BVS
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Poor kid has little chance
thought i would just share this sad lil story....
So last night I have a new kid (11 years old) start up taekwondo. Before class starts as i'm showing him basic stretches etc, he says to me "Do you want to know something stupid Obama is doing?"
I say sure.
"He's pulling all of our soldiers out of Iraq, while there are still Iraqis there".
I go, so do you think every single Iraqi is a bad guy?
"Yes, we haven't killed them all so it's a mistake to leave"
I left it at that cause I really don't want to argue with a 11 year old But I can't help but wonder if this is what he's taught in school, or more likely a view he's picked up from his parents. Not sure how you really cure stupid.
2861U2 said:A couple things-
I'm sure I believed things in 5th grade that, looking back, were completely insane. If this kid is, as you say, from a very rural area, he may not have the resources to understand the nuances of foreign policy before he goes around shooting his mouth off. Rather than essentially ignoring it and ridiculing him and his family on the internet, why not challenge him in an appropriate way? I think it's a little hypocritical to shake your head at something a child says or does, yet excuse yourself from any responsibility or influence you might have by saying "Well, I didn't feel like getting into a discussion with him."
Are you an instructor? And is he one of the pupils? If so, he will probably see you with a degree of respect and trust. If you see him again, or if the topic comes up, why not challenge him? Otherwise- with all due respect- aren't you just part of the problem?
And second- let's not make this kid the face of the Republican Party all of a sudden.
I am his instructor, but I'm not there to challenge the world view of an 11 year old. While there is a sense of learning respect towards others in the martial art, I think a lot of that can be learned when he gets to engage with other kids his age who come from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. As we say every class, we are united in mutual friendship.
Hopefully through age and more education he can start to see things in a different perspective
I'm sure I believed things in 5th grade that, looking back, were completely insane.
{Snark] It's good that you ditched all those insane beliefs when you grew older. {Snark}
Baghdad: Fatal Bomb Blasts In City Centre Kill Dozens Amid Political Crisis In Iraq | World News | Sky News
Another fine foreign policy disaster, courtesy of the War Party.
I think that the Chinese, the Russian, and the Indian intelligence agencies have a far better grasp of what is going on in the Middle East than the CIA. And interestingly, all three express severe scepticism towards the role of firm US ally Saudi Arabia, and strong apprehension regarding the damage being done by Saudi money.
I used to think Bush/Cheney were downright evil, I now think I was misguided and simplistic in that analysis. They were just in the tradition of the long line of US administrations with wrongheaded policies towards the Middle East. I would categorize the foreign policies of every US President, with respect to the region, at least going back as far as Hoover as juvenile, unintelligent, badly designed, flawed and plain clueless. It has been a continual and terrible disaster.
Ron Paul actually has more of a clue about what is going on, and why US Foreign Policy is so flawed.
The problem is his domestic policy makes him unelectable.
Achtung11 said:I posted this earlier because I think everyone should watch it. It really helps look at our foreign policy from standpoint of the people whom we occupy.
i will be in his class this semester.
I think that the Chinese, the Russian, and the Indian intelligence agencies have a far better grasp of what is going on in the Middle East than the CIA.
And interestingly, all three express severe scepticism towards the role of firm US ally Saudi Arabia, and strong apprehension regarding the damage being done by Saudi money.
I used to think Bush/Cheney were downright evil, I now think I was misguided and simplistic in that analysis. They were just in the tradition of the long line of US administrations with wrongheaded policies towards the Middle East. I would categorize the foreign policies of every US President, with respect to the region, at least going back as far as Hoover as juvenile, unintelligent, badly designed, flawed and plain clueless. It has been a continual and terrible disaster.
Ron Paul actually has more of a clue about what is going on, and why US Foreign Policy is so flawed.
The problem is his domestic policy makes him unelectable.
the iron horse said:I've said this before I think,
Iraq should have been divided into three regions to accomodate
the three distinctive religious beliefs.
How libertarian of you...
How libertarian of you...