[ExI] What is Grace?

[John Grigg]

Dagon Gmail wrote:

> I have come to equate this sound with american nationalism, of a sinister
> and loathsome kind. When
> I hear amazing grace the emotional association I get is that of this:
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3zl54WSO84&feature=related
>
> I am not exaggerating - I truly regard the US having been under a
> dictatorshop the last eight years, that
> did things approximating the worst of atrocities, for nothing else than
> ideological gain. I loathe this part
> of the US, inasmuch I loathe that part of German history. Unfortunately
> many traditional cultural
> expressions of the US have become contaminated.
>
>

I realize you are a European, but still, you associate the U.S. involvement
with Iraq and Afghanistan as being on par with the Nazi SS atrocities of
WW2???  I would say that is REALLY pushing it.  You must not know your
history...  Part of the reason the U.S. has had a hard time trying to "win"
is that we fight with one hand tied behind our back, in an effort to at
least try to be ethical.  And when we make mistakes we usually/at least
sometimes try to correct them and have governmental bodies to aid in this
desire.

Ask yourself, what would the Nazi SS have done in an identical war?  They
would have rounded up tens of thousands of civilians and routinely carried
out public executions until they broke the spirit of Iraq.  And the
carpet/fire bombing of entire neighborhoods would have been done if viewed
as necessary to pacify and cower the general population.  Torture and
interrogation would have occurred on a scale VASTLY greater than what has
been done by the US.  Mass deportation and slave labor would be implemented
at every opportunity.  And with our current technological resources, a
modern-day Nazi-like armed forces could deploy a highly tailored bio-weapon
to kill hundreds of thousands or even millions as the ultimate terror
weapon.  But then again a nuke or two might be used.

I do agree that many traditional cultural expressions of the U.S. have been
contaminated.  The Republicans were expert at wrapping themselves in the
flag and using Evangelical religion (with the aid of Evangelical leaders)
for their own self-serving ends.

John
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