Dear Shockadelic,

I'm responding to you because you've addressed me.
I hesitate in doing so because you sound like such
a troubled soul and I suspect that you don't really
want to enter into a discussion because your mind is
already made up. However I feel obliged to say
something nevertheless.

Attack is an easier response than trying to understand
any given issue. However attack thoughts do much more
harm to ourselves. Anger is one of fear's most potent
faces. You need to find an alternative way of conflict
resolution. To project your anger onto someone else in
the false belief that you will feel better is not something
you should keep on doing. Such behaviour offers only
temporary relief.

Try a different approach just once. Say to yourself -that
your judgements concerning Islam and Muslims stems from
what is newsworthy rather than what is typical.
Fundamentalism exists in all religions. However it does
not really reflect the mainstream communities.

Open up your mind - give it a go. Be the tolerant, compassionate
chap that I'm sure your family thinks you are!

The United States claim Muslim terrorists killed about 3,000 people in the 9/11 attacks, mostly US citizens. In retaliation for this barbaric act, the United States and its allies, including Australia, have kill 200,000 men women and children in Iraq and Afghanistan, mostly non combatants, mostly Muslim's. The vast majority of these 200,000 people never sanctioned or condoned the attacks of 9/11. By their own admission the US labeled the majority of 9/11 terrorist as being Saudi Arabians.
People do not need to read The Koran to hate us, unfortunately some of us do a good job of building hate in others without them needing to read some crappy old book.

Paul,
Interesting where you get your figures from.

In Iraq, the war against Heusian was over when his statue was pulled down and very little colatteral damage was caused at that point.

Remember how the people celebrated in the streets. That only lasted a week or two and then the Sunnis and the Shities started blowing each other up, trying to be top dog. They had every oppertunity to be democratic but their minor religous differences were more important to them, and still are.

The coalition forces were occupied mainly in keeping the two factions from killing each other, so it is incorrect to blame all those Iraqi deaths on the Yanks. It was the Iraqis own stupid actions.

Okay - too hard to keep away with comments like Banjo's.

Are you saying, Banjo, that once the statue came down, all was over?

Are you saying, that the sham with which Bush and his cronies invaded Iraq, letting loose who knows how much explosive power causing the direct deaths of thousands and, through sanctions and the almost total destruction of infrastructure, the deaths of tens of thousands more.

Causing tens of thousands, to flee into neighbouring countries. The total destabilisation that an invasion brings, and in this case, the short-sighted dumb-dumb Bush-brained scheme whereby no thought whatsoever was given to the vacuum that would be created in the wake of the invasion.

As has been pointed out many times before, the US invaded Iraq, not because it cared two hoots about delivering democracy to the people (You don't look after people by destroying their infrastructure and blowing their children to smithereens). It invaded so that it could wield unfettered influence over the chief resource of the region - oil.

There are any number of diabolical dictators in the world, who the US doesn't give two hoots about because they are not lording it over resources that the US requires.

Banjo,

And now the Yanks are gone, they're still killing each other off in the name of religion. It was reported yesterday that there is a "low level war" in Iraq now between Sunni and Shi-ites.

Libya isn't much better - there is still faction fighting and killing happening there too.

Egypt and Tunisia who also rose up against dictators - has it brought peace there? No way. So much for the Arab Spring.

Will the same thing happen if Assad is finally deposed? Of course it will - it's already started. Regardless of what the press reports, the opposition there are also carrying out atrocities against their own people.

All these countries claimed to want more freedom. Now they have it, and what do they do with it? Continue killing each other. These are the same people who are doing exactly what they had accused their leaders of doing - killing, torturing, and rape.
I believe there is more to come, as bordering countries like Yemen and Jordan are next in line.

Poirot,
Yes the war was over when the statue came down, the deaths after were caused by the Iraqis themselves. They had every oppertunity to be democratic but chose to fight each other. Stupid morons.

The yanks, and us, should not have gone into Iraq and the Yanks should have learned from that, these people do not have the where with all to operate a democracy. They are still blowing each other up in Iraq.

Afghan is the same. Got Bin Laden so pull out and leave them to it. The people of Lybia are no better off now since NATO helped another lot to take over. Egypt is no better and in Syria the rebels seem to be no better than the current dictator.

Obviously these people do not have enough brains to govern fairl/properly, they need a strong dictator or regime to keep them in order. Brutality seems to be all they understand.

Leave them be, they are mainly killing their own, why should we interfer. If they invade another country then, maybe, we take sides. Anyone that embraces Islam can't have much between their ears.

Can you ever imagine a peaceful transition of governments there, like we have had when changing from one party in power to the other