What's all the fuss? (An email I received)

[Lmg2701]

The lady who wrote this letter is Pam Foster of Pamela Foster and
Associates in Atlanta. She's been in business since 1980 doing interior
design and home planning. She recently wrote a letter to a family member
serving in Iraq....... Read it!

WHAT'S ALL THE FUSS?




"Are we fighting a war on terror or aren't we? Was it or was it not
started by Islamic people who brought it to our shores on September 11,
2001?

Were people from all over the world, mostly Americans, not brutally
murdered that day, in downtown Manhattan, across the Potomac from our
nation's capitol and in a field in Pennsylvania ?

Did nearly three thousand men, women and children die a horrible, burning
or crushing death that day, or didn't they?

And I'm supposed to care that a copy of the Koran was "desecrated" when an
overworked American soldier kicked it or got it wet?
Well, I don't. I don't care at all.

I'll start caring when Osama bin Laden turns himself in and repents for
incinerating all those innocent people on 9/11.

I'll care about the Koran when the fanatics in the Middle East start caring
about the Holy Bible, the mere possession of which is a crime in Saudi
Arabia.

I'll care when Abu Musab al-Zarqawi tells the world he is sorry for hacking
off Nick Berg's head while Berg screamed through his gurgling slashed
throat.

I'll care when the cowardly so-called "insurgents" in Iraq come out and
fight like men instead of disrespecting their own religion by hiding in
mosques.

I'll care when the mindless zealots who blow themselves up in search of
nirvana care about the innocent children within range of their suicide
bombs.

I'll care when the American media stops pretending that their First
Amendment liberties are somehow derived from international law
instead of the United States Constitution's Bill of Rights.

In the meantime, when I hear a story about a brave marine roughing up an
Iraqi terrorist to obtain information, know this: I don't care.

When I see a fuzzy photo of a pile of naked Iraqi prisoners who have been
humiliated in what amounts to a college-hazing incident, rest assured that
I don't care.

When I see a wounded terrorist get shot in the head when he is told not to
move because he might be booby-trapped, you can take it to the bank that I
don't care.

When I hear that a prisoner, who was issued a Koran and a prayer mat, and
fed "special" food that is paid for by my tax dollars, is complaining that
his holy book is being "mishandled," you can absolutely believe in your
heart of hearts that I don't care.

And oh, by the way, I've noticed that sometimes it's spelled "Koran" and
other times "Quran." Well, Jimmy Crack Corn and ---- you guessed it - - -
I don't care ! ! ! ! !

If you agree with this viewpoint, pass this on to all your e-mail friends.
Sooner or later, it'll get to the people responsible for this ridiculous
behavior! If you don't agree, then by all means hit the delete button.

Should you choose the latter, then please don't complain when more
atrocities committed by radical Muslims happen here in our great country


********************************************


Just thought I'd post it up and see what kind of responses everyone would have to this. Harsh or Right On?

[beefcake]

Harsh or Right On?

Both. It's the down right harsh truth. Unfortunately, our country is filled with too many conservatives. We need people with her views to run this country.

[babyblues]

Both. It's the down right harsh truth. Unfortunately, our country is filled with too many conservatives. We need people with her views to run this country.

I concur.

[ROCKILLER]

our country is filled with too many conservatives.

Real Conservatives do share her point of view. There is a big difference between Republican and conservative these days.

Personally, I agree with this 100%.

[babyblues]

Real Conservatives do share her point of view. There is a big difference between Republican and conservative these days.

Good point. There are some pretty liberal Republicans in Congress as well as some Conservative Democrates. The party lines aren't as delineated as they used to be.

[wnabeabeast]

Agree with her. I can say whole lot more but I'll just leave it at that.

[Turbo3000]

War on Terror?? No thanks. It is a war for a resource. All wars have an underlying of attaining some sort of resource.

[babyblues]

War on Terror?? No thanks. It is a war for a resource. All wars have an underlying of attaining some sort of resource.

Um...OK... :rolleyes:

[infiniti1982]

its a war for oil? is that why gas is so cheap now? sure, securing the political situation in a country key to the world's oil supply was an element of starting the war, but it is far from the end all be all.

as for the letter, I take issue with the phrase in the beginning "was it not started by Islamic people.." Her use of the phrase blames the tragedies on all Muslims. These were extremist terrorists. It pisses me off when people shift the blame to the greater Muslim population when it was really a very small sect. Was the Holocaust not started by white people? Was that woman that Craig Titus and his wife killed (or so it seems..) killed by ravenous bodybuilders? Yes to both, but all of these accusations put the blame on the entire group rather than the tiny element that is actually at fault. I know its a little thing and just one phrase, but it is certainly the first step towards a view of outgroup homogeneity--where one's few experiences with a member or small number of members of a group that one rarely interacts with (ie watching muslims crash into the towers) is falsely and absolutely applied to their entire group ("started by Islamic people").

