Obama pwned. Obama pwns. Holy is this country moving in the right direction!
Capitalizt
they look pretty convinced to me..
R!CH
damn i think that might have been his most impressive speech to date considering the monumental rift he sought to bridge between east and west. in 55 minutes he likely dealt a bigger blow to extremism than bush did in his whole 8 years. i can't even think of another person in our political landscape that could have come up with a message even remotely similar in flavor. best $400k/year this country ever spent :cool:
Sunsnail
i like how he spoke perfectly for an hour and literally messed up his last sentence. :p
Moral Hazard
I thought the speech was pretty good albeit rather inaccurate in places... like the suggestion that liberation and equality of blacks was accomplished entirely non-violently, or the comparison between the plight of women in the west and the "Muslim world." I also think it's inaccurate to peg this as a speech to the "Muslim world" because it was really a speech to the Arab nations. All of that said, I think he did exactly what needed to be done, opened the door for more diplomacy and (hopefully) honest dialog... and DAMN... what a great piece of rhetoric... bordering on art, really!
jerZ07002
quote:
Originally posted by Capitalizt
they look pretty convinced to me..
lol - great pic!
it was a nice speech, but obama's speech was bordering dillusional with some of his claims.
The17sss
Pardon me if I don't wet myself like Krypton in the post at the top. lol. Let's at least have some spirited debate here before this thread turns into a giant circle jerk. Some points that should be made.
1 - The moral equivalency on women's rights was downright weak. He said like in the Muslim world, the struggle for womens' equality continues in many aspects of American life. So, on one hand you have what... a women's college lacrosse team fighting for the right to their full funding under Title IX, and on the other hand you have women beaten in the street in Saudi Arabia who show an ankle.
2- I thought it was kinda weird that he's down with allowing Iran to pursue nuclear power but not our own country.
3- What was with apologizing for colonialism? America has no colonialism past.
4- Mentioning that Iraq was a "war of choice" but failing to mention the million or so times Saddam failed to comply with UN Security Council resolutions.
5- He tried to connect the civil rights movement in the U.S. with the Palestinians' struggle for an independent state. The civil rights movement didn't have the goal of destroying the U.S., while Hamas and other extremist groups wanting to lead the Palestinians expressly have that goal.
6- Not once did he mention the good things America has done on behalf of Muslim nations... the aid and assistance we provided Indonesia after the tsunami, coming to Kuwait's aid, Kosovo's... etc.
7- "It was innovation in Muslim communities that developed the order of algebra." Wrong... it was developed by ancient Babylonians who weren't Muslim. (edit: and has greek roots)
8- This poor moral equivalency:
quote:
Around the world, the Jewish people were persecuted for centuries, and anti-Semitism in Europe culminated in an unprecedented Holocaust.Six million Jews were killed – more than the entire Jewish population of Israel today.
On the other hand, it is also undeniable that the Palestinian people – Muslims and Christians – have suffered in pursuit of a homeland. For more than sixty years they have endured the pain of dislocation. Many wait in refugee camps in the West Bank, Gaza, and neighboring lands for a life of peace and security that they have never been able to lead. They endure the daily humiliations – large and small – that come with occupation. So let there be no doubt: the situation for the Palestinian people is intolerable.
It's naive to think the Palestinians want to peacefully co-exist with Israelies. 6 million Jews dead is equal to 60 years without a homeland? LOL.
9- His statement that the U.S. is one of the largest "Muslim countries" in the world. Hilarious actually. What's the number... somewhere between 1.5-7 million in America? From a world population of 1.5 billion? There are 34 countries I believe with larger populations of Muslims.
10- Saying we should not dictate to other countries, yet dictating to Israel to stop building settlements in the West Bank. Uhhh... am I missing something here?
Your problem 17sss, is you fail to have empathy for valid alternative points of view. It isn't radicals who are against us. It's average men and women. And if we'r going to have them on our side, we have to acknowledge their point of view, on equal terms.
Sunsnail
quote:
Originally posted by The17sss
3- What was with apologizing for colonialism? America has no colonialism past.
uh what
Sunsnail
quote:
Originally posted by The17sss
7- "It was innovation in Muslim communities that developed the order of algebra." Wrong... it was developed by ancient Babylonians who weren't Muslim. (edit: and has greek roots)
