Bahu Virupaksha

Reply to WAS OBAMA TOO REVERENTIAL TO THE EMPEROR in Current Events Stardock Forums

[quote]It is important for presidents to show respect to the heads of state of other nations, however, it is equally important for him to know the difference between respect and grovelling.[/quote][quote]. I especially like the speech to the Chinese to open up to criticism via the Internet[/quote][quote] Guess his lack of experience is showing big time lately[/quote] I do not think it is lack of experience: rather it is the style that is to be blamed. There is a very thin line b

WAS OBAMA TOO REVERENTIAL TO THE EMPEROR in Current Events JoeUser Forums

When the American constitution was being debated and faught over, there was only one point on which there was consensus across the board: no royalty, no highness and no titles of nobility. I think the US for all its not so pleasant attributes has lived up admirably to the ideals of a truly republican constitution. In the US there is no real taste for high sounding titles. Even the most powerful president is addressed asm Mr Presisident and there are no apparent

Reply to Major Nidal Hasan and the Killing at Fort Hood, Texas in Current Events Stardock Forums

[quote]I wrote about the issue here:[/quote] I will read it. Patricia Crone book Slaves and Soldiers was read years back and the who;e issue is hazy in my memory. But I will read you piece as I am interested.

Reply to Major Nidal Hasan and the Killing at Fort Hood, Texas in Current Events Stardock Forums

[quote]But releasing them after a few decades and making sure that their offspring are free certainly does[/quote] Yes, but that was the infamous indenture system, not chattel slavery.

Reply to Major Nidal Hasan and the Killing at Fort Hood, Texas in Current Events JoeUser Forums

[quote]Slaves are entitled to days off and have to be released after a certain number of years. It is also not condoned, but merely dealt with[/quote] As far as Slavery is concerned the Catholic Church not only condoned slavery but also gave the sanction of papal bulls to it. Giving a day off and treating slaves mercifully does not in any way reduce the trauma of slavery.I am not fond of the Arab version of slavery, the mamluk system, but I think it was not based on direct and

Reply to Obama Wins the Nobel Peace Prize in Current Events JoeUser Forums

tHE WAR in ASfghanistan, much as I would like Obama and his Generals to win, I am afraid is already lost. I am sayint this becauser the Karzai Administration has lost whatever little suppor to legitimacy it possessed and the insurgernyc is growng stronm by the day. A loose tribal confederastion under a weak central governemnt is all that one can hope. If thje Paktun regions of Pakistan are detatched and added to the P{aktun areas of Afghanistan then the Af-Pak Policy Of Obam will make sense.<

Reply to Major Nidal Hasan and the Killing at Fort Hood, Texas in Current Events Stardock Forums

tHE REACTION HAS RANGED FROM THE PHILOSOPHICAL TO THE BIZZARE. WHEN I BLAME IDENTITY POLITICS FOR THE CRIME I AM SAYING THAT THE VALORISATION OF IDENTITY OVER OTHER ASPECTS OF AN INDIVIDUALS'S PERSONALITY BECOME THE RESOURCE THAT CAN AND IS USED TO MOTIVATE PEOPLE TO DO THINGS THAT THEY WOULD OTHERWISE NOT DO. ALSO IDENTITY POLITICS, BASED ON THE PRINCIPLE OF INDIVIDUAL SELF EXPRESSION, ONLY ENCOURAGES EXTREMIST IDEOLOGIES BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT SUBJECT TO RESTRAINT. NOW EVEN TIMOTHY McVEIGH WA

Reply to Major Nidal Hasan and the Killing at Fort Hood, Texas in Current Events Stardock Forums

[quote]'sane psychiatrist' is an oxymoron[/quote]I read the article and I agree that it was wholly inapproprite and callous. I do not understand the point of this tirade against Virginia. All of us do remember the Virginai TEch massacre but that in no way indicts all Virginians. I think we have to be sort of wary of disciplines whose logic is inherently self-validating and circu;lar like the one Major Nidal claims as his speciality.

