so, ms. amarain, why so down on the u.s.? there ARE democrats in control since 2000 as well, ya know. don't be too worried.
I'm afraid your posts are a bit too disjointed for me to follow at the moment (really tired), but I thought I'd address this one part since it was specifically directed towards me. I'm not really down on the US specifically - in fact, I feel pretty damn lucky to be an American and I support my country in general. but there are some US policies that I cannot condone, and I feel it's my responsibility to at least be somewhat knowledgable about them and speak out when I don't agree. That's what democracy is all about (yes, I know technically it's not a democracy, blah blah). I'm neither a Republican nor Democrat, so I'm kind of confused by that remark too. I have certain ideas and believe in certain principles, so I support politicans who act in accordance with my beliefs. Their party affiliation is unimportant to me.
Just because there have been human rights violations since the beginning of time doesn't mean they're OK. Slavery has been around a long time, but it doesn't mean it's a good thing. I don't think it's really fair to compare New York City to either Baghdad or Belgrade. Clearly there are some places where human rights violations are worse than others.
Koga, I totally agree with you, btw.