I think we will agree that one needs to be sure that one knows what they are talking about before they accuse. Accusing Bush of engineering the 911 tragedy is pointing out an evil but it is pointing the wrong way, That is not what I am talking about. The evil is the perpetration of the 911 tragedy, but the evil is NOT America. I am not one of those who blames America for 911. I am also not talking about "Code Pink" and the groups of America haters. I am not an America hater. I love this country. If one has a legitimate gripe, which I do, one may or may not decide to take reasonable action. Burning buildings and rioting is not, in my assessment, reasonable action. Neither is shooting abortion providers. But providing abortion as a means of birth control is evil, in my view. What do I do? I publish a newsletter to make people aware of the ways in which their freedoms are being compromised and their country is being undermined. I hold public meetings and collect accolades more than not. I have a call to action which involves circulating the newsletter. I don't receive a penny for it and I do not want to. My only goal is to protect America from the impending political and economic disasters, which are unnecessary and can be avoided; indeed reversed. One may say that I am guilty of the "talk is cheap" slogan because I only talk and write. But I do come under severe scrutiny, verbal abuse and even get threats. I have had to interrupt my routine public meetings because of a threat from the left crowd. But I will resume them. I do not believe that expressing political speculation like the "Loose Change" message is useful. But things like Eminent Domain are an evil we can analyze objectively. But I take on other issues as well. I just got tired of hoping that someone would see the reality of politics gone wild and rise to the occasion. But no one in my area did, so I felt compelled to do so. I don't mean to say that in a pompous or bragging way. Forgive me if I sound pompous. I have always been known for my humility. I also do not suggest that anyone who does not become an active political exponent is lacking any way. We are all different and we all rise to the occasion that is set out for us when the right time comes. We cannot judge others according to a measure we do not even understand. I think Joseph Conrad's Lord Jim was brilliant in pointing that out. I feel sad for Cedric's friend who may have been a victim of rash judgment or poor communication. How we present our ideas is critically important. I hope I have not offended anyone by my summary exposition here. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tony Smith" To: "'Microcontroller discussion list - Public.'" Sent: Thursday, August 14, 2008 8:51 AM Subject: RE: [OT]Beijing Olympic Games opening ceremony >> > On Tue, 12 Aug 2008, Rich wrote: >> >> Pointing out an evil is not patriotic at all. Pointing >> out an evil >> >> against which you put yourself in harms way to expose the evil is >> >> patriotic. Talk is cheap. Action speaks louder than words. >> > >> > This hits the nail on the head, and is a great point. >> > >> > So in order of least useful... >> > >> > 1. Ignoring your countrys faults because you think you are >> a patriot. >> > 2. Complaining about faults because you think you are a >> patriot. (Me) >> > 3. Doing something about your countries faults because you are a >> > patriot. >> >> >> What qualifies as doing something ? >> a) I ( moi )point out flaws about the USA and suggest ways to >> correct them. > > > [citation needed] > > Tony > > -- > http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive > View/change your membership options at > http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist