Still Shaking Head in Disgust and Contempt

[davekershaw]

Just got back from a week in Scotland.Passed Lockerbie on the way.Looked to the sky and imagined as I drove past.Said in a previous thread, it would hit home when he receivedthe hero's welcome.Watch for the grand 40th Anniversary finger up later today!Starts with O, Ends with L, and there's an I somewhere in the middle!And the British and Scottish Governments are still trying to dig their ways out of the hole!!

[toddt]

Apparently Nelson Mandela thinks Scotland did the right thing. To me, the most striking quote in the article is actually made not by Mandela but by the Scottish First Minister, Alex Salmond: "Many people believe that you will achieve more in this world through acts of mercy than you will through acts of retribution."

[sgs4u]

Sept 1, 2009, 4:20am, toddt wrote:Many people believe that you will achieve more in this world through acts of mercy than you will through acts of retribution.Getting even is rarely the best way to make the world a better place.

[onoffon]

In the category of 'this stuff happens all the time' -I'm of Armenian descent. To this day, the Turkisk government refuses to admit to the genocide they perpetrated on the people of Armenia. The official U.S. stance on this has always been to ignore it - they refuse to force Turkey to admit their crimes against humanity simply because we need American bases on Turkish soil so we have a doorstep into that part of the Middle East.All in the name of diplomacy...When Adolf Hitler planned his invasion of Poland and the destruction of the Jewish people, he was able to scornfully state, "Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?"History repeats itself time and time again...

[davekershaw]

Sept 1, 2009, 12:22pm, onoffon wrote:In the category of 'this stuff happens all the time' -I'm of Armenian descent. To this day, the Turkisk government refuses to admit to the genocide they perpetrated on the people of Armenia. The official U.S. stance on this has always been to ignore it - they refuse to force Turkey to admit their crimes against humanity simply because we need American bases on Turkish soil so we have a doorstep into that part of the Middle East.All in the name of diplomacy...When Adolf Hitler planned his invasion of Poland and the destruction of the Jewish people, he was able to scornfully state, "Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?"History repeats itself time and time again...Hear, Hear!It's not compassion; it's just, conveniently, being dressed up as such.It's pure politics, at the expense of dispendible lives and emotions.The needs of the many (or a few corporations), outweigh the needs of the few!And it stinks!!

[davekershaw]

Just out: Gordon Brown "did not want Lockebie Bomber to die in prison. It would be catastrophic if he did" And the 40th Anniversary celebrations: Two fingers up to Britain, One to The States!

[ernstinen]

Obviously, after reading the above, the travesty of justice is a worldwide phenomenom.Here in California, there are MULTIPLE incidents, such as O.J., and lately the parole officers who failed to find a girl (now a woman) who was kidnapped when she was 12 by a convicted felon and not found (until a few days ago) after living in this jackass's back yard for over 15 years and fathered 2 children by this nut! It's insane. --- I've read that approximately 35% of people in prison in CA are there for getting caught with smoking marijuana. What a waste. Why not go after violent criminals, rapists, etc. --- Not to get into this again, but I was assaulted by my neighbor who spit in my face (battery), and what is done? Nothing. Nobody cares, or if they do, do nothing. So, avoiding politics, this sh!t pisses me off personally.I'm one of the few people in this country who is against the death penalty, but I believe life in prison for felonies is a worse punishment.End of rant,Ern

[toddt]

Sept 1, 2009, 3:09pm, davekershaw wrote:And the 40th Anniversary celebrations: Two fingers up to Britain, One to The States!Actually the 40th Anniversary celebrations have nothing to do with the US and UK (contrary to popular belief, not everything every country in the world ever does is aimed at us).As for the Libyans disgracefully celebrating the return of al-Megrahi, what if instead of celebrating the release of a terrorist bomber (as so many in the US/UK see it), they were actually celebrating the release of an innocent political scapegoat (as they see it) that their country offered up in order to try and repair Libya's standing from pariah status - and the subsequent accompanying trade embargoes - after some disasterous and terrible decisions many years ago?It's all a matter of perspective, and it's best to try and understand your "enemy" (because, actually, they probably aren't).

[drew]

Instead of releasing him they should have put him in Gitmo, then Obama would be blamed for releasing him.

[ernstinen]

Sept 2, 2009, 3:50am, drew wrote:Instead of releasing him they should have put him in Gitmo, then Obama would be blamed for releasing him.HaHaHa! Drew, you're one of a kind!Seriously, though not here in California, there are many maximum security prisons in the rural West that would LOVE to have these Gitmo guys. Many jobs to be had, and no place for these dudes to run except into the desert (but they couldn't get out even if they tried).But I personally think that torture is Anti-American. Close down Gitmo, get these bad guys into the States and let the rule of law take its course.Ern