PhilD

at the risk of taking this thread in a direction that tinyboy probably didn't intend... i'm all for squeezing the government of Iran (and every other terrorist supporting government) in every possible way. History shows that appeasement is nothing less than a sign of weakness and invitation for greater harm. i feel very strongly that the government is obligated to do whatever it takes to keep terrorist attacks off of American soil, but i feel even more strongly that the rights of all American citizens must be honored. terrorist or not, clearly the dude at Fort Hood was a psycho - the death penalty was created for guys just like him. There are a lot of other bad apples out there too; they come in all sizes, colors, genders and religions. for better or worse, my point here is that i think it's too easy for some folks, especially in the context of events like the Fort Hood incident and the news article above, to come to a general conclusion that all folks of a particular background, or in this case religion, are bad people who conspire to do this country harm. life is just never that simple. there are a lot of good people (and good American citizens) who happen to be white, black, gay, fill_in_the_blank, or Muslim. every person is an individual and should be judged based on his or her actions and deeds. i work with a pretty diverse group of folks at a major engineering firm. all are highly educated American citizens. one of these guys happens to be Muslim, and yes, he attends a local Mosque. i can honestly say that i have never met any other person who has greater integrity, is more honest, more accepting and understanding, more respectful or who appreciates the fundamental principles of our founding fathers - especially the freedom to practice religion in a personal and private way - more than this guy. i would literally take a bullet for him if ever called to do so because he embodies the principles that we all believe in - the fundamental right that we should be able to live our life in the way we wish as long as we do no harm or disrespect to others. as i get older, i find myself slower to judge, and more accepting and appreciative of differences. i think that's a good thing.