Reply to Major Nidal Hasan and the Killing at Fort Hood, Texas in Current Events JoeUser Forums

[quote]They are also among the best soldiers Israel has. In fact one of the top three Israeli war heroes is a Muslim.[/quote][quote]Prejudices against Muslims are based on what many, many self-proclaimed Muslims do.[/quote][quote]This was a classical case of a member of a minority doing exactly what people say this minority is prone to doing[/quote][quote]People are unfree in such a system and risk their lives if they say anything against those in power.[/quote] Yes, Idknow that the B

Reply to Major Nidal Hasan and the Killing at Fort Hood, Texas in Current Events Stardock Forums

[quote]Near as I can tell, faith and the State are indistinguishable to many Muslims, if not most[/quote][quote]If there is no way for Muslims to share the values of our country sufficiently to fight for it, how can they ever not be alienated from the 'mainstream of western collective life'?[/quote][quote]Most people will agrue that Islam is not violent only a select few have hijacked the religion.[/quote][quote]Bahu, I enjoyed reading your article[/quote] tHANK YOU. tHIS IS THE

Major Nidal Hasan and the Killing at Fort Hood, Texas in Current Events JoeUser Forums

The horrific incident at Fort Hood, Texas, should come as a wake up call to all those in the American academia who promote identity based politics:Gays, lesbians, minority, sexual preference, etc etc. Now the Muslim identity is becoming increasingly problematic in the USA and I believe that years and years of promoting identity politics has left the country without the means of even admitting to itself that the islamic identity clashes head long with that of a

Reply to Roman Polanski in Current Events JoeUser Forums

[quote]It's not just a belief, it's a matter of law - she has no standing to request or direct that the charges be dismissed[/quote] This is what I too had said. I do not think that the victim can call off the case. But the episode happened reons ago and I think the victim has a right not to have here privacy invaded one more time.

Reply to Roman Polanski in Current Events JoeUser Forums

The issue is not as simple as it is made out to be. Polanski deserves tonnes of sympathy for the fact that the Mason gang cruelly killed his wife Sharon Tate who was carrying his chield at the time of his murder. Having saID THAT, i HASTEN TO ADD THAT he wilfully committed a serious crime in having consensual sex with a 13 year old. The fact that the victim herself has asked that the case be dismissed is not correct as we believe that law serves as an instrument of public jkustice not private

Reply to Obama Wins the Nobel Peace Prize in Current Events Stardock Forums

The Nobel Prize for Peace recognises Omama's intentions not achievements. Further more, though the nominations closed within 11 days of his Presidency being inaugurated, the fact remains that the decision to award him the Prize has taken into consideration the nuclear shield issue and the hand of friendship to Islamic nations. On Afghanistan I am afraid it will be a blloeeding wound as the only solution to the problem is to integrate the tribal parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan a

Reply to Obama Wins the Nobel Peace Prize in Current Events Stardock Forums

[quote]I was hoping a black President would understand that better than George Bush did. But apparently Bush's pro-African stance will remain the best America had to offer. [/quote] There is virtually no difference between Bush and Obama when it comes to US interests. Great powers conduct their foreign policy on the basis of fear, honor and security and these words of Thucydides the Athenian are as true to day as they were 2500 years ago when he used thes

Reply to Obama Wins the Nobel Peace Prize in Current Events Stardock Forums

[quote]The Iranian regime has shown no such willingness. There are still no talks.[/quote][quote]He has not increased aid (as George Bush did) or even made as much as a mention of the genocide in Darfur.[/quote][quote]In other words, he hasn't done anything and US allies cannot rely on him to do anything[/quote][quote]I re-read my earlier post, and it sounded a bit harsh. Wasn't my intent to offend, Bahu[/quote] Forgiven. No Problem at all. Anyway, it was certainly nice of you.

