learning-org-digest V1 #3340 LO30076

From: CGCMIke@aol.com
Date: 04/07/03


Iraq War -- Guess it became one......that is a bummer
At's thoughtful comments are below. Other folks on the list have
commented from various aspects of this.....dare I say....crusade and our
coalition of the mini-mighty, oops I meant the willing.

Someone like Mandela speaks out against the war and then he, let alone the
Dixie Chicks, receives threatening messages. So much for free speech, and
the "rights" we are purportedly fighting to uphold. The small mindedness
of Americans in particular are very depressing. Since I am one, though I
guess I bare a partial responsibility for that. I have no problem with
people not agreeing with Mandela or entertainers, but to turn around and
threaten them seems like a contradiction in what I believe we stand for at
our core (as a country).

If you can count ten cans of stuff, I guess it is good that we found some
chemicals. Not certain if they translate to "weapons of mass (as in
really big!) destruction.

sorry for my ranting......here is my thought

Did anyone see Michael Moore's "Bowling for Columbine"? Michael certainly
has his agenda, but that is OK. I thought he had a very compelling
insight to the character of the US today. He talked about FEAR. And how
so much of it is used in the US Media today. Canada has approximately the
same number of guns per capita as the US. But the rate of violence is
significantly less. If one looks at the Ontario/Quebec disagreements over
the last few decades, seldom has any violence erupted. In the Canadian
newscast, they use words like dialog, seek to understand, collaborate,
etc. In the US, the news draws attention by:
"Killer escalator runs amok"
"What you eat can kill you..."
and so forth......and those are bylines for insignificant stuff.

It is frightening indeed when the world's only super power, is paranoid.
I am not certain what to do about it. In my travels around the US, I am
amazed by how many people support what we are doing and that they believe
the President has information they don't, which justifies our actions. I
also think the President has information we don't, but the picture that
comes to my mind is the Pentagon Papers and Daniel Elsburg(?) who
ultimately had the bravery to speak out.
 
Hopefully we have a one time guy in the White House. But the bigger
question to me is what happens next? How can more people in the US become
more globally sensitive? What can we, and France etc. learn so that the
next time we have a significant disagreement, we don't totally ignore one
another? Somehow, we (again American's in particular) have to become more
comfortable with conflict (and I don't mean the war type). In my
experience, all great teams have interpersonal conflict before they rise
to greatness. It helps us grow and the differences are precious. Simple
solutions always sound cool, but they don't often work. We (global) need
to be careful not to over react to the Iraq situation, and maintain open
lines of communication.

Hopefully the UN can survive this spectacle and act in a more decisive way
in the future (which does not translate to just do what the US wants). I
had read one time that Poland had a government where any one person could
veto a legislative decision. Therefore little got done. (is that true?)
Perhaps the UN should look for some new decision making structures.

Oh well, I toss my rants to the smart folks on this list.
Best wishes to you all and may this event end quickly,
Michael Bremer

In a message dated 3/19/03 10:50:11 PM,
learning-org-digest-approval@world.std.com writes:

> This morning there is a report in one of our local newspapers that Mr
> Mandela received lately several threatening e-mail messages from the USA
> because in the beginning of the year he dared to tell Mr Bush in public
> that he should cherise peace in his heart and seek it rather that prepare
> for war, even if it is intended to procure peace afterwards. When
> peacemakers become damned rather than blessed, it is another way of
> constructing war socially..... I myself have no confidence in them. I also
> have no confidence in Saddam Hussein and his bunch of cohorts.
> Consequently, neither Hussein, nor Bush, will stand up as a result

-- 

CGCMIke@aol.com

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