The Logic Off Topic list

Thoughts from the mind of GAmoore@..., 9/26/01:

>You are obviously a very clever and educated fellow;

Yes I am.

>and, your long letter seems very convincing. However, under the thin veneer of
>intellectualism is a basic dishonesty. You have misrepresented what 
>you have said and what others have said.

Oh really, did I?  Where?  Let's see about who's misrepresenting who:

>You didn't simply make a few comments about Bush. You called Americans
>"primitive" and "cowboys"

I used words to that effect to describe Bush's way of talking a week 
ago.   Since when is "Bush = Americans" a true proposition?

>and mocked our military,

Did I?  Where?  The only remark I can think of, was the somewhat 
sarcastic one in which I said your heroes could come over to Europe 
to educate us after the wars were over.  Which was a reaction to a 
rather silly and offensive post by yourself ("How can you educate 
billions who are misinformed?").  Maybe I shouldn't have been 
sarcastic, but after all the bizarre insults, misquotations and 
unfounded and unproven allegations directed at me, I think one 
slightly sarcastic remark still is not such a bad score.

>and spoke as if terrible civilian deaths have already occurred in advance.

I said that civilians were fleeing their homes.  Just a tad 
different, don't you think.

Etc, etc.

Now who misprespresent what here?  This is really getting to my 
nerves.  I try to remain polite and reasonable, but these false and 
bizarre accusations coming "out of the blue" really start to annoy me.

I asked you (and others) several times to quote me, saying things 
like "all Americans are idiots", or "the US military sucks", or "the 
US only did wrong in the world", or whatever else I'm being accused 
of having said.
None has provided even a single quotation (and then please a 
quotation within its original context), proving their point.  What am 
I to make of that?  Do some out there suffer from a massive 
reading-disorder, or what?

>Why don't you wait for something to actually happen before you 
>complain about it,

Because then it already has happened, and it's too late.

>and second, have some trust that everyone in the US is not a cowboy 
>or war mongerer.

I never said I thought otherwise.  Again, please quote me saying differently.

>And those in the world who want to blame the US for all the ills of 
>the world, need to re-evaluate their thinking too, to be a bit more 
>realistic.

Of course.  Did I ever anywhere say the US is to blame for all the 
ills of the world?

>Is the US really the worst country of the world?

Did I say it is?

>Is that an example of clever European thinking to
>simplify all of the complex issues in the world down to "the US is wrong
>about everything". Come on, I expect a little more intelligent attitude
>from you, Hendrik.

Where did I say the Us is wrong about everything?

I expect a little more intelligent reading from you, GA.

>I think, you, although intelligent, have fallen into a mental trap of
>following the anti-American bandwagon that seems to be playing in Europe.

Bollocks.  I am as critical to my own country and culture as I am to 
the American's.  I never said otherwise.  However, being critical 
towards the US seems to be a capital offence nowadays.

>I also think you show poor taste. Even if all you say is correct and
>good. Right after 6,500 of our civilians have been killed is not the time
>to attack us.

If I had actually 'attacked' the US, if I had indeed called all 
Americans idiots and their army a bunch of morons, and their culture 
despicable, and the entire nation the source of all evil in the 
world... yes, then that would have been very poor taste indeed.

However, for some reason I haven't said _any_ of these things, ever.

As I said before: the fact that you (and others) keep accusing me of 
things I never anywhere ever said is getting just a tad annoying (and 
bizarre).  If I said completey moronic things, I'd be the very 
_first_ to apologize.  However, I must admit that some postings have 
been tempting, and on occasion I've felt the impulse to write 
completely moronic things in response indeed...  Temptation is a test 
for the soul, I suppose...


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