Reply to Obama Wins the Nobel Peace Prize in Current Events Stardock Forums

[quote]Obama was in office for 11 days when the nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize ended. According to your article, the Nobel committee must be clairvoyant. Are you too blind to see it's political? They are promoting a European style liberalism in the US. It so apparent to those that will open their eyes. [/quote] You have a point. So the Nobel Prize is basically to rein in the hands of the US President.

Obama Wins the Nobel Peace Prize in Current Events JoeUser Forums

All those who were enamoured of Barack Obama's magic with words, literrally spinning a gossamer web of dreams with his rhetoric,will of course welcome the announcement from Oslo. Unlike George W. Bush, who reached out to his gun instead of quiet diplomacy, Obama has so far shown restraint and has given primacy to statecraft. I think like Theodre Rooseveldt Obama believes in taliking softly while carrying a big stick. Let me first then congratulate President Barack Obama. I am happy with the c

Reply to Obama's War on Afghanistan in Current Events Stardock Forums

Just as I have been saying, the Obama Administration is just unable to decide on the course of action. While an Iraq like "surge" will put 30,000 extrat troops in Afgahinstan and UK will contribute 0nly 1000, the US soldiers will bear the brunt of the war in terms of casualities. However, the political objective of this surge is not cleart. At least Bush II stated that the purpose was to hold territory and prop up the government/regime in Baghdad. Karzai is so universally disliked and his leg

Reply to Obama's War on Afghanistan in Current Events Stardock Forums

Just as I have been warning the war in Afghanistan is getting worse by the day especially after the Kunduz incident. The Germans cannot with thei baggage of Holocaust and War Crimes live down Kunduz.

Reply to Did Associated Press violate journalistic ethics in Current Events Stardock Forums

My point ofview is slightly different. Ihave not suggested self-censorship on the part of the print media, I think the momen of death and the pain it causes hve to be respected that is why the face of the dead is covered. Well is is a complex issue.

Did Associated Press violate journalistic ethics in Current Events JoeUser Forums

The war in Afghanistan is getting uglier by the day and NATO casualities are mounting. The US forces are finding the job of fighting in Afghanistan so difficult that the policy makers in US are slowly becoming aware of ther folly of supporting the mujahudeen against the Soviets. The insurgency is becoming more sophisticated and the Taliban are learning the lessons from Iraq very well. If domestic support for the war evaporates upon mounting casualities then US

Reply to Henry Louis Gates, President Obama and the Race issue in Current Events Stardock Forums

[quote]he made an overt error in judgement[/quote][quote]The graciousness of Crowley & Gates allowed him to whitewash it a little, but that hardly 'settles' the issue.[/quote] aRE YOU NOT BEING TOO HArsh? aFTERALL, the matter is hardly worth the attention it has received and Obama kinda made up for the "stupid" remerk and moved on. As for error in judgement, I would say that the choice of words was wrong and thats all.

Reply to Henry Louis Gates, President Obama and the Race issue in Current Events Stardock Forums

[quote]I think the solution is not to teach anything that claims that culture has anything to do with skin colour[/quote][quote]I wonder what kind of support a college would get if it offered "White Culture" classes.[/quote][quote]I'm sorry, but I just don't like niggers." Mary was dumbfounded; she burst into tears and ran into the boss's office. The woman was re-teamed, and encouraged not to show up the next day. That's a true story, and that's racism; I wonder how many blacks get hit like t

Reply to Henry Louis Gates, President Obama and the Race issue in Current Events Stardock Forums

[quote]Ye gods, Bahu and I are on the same page here[/quote][quote]Let's face it accusing someone of "racism" is an effective deterrent, or device to get ones way[/quote][quote]So would you say Gates has a chip on his shoulder[/quote][quote]That would be my guess. I would also say the supreme leader acted stupidly.[/quote] I would not say it is "chip on the shoulder". I feel that Professor Gates had "profiled" the police officer and acted in a manner that tells me that he would not hav