The Logic Off Topic list

Thoughts from the mind of Kool Musick, 9/22/01:

>As I said, Hendrik Jan, I did not find the message that you posted in in
>the least helpful or compassionate.

A few days ago I sent a letter to the LUG, mourning the victims of 
the attacks, and expressing my sympathies.  I wouldn't mind sending 
such a letter once more if it was any consolation to anyone. 
However, apart from the reality of horror & pain, there's also the 
reality of political measures, threats of war and more pointless 
killing.  Ignoring that, or keeping quiet about that, only means 
you're sticking your head in the sand -- something _I'm_ not prepared 
to do.

>It was absolutely certain that it would
>provoke further discord and disagreement. If it did not occur to you that
>this would be its inevitable consequence then it should have done. You have
>demonstrated yourself time and time again, on this list, to be a highly
>intelligent person.

I suspected reactions to come, of course.  Maybe I should have 
refrained from posting.  As GAmoore just wrote: "Its easy for 
European countries to sit on
the sidelights and not take the same risks".  Maybe I should have 
behaved in accordance with this (oversimplified imo) view.

However, believing my point was sensible, I'm not one to shy away 
from confrontation.  Hearing Bush talk, I get extremely annoyed, and 
I know I'm not alone in that.  Maybe a discussion like this actually 
gets some more brains jump-started.

>So ... can
>we all not just agree with the very simple platitude that everybody here
>agrees that people being blown to bits left right and centre really isn't
>very nice ... and then just move right on along?

Of course I agree, wholeheartedly.  The point is that "move right on 
along" is open to interpretation.  Does it mean we should mourn the 
victims, and forget the rest, and just go on talking about how my new 
harddrive isn't up to speed to play back 256 tracks non-interlacd 
audio?  Or do we move on, and start thinking about "what's next", 
just as the politicians are doing?


regards,
HJ
-- 
     Hendrik Jan Veenstra
     email: mailto:h@...
     www:   http://www.ision.nl/users/h/index.html