from the age of 18 to 20.

 

[Zhukov]

When your kids learn about the Holocaust in school, and then come home and ask you and your spouse why America didn't stop genocide in Darfur, what will you tell them? What excuse will you give?

You misjudge the American public school system. Already in college students are starting to be taught we started the Korean War. By the time I have kids in school the only holocaust they will be learning about is how our soldiers killed all those poor innocent Iraqis and Afghanis. Rwanda and Sudan won't even be footnotes.

On the other hand, maybe my kids will be home schooled.

 

[NATO AIR]

You misjudge the American public school system. Already in college students are starting to be taught we started the Korean War. By the time I have kids in school the only holocaust they will be learning about is how our soldiers killed all those poor innocent Iraqis and Afghanis. Rwanda and Sudan won't even be footnotes.

On the other hand, maybe my kids will be home schooled.

that is highly disturbing. they're teaching the kids to grow up and hate america and everything it ever did and stood for.

my college experience was different thus far. my history professor, though an unabashed africanist liberal, celebrated the history of america. we were treated to a riveting account his grandfather wrote from a concentration camp he'd helped liberate. i still remember the money line from it

"here we are, Americans, just removed from the awful era of slavery, liberating slaves in a foreign land. how far we've come, yet how far we've got to go. our cause is right though, if only we carry it forever and not just till hitler and the jap menace is gone."

 

[Zhukov]

that is highly disturbing. they're teaching the kids to grow up and hate america and everything it ever did and stood for.

Yes they are. How insane is that?

"A house divided against itself cannot stand"

 

[Avatar4321]

Im not giving my kids an excuse. im going to teach them to fight genocide whenever possible.

 

[White knight]

Most adults don’t even care; I challenged a few to see if they kept up with current events. People don’t pay attention to what is going on, Bush's Brain the Evil Karl Rove is right, it’s like they watch the television with the sound turned down. When you explain, they say why do we always have to be the one’s to do something? (Thinking about their tax dollars).

 

[Avatar4321]

Most adults don’t even care; I challenged a few to see if they kept up with current events. People don’t pay attention to what is going on, Bush's Brain the Evil Karl Rove is right, it’s like they watch the television with the sound turned down. When you explain, they say why do we always have to be the one’s to do something? (Thinking about their tax dollars).

Because we are the only ones who will do something. simply cause you wont doesnt mean the rest wont.

 

[White knight]

Just Do it Then

 

[NATO AIR]

Just Do it Then

indeed