Is "America" a hypocrite?

from JoeUser Forums

I love America, and I think that what we do is typically right.  However, there are things that happen that make me wonder if we do things in a "do as I say, not as I do" type fashion.

In another JU article: https://forums.joeuser.com/Forums.aspx?ForumID=120&AID=68063#530308  It was commented on how it is interesting to see how Americans were viewed in relation to the Vietnam war.  In a museum that they visited, they saw that America was viewed as "puppet masters" by the Vietnamese.  I was too young to know what happened in that war, but I still always wonder how the rest of the world views us.  Which makes me wonder how we are currently being viewed.

I have seen a few international articles that are calling us hypocrites.  It's not about the war that we are currently in- it's about what happened to Terri Schiavo.

We are telling the world that we need to treat everyone as equal.  We have stated that it is wrong that in other countries men basically "own" their wives and that it is wrong that they have the right to torture or kill their own wife........... Yet, for some reason, we allowed a man to legally starve his wife to death.

People will say "but, this is different!"  But, I am having a hard time seeing a clear distinction.  This man had total control over his wife's life, and he ended it by starvation.  People can say "she wasn't in pain", but how d we know?  Are we going to be pompous enough to claim that we know enough about the brain to be 100% certain?

I'm interested to know how our fellow bloggers around the world view this.

politics
14,817 views 21 replies
Reply #1 from JoeUser Forums Top
Of course America is hypocritical. We need only read current newspapers to see that. Tons of examples.
"Sadaam Hussein is a threat to world security". Well, he was armed and allied with the US in the 80's. The US supported Hussein to the extent of sharing spy sattelite intelligence with them. Hardly the actions of a concerned enemy. Remember after the end of the illegal war in Iraq, when Wolfowitz testily told the world that "foreigners should stay out of Iraq"? With a straight face and no comment by US mainstream media. They just took it. They're good at that. Or "countries with WMD are a threat to world security". Well, tell me one other nation who surpasses the US in WMD stockpiles, WMD research, and new WMD's to create. Look at William Cohen's comment about "an eco type of terrorism, whereby they can alter the climate, set off earthquakes or volcanos remotely, through the use of electromagnetic waves". It's a spooky comment in light of the Sumatran Trench and the missing "S" waves. America officially says they're the guardians of freedom and democracy and that they hold life on a pedestal, you know, the 'all men are created equal' bull. Then Madeleine Albright says 500,000 dead children is a price the US is willing to pay in order to make Hussein pay for his deeds and come to heel. Not quite what Jesus would do. Then there's the laughable yet unmentioned-in-the-US-media issue of the US denouncing China's human rights record. I needn't get into that as it should be straightforward and obvious to everyone. Guantanamo, Abu-Graib, and clearly many others. The US says they're fighting a drug war at the same time as the CIA is importing the same drugs into the US. And allowing the poppies to thrive in Afghanistan. In fact, the Taliban had pretty much eradicated the poppy fields, only to come back after the US drove the Taliban into the hills. Britain and Europe can expect the largest influx of heroin ever because of it. Say what you want about the Taliban, but it's fact they were good at ridding their country of drugs.
Reply #2 from JoeUser Forums Top
Hear, Hear! Well spoken by the originator and LW. Both get insightfuls from me. Rekki on the other hand gets a troll cookie.
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Reply #3 from JoeUser Forums Top

Hear, Hear! Well spoken by the originator and LW. Both get insightfuls from me. Rekki on the other hand gets a troll cookie.

That makes 2 then.  Hope he likes his pound of flesh.

Reply #4 from JoeUser Forums Top
3 by drmiler
Thursday, March 31, 2005


Hear, Hear! Well spoken by the originator and LW. Both get insightfuls from me. Rekki on the other hand gets a troll cookie.


first goods to see yer name here doc, been missing you.


As a vietnam vet karma we were viewed around the world as wrong dooers in vietnam, why you ask? because of the liberals calling us baby killers, rapists and more, because of people like hanoijohn kerry and hanoijane fonda shouting from the roof tops, because of a liberal media beating the same one note drum over and over, america bad. everyone else good.
Reply #5 from JoeUser Forums Top

I can only hope that these laws will be changed, and fast, lest her death be in vain.

I hope that you are right.  Being a Mom of a little girl, I can't even begin to imagine what Terri's parents went through.

Reply #6 from JoeUser Forums Top
I can only hope that these laws will be changed, and fast, lest her death be in vain.

I hope that you are right. Being a Mom of a little girl, I can't even begin to imagine what Terri's parents went through.


Me either. I have two grown boys (sorry guys.....men)! If I was her father Michael would have to watch his back for the *rest* of "his life".
Reply #7 from JoeUser Forums Top
3 by drmiler
Thursday, March 31, 2005


Hear, Hear! Well spoken by the originator and LW. Both get insightfuls from me. Rekki on the other hand gets a troll cookie.


first goods to see yer name here doc, been missing you.


As a vietnam vet karma we were viewed around the world as wrong dooers in vietnam, why you ask? because of the liberals calling us baby killers, rapists and more, because of people like hanoijohn kerry and hanoijane fonda shouting from the roof tops, because of a liberal media beating the same one note drum over and over, america bad. everyone else good.


I've been here and posting.....Where the heck you been? I ain't seen spit from you.
Reply #8 from JoeUser Forums Top
Me either. I have two grown boys (sorry guys.....men)! If I was her father Michael would have to watch his back for the *rest* of "his life".


