Tim continues with pertinent comments on the Mid-East situation.
You help us to understand this dynamic. I think Americans are trying to understand. What we don't understand is why America is the object of hatred when it is the despotic leaderships of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan, Libya, and Iran that are keeping down their people. They are the ones who use the oil revenue to buy arms and develop nuclear technology instead of letting this money flow to their population.
America is the object of hatred because the despotic leaders of the Arab world are considered heroes there. Their values are different than ours and they're seen as heroes for confronting Western attempts at economic, cultural, political and military supremacy. It's not a matter of who's right or wrong. They believe that America is attempting to colonize their world and as long as America deals with them confrontationally, instead of diplomaticly, they will continue to hate America.
If we emerge from this quagmire in Iraq, maybe for the first time there will be a government there that is elected by, and servants of the people. I feel that as long as we remain there though, we just inflame the situation. Lebanon is looking promising now that Syria has been shamed into leaving these people to find their own voice.
America withdrew from Lebanon in 1985. Israel has been out of there since 1999. Lebanese leaders who support Western influence continue to be targets of brutal assassinations by Syrian dictates and the Lebanese people remain under the thumbs of Islamic oppression. Until there is a change in the relationship and Western leaders learn to speak to the Arab world in their language and address their concerns, all of our military efforts there are doomed to escalate the violence and hostility.
On the subject of energy independence, I feel that we MUST find an alternative to oil. Hybrid vehicles, hydrogen, fuel cells, these are where we should be looking to wean ourselves off of oil. Clinton had tax breaks and grants to fund the research but of course Bush (being an oilman)cut these programs.
Agreed. I believe, however, that our next significant energy source will be in tapping into the magnetic field which is mistakenly perceived as the source of the Earth's gravity. This magnetic field exists in the centerline of Earth's orbit around the sun. The moon also spins through a similar field surrounding the Earth. We need a switch of thinking processes in the scientific community in order to discover and tap into these forces. When this happens, our energy resources will become exceedingly abundant.
And finally, on the Comic Book Creators Party. In my humble opinion, I think that you should change the name to The Creators Party and open it up to all Creators. Actors, Musicians, Comics, Poets. You can get more people in if you make the tent bigger.
Agreed again, Tim. But we have to begin at home. Once we have growing support from the comics community for The Comic Book Creator's Party, The Creators themselves will step forth to make the tent bigger.
Mike, dialog with you is always stimulating and never boring.
You're the one making this discussion worthwhile, Tim, with your thoughtful comments. Stick with us, my friend, we're only at the beginning.
