It's not always easy...

It's not always easy to stand your ground when a friend is doing something you know to be wrong.

All I hear in any of this (besides the weak humor) is that peer pressure is fabulous and independent thought is to be discouraged. It's good to know that all we ever needed to know about international politics is learned by the time one graduates junior high school.

But, you know, all the Iraqis over there, the ones who will be killed in this war, they're not really that important, anyway. They're just stupid Islamic fundamentalists who deserve to die, and hey, if they die for Allah, won't they receive a guaranteed spot in Heaven (or wherever their kind goes)? So, shouldn't they be honored that we've killed them? Yeah! That's it! They'll die martyrs and receive a blessed spot in their own religion's after-life! So it's OK to go over and kill 'em all! Let's just NUKE 'EM 'TIL THEY GLOW! They're not even human, so it doesn't matter! They're just desert animals! Hell, we EAT animals like them for breakfast!

While you're not conscious of this line of reasoning, and you'll deny it like a presidential intern -- it's intentionally exaggerated to make a point, so of course it's easy to deny -- there is, nevertheless, a grain of truth to it.

You people are disgusting.

=-John-=