Me 3 either. I have 4, from 22 to 12. 2 Boys (19 and 12) and 2 Girls (17 and 22). I never want to outlive them, but if the case came up, I would never starve them to death. If their 'so-called' spouse tried it, they could lay in state right next to my baby.

Lest you think I would allow them to suffer. No, I would allow euthanasia, just not torture. Period.
Reply #9 from JoeUser Forums Top
e either. I have two grown boys (sorry guys.....men)! If I was her father Michael would have to watch his back for the *rest* of "his life".


Me 3 either. I have 4, from 22 to 12. 2 Boys (19 and 12) and 2 Girls (17 and 22). I never want to outlive them, but if the case came up, I would never starve them to death. If their 'so-called' spouse tried it, they could lay in state right next to my baby.

Lest you think I would allow them to suffer. No, I would allow euthanasia, just not torture. Period.


Mine are 28 and 26. And before I let either one suffer OR starve, I would give them the injection myself. I just hope that I'm never faced with that decision! I'd do what was required and then check myself into a mental hospital.
Reply #10 from JoeUser Forums Top
I've been here and posting.....Where the heck you been? I ain't seen spit from you.


I was taking a vacation from "moderateman"
Reply #11 from JoeUser Forums Top
I've been here and posting.....Where the heck you been? I ain't seen spit from you.


I was taking a vacation from "moderateman"


SHAME on you!!! Don't you know vactions are not allowed?
Reply #12 from JoeUser Forums Top
I don't see why Terri's Parents would not be afforded the condsideration of caring for their own child if it makes them happy. All we really have in life are our children. A friend told me that "you aint liven until you have something you are willing to die for" I am sad, very sad for the parents
Reply #13 from JoeUser Forums Top
I don't see why Terri's Parents would not be afforded the condsideration of caring for their own child if it makes them happy. All we really have in life are our children. A friend told me that "you aint liven until you have something you are willing to die for" I am sad, very sad for the parents


Very true. And very well stated.
Reply #14 from JoeUser Forums Top
Parents should never have to bury their children. it happens , now we will see how scumbag hubby treats terrys body.
Reply #15 from JoeUser Forums Top
The law (and people) shows more compassion for a dog and its owner. Here the result can not be reversed. Where is the Country's heart?
Reply #16 from JoeUser Forums Top
if people in other countries are concluding that michael schiavo was 'allowed' to starve his wife to death it's because the story they're getting is being misreported as badly outside the us as it is domestically...or they're being told the facts but choosing to ignore them in favor of the kinda nonsense that's been trumpeted everywhere else.

anyone who claims not to know that once michael schiavo agreed to let the court act as terri's surrogate he had no more control over the ultimate result than did the shindlers is doing nothing more than contributing to the tragedy. why did he do that? because the schindlers--noble loving parents that they are--were pissed off cuz he wouldnt share the money he was awarded for loss of consortium and took it out on him by maliciously accusing him of not acting in his wife's interest.

people who are so desperate for $150k that they drive a wedge between their daughter and her husband are hardly ideal parents.
Reply #17 from JoeUser Forums Top

anyone who claims not to know that once michael schiavo agreed to let the court act as terri's surrogate he had no more control over the ultimate result than did the shindlers is doing nothing more than contributing to the tragedy.

So...that is the reason that he wouldn't let them be by her bedside?

And, it doesn't matter anyway.  She died by starvation.  Her husband, the courts, our country allowed this to happen.  Should we starve anyone to death on purpose?

Reply #18 from JoeUser Forums Top
The guardianship laws in this country are a mess. It depends on where you are and who the judge is, its that simple. The battles are silently raging in courtrooms all over America. This one just happend to be on TV. Still don't make it right in one place and not the other. We have to draw a line somewhere. We are better than this...
Reply #19 from JoeUser Forums Top
Should we starve anyone to death on purpose?


people who have their ventilators disconnected die of strangulation. should we smother them to death on purpose?

florida, texas and a number of other states consider intubation an equally artificial means of sustaining life.

people have feeding/hydration tubes removed every day in the us. the real outrage is those who made this whole thing into such a circus work tirelessly to oppose a more humane alternative.
Reply #20 from JoeUser Forums Top

people who have their ventilators disconnected die of strangulation. should we smother them to death on purpose?

It doesn't take a person on a ventilator 2 weeks to die slowly.  If you did that to a dog, you would be put in jail.  We don't know enough about the brain to know what she felt and what she didn't.  There are plenty of people who can't feed themselves, does that mean that we should just allow all of them to die?

people have feeding/hydration tubes removed every day in the us

can you provide some cases or specifics with that?  How many people are purposely killed in the US like this? 

Reply #21 from JoeUser Forums Top
#20 by kingbee
Thursday, March 31, 2005


people who have their ventilators disconnected die of strangulation. should we smother them to death on purpose?

florida, texas and a number of other states consider intubation an equally artificial means of sustaining life.

people have feeding/hydration tubes removed every day in the us. the real outrage is those who made this whole thing into such a circus work


kingbee, your a better man than this, your argueing for arguements sake.... no where has anyone said that terry would want to starve to death.. also for someone that fought so hard to live {13 days} against turning off a switch and dieing quickly, come one man where is your heart?