[ROCKILLER]

its a war for oil? is that why gas is so cheap now? sure, securing the political situation in a country key to the world's oil supply was an element of starting the war, but it is far from the end all be all.

as for the letter, I take issue with the phrase in the beginning "was it not started by Islamic people.." Her use of the phrase blames the tragedies on all Muslims. These were extremist terrorists. It pisses me off when people shift the blame to the greater Muslim population when it was really a very small sect. Was the Holocaust not started by white people? Was that woman that Craig Titus and his wife killed (or so it seems..) killed by ravenous bodybuilders? Yes to both, but all of these accusations put the blame on the entire group rather than the tiny element that is actually at fault. I know its a little thing and just one phrase, but it is certainly the first step towards a view of outgroup homogeneity--where one's few experiences with a member or small number of members of a group that one rarely interacts with (ie watching muslims crash into the towers) is falsely and absolutely applied to their entire group ("started by Islamic people").

You have a really good point here and I'm not trying to start some fight with you especially since I dont really have much knowledge about Islam except for what is on the news or in the paper.

Whats the answer then? How do you decide who is an extremist and who isnt. Why arent the people in these countries trying to help us if they dont agree with what the extremists did. Its a war and if you arent with us than you are against us. Its harsh but when my friends and family are fighting a war, I dont want them taking chances.

[infiniti1982]

well, i think a lot of the issues you are presenting rests on an illusory correlation between what you see on tv/newspapers/magazines and the Iraqi/Afghani/etc. population as a whole.

When was the last time a report of 5 American troops being blasted away by a roadside bomb was followed by a human interest story on the games children like to play in Iraqi elementary schools? Or the housing market for middle class Iraqi single men? Now I am not saying that these should ever be stories on the news, that would be plain stupid... but what I am saying is that the only manner in which you see these Middle Easterners (virtually all of which are Muslim) portrayed is in the killing of our troops.

Yes, every single one of the people killing our troops with roadside bombs in iraq is a terrorist/extremist. anyone attacking our troops anywhere in that area is a terrorist and probably a fundamentalist Muslim. Yet still, these people do NOT represent Muslims as a whole. The key word there was fundamentalist. They are a radical and relatively small sect of the religion--only a minority.

Now picture how someone unfamiliar with Christianity would feel about the religion if all they had experienced was the behavior of the most fundamental of the group.

If I was someone who had never associated with or learned about a Christian or American and was visiting the United States (lets say I'm a member of a tribe in some remote part of Africa) and lets just say I happened to spend my vacation in a town that was made up of 60% (ie more than the majority) Christian Scientists, I would be very likely to apply the behavior I see coming from this small sect of Christianity not only to all Christians but likely also all Americans (because all Americans are Christian, right?). From that, I might deduce that Christians (and all Americans) refuse to go to a hospital and receive medical treatment when they get sick. If I explained that clearly enough, you will see that the travelling African falsely associated the behavior of a minor group of Christians to all Americans at large because those were the only Americans he has ever interacted with. Now think about this example with how we interact with Iraqis.

It all relates back to an illusory correlation based on something called the availability heuristic. Basically, we apply what information is available (Iraqis killing our troops) to a wider situation than is accurate (all Muslims). Another example of this is the irrational belief that airplanes are far more dangerous than cars. John Madden refuses to fly to each city during the season and instead takes a tour bus because he believes that is safer. In a second, you will see why he is an idiot.

Whenever there is an airplane crash--anywhere in the nation, often world--you will always hear about it in the media (ie you learn about 100% of airplane crashes). What percent of car crashes nationally are in the media (.00001%)? Since you see more airplane crashes than you do car crashes in the media, it is easy to falsely assume that airplane crashes are a lot more common than are car crashes. In fact this is far from reality...there are thousands of car crashes a day, and only a handful of airplane crashes a year.

Now, lets relate this back to Muslims. Virtually every Muslim-committed terrorist attack on our troops (or airplane crash) is on the news. Few if any car crashes (or Muslim doing a normal, non lethal activity) appear in the media. You assume there are more Muslims committing these attacks than there are Muslims doing normal things due to a limited and slanted pool of information available to you.

[infiniti1982]

I dont really have much knowledge about Islam except for what is on the news or in the paper.

I didn't even realize you said this when I wrote the above, but there you go.. it fits in perfectly with what I was saying.

[ROCKILLER]

Yea, I see what youre saying, and the thing about TV is definitely true. The problem for me, and many Americans I'm sure, is that its not always so easy to put emotions aside and look at things logically all the time. I've seen tons of pictures of troops helping people in Iraq and the other countries and the people look happy. I just have a problem trusting after all that has happened. Not to say that our country is perfect by any means.

[infiniti1982]

i understand your point. the only problem is that sometimes when our emotions get put in the wrong place, prejudice results.

[ROCKILLER]

True, I remember the on Sept. 11 I heard the news on the radio on the way to a Sociology class and all the details werent out but as we kept hearing things in the class my prof started right then on talking about the backlash toward Muslims in America.