Given that I am the main guest in this party, I'd like to say a few words in this memorable ocassion:
1-I did not know anyone was being forced to read my posts at gunpoint. Had I known of such a terrorist action, I'd have been the first one to denounce it.
2-I am fervent about my values, something that inevitably shows in most of my posts. Injustice, lack of compassion, bigotry, ignorance, and psychopaty provoke quite a bit of indignation in me----and I'm very proud of that. The day that I stop being indignated about these things, I will have abandoned my values and compromised my integrity. The only way for that to happen would be for my conscience and my soul to die.
3-We Mediterraneans/Arabs are very emotional and expressive. I can understand that some Americans may find that strange or annoying. I've been exposed to several cultures and that has made me aware and tolerant of the differences among us.
4-It seems many of the posters here are unconfortable with the prospect of a smart woman willing to stand her ground. Otherwise, I don't see where all those allegations of hysteria come from. Men that prefer women to be submissive and dumb, love to call smart strong women histerical. As that is the case, I take your labelling me histerical as a compliment.
5-There seems to be some confusion about some of my points of view here. Just for the sake of clarification let me settle this once and for all:
A-I don't condone terrorism. Yet, I understand the hate that causes it, as I have been a victim of American/Israeli state-sponsored terrrorism. Thus, I understand that the root of that hate are American foreign policies in the ME.
B-I consider Al Qaeda a despicable terrorist group, but I consider Hisballah a legitimate resistance guerrilla.
C-Some of Hisballah's methods are morally wrong, but when you face a ruthless and more powerful enemy like the IDF, there are not any morally right options on the table. It's either subdue or fight with whatever means you have. I chose the latter and they do too.
D-The day that Hisballah fights a war that goes against Lebanese interests or puts Lebanon in danger in order to favor Syrian/Irani interests, they will lose most of their Lebanese supporters, and I'll be the first one to despise them for that. So far, they've never done it, so they have my respect as a legitimate resistance guerrilla that is defending the sovereignity of our country against Israeli imperialism (Zionism).
E-I don't think Ahmadinejad is a saint, but I do think he's smarter and more willing to solve political problems through negotiations than neocons are. Bush & co. are no less extremist or imperialist than Iran is. Thus, Iran is not more of a threat to the world than Israel or the US. The US and Israel have slaughtered way more civilians than Iran ever has, and the only country that has actually used a nuclear bomb is the US. Thus, Iran has the right to posess a nuclear weapon if they chose to. Every country has a right to self-defense and in a world where your main threats already have those weapons, it is your right to have one too.
6-I was not aware that double posting was so annoying to some of you. I was eager to reply to everyone, and that required double posting, as it's really complicated to reply to more than one poster in a single post. I assumed those of you who are following a thread just read all the new posts anyway.
7-Some here hate me, some here love me. Either way I am grateful for having caught your interest as it allows me to express my point of view to a broader audience. I have special thanks for nwildman and oil4you, who have helped me dispel several stereotypes and prejudism about Islam; Jack/Specop who have helped me raise despise for psychopatic methods of solving political problems; Rwwff who has helped me uncover the real agendas behind American/Israeli actions, as well as the nature of their state-sponsored terrorism; Eli who helped me show the double standards and prejudiced views that even moderate Christians have when judging Islam; Smallpox girl who taught me about her first-hand experience of the Palestinian plight; Magus/PMS/Azreal/Smiley who taught me about the importance of being open to different point of views and of accepting when I have failed to see a