[alicebot-aiethics] mute point (not 'moot' point)

[Tamara Thompson]

Requests, please.

quit sending in html, it's really hard to read.
What does your name mean?  "LilBwana"?

Patriotism is fine, it's just a little unnerving that in my own area
this last week, there have been 24 hate crimes, and not too far from
here, near Phoenix, a white man shot and killed  a sikh who ran a gas
station, and then went on to shoot other 'foreign looking' people.  Talk
about taking someone's 'freedom' away.

I say that 'patriotism' is dangerous, because it inspires isolation,
loyalty to one nation, one flag.  And I believe that what we learned
this week is that we truly are a very diverse nation, a composite of
global peoples, come together for the same ideals and goals: freedom of
speech, freedom to live how we choose to live, as long as it's
peaceful.   And also, look at how many of our international friends lost
loved ones in the WTC attack.  The world is fluid, America is the great
place where the world exchanges it's people and it's ideas.

My flag is on my front porch, nice and big.  Not a message that I think
America is alone in the world, and that I'm loyal to it only, but a
message that I love the ideals of America, am terribly saddened by the
egregious loss of American life and innocence.  Perhaps if I had a flag
that represented global peace, I might have flown that instead.

Having faith in our government is certainly something we have to do
now.  But it doesn't mean that we shouldn't inspect and evaluate our
government, measure it's responses, study it's own culpabilities, try to
improve it.  It is supposed to be a government of and by the people, not
a separate entity from the people.  I trust it now to reveal all
information and to tell us the truth.  Because it's our lives, and our
money, and our faith, that it has it's hands.

I did not vote for Bush, but it was for me a difficult choice to make:
he spoke so the American worker, the people. Gore spoke to my educated
preferences--it seemed elite of course, but it was more palateable.
Nader spoke to my basic beliefs in really fixing things, making the
planet better.  Nader the outsider, may have encountered the same type
of congressional 'shutdown' that Carter experienced, if he had been
elected.  At one point during the election, I wanted to change our govt
and have all three of them serve together, as the oligarchy, the varying
voices of our country.

Bush is hanging in there, possibly needs to tone down the violent
aspects of the rhetoric--our international friends are saying they like
Colin Powell's voice of calm reason.  I am listening to all these
voices, trying to figure it out.

One personal thing I can say though, if any FBI or SS are listening, is
first: quit fucking tapping our online lives, we're the good guys, but
seriously, second: get Bush's kid out of Austin.  That is one whacky
damn town, and I don't think it's safe, politically.
I wouldn't want my own child there right now, maybe ever.  (Sorry
Austinites--I saw the weird underworld of that city years ago, and in
fairness, where else could one go to hear really fabulous new musical
artists?)

Tamara


LilBwana wrote:

>         There was a deliberate reason for my use of "mute" and not
> moot.  I do not believe that this is the proper time to have
> discussions such as who we support, or how many faults we can be quick
> to point out.        I guess I am just compelled at this time because
> of the Patriotism I feel right now.  I have spent my short life
> growing up seeing how even though we live in a free society, there are
> people who feel the need to remove my freedoms, and who wish to
> belittle me, and others, because of our belief.  The same hypocrites
> who ask for equality in this world, also want to take the freedom they
> are fighting for away from others.  I am not saying you are one of
> them, I am just merely stating that the sense of Patriotism that to me
> has been missing in this country since the early 80's is now starting
> to peak it's head out, and there seem to be people who want to bash it
> on the head before it has a chance to stand up.        There are many
> things that we as citizens of the United States would like to know,
> and if we don't know about it, that does not mean that it isn't
> happening.  Everything you know about this government, so does the
> enemy.  So I guess this is where your "blind faith" has to come in.
> We as a nation must have faith in our government right now, what is
> our alternative?  And yes there is a difference between expressing
> your opinions, and belittling someone else.  Opinions expressed, are
> for the purpose of change through intelligence, talking about a man
> badly who you do not support is for the purpose of hurt through
> emotions.