James and the Giant Peach…BANNED???!!???

I was reminded recently by Deb (“Yoo-hoo… I’m up here”) Smouse that September 22nd begins “Banned Book Week”.

…excuse me for a second… while I check a newspaper, and make sure Jerry Falwell didn’t get elected President while I took a nap this afternoon.

Banning books… isn’t that the first thing Hitler did when he became Chancellor of Germany?

It kinda touches on today’sthis week’s overall topic:

“If the effort against terrorism is to succeed, we must court, not ignore, world opinion. And we must learn to listen, even when we dislike what we hear. Especially when we dislike it.”
– Jeffrey Zeldman, responding to irate readers for his link to yesterday’s editorial in South African Daily Mail & Guardian –

I love being an American. I can’t think of a better place to be. But let’s face it… we’re also the most naive, nosy, closed-minded, arrogant fucks walking on this planet.

Please tell me I’m not the only person in the Western Hemisphere that knew Third World countries have hated our guts for decades????

It got to the point where I couldn’t take the “Anti-American” sentiment on MetaFilter this past week… You bring up Hiroshima, and I’ll normally remind someone that we went back after the war, paid billions in reparations, and helped the Japanese rebuild. When Kuwait was invaded by Saddam… they came to *US* for help. When these little piss-on countries need billions in foriegn aid, with no possible way to repay it… who do they go to? The United States, that’s who.

I could have blasted these people. But instead, I listened. America should listen right now.

There’s no excusing what happened though. Those 5,000+ people didn’t deserve to die (Including three firemen that Carole & I knew). It’s still my belief that these terrorists will do what they do, simply for a taste of notariety, and well, they’re assholes. It’s still my belief that Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda needs to be wiped out of existence, and if the Taliban wants to get in the way… so be it.

But Napalming the people of Afghanistan; Poor people, already ravaged by war, opressed by the Taliban, fleeing their country in terror… they don’t deserve to die either.

Saddam Hussein (of all people), recently stated “Maybe the U.S. needs to rethink their foriegn policy”.

America needs to listen. America needs their eyes and minds wide open right now.

God gave you two ears and one mouth… He was hoping you’d listen twice as much as you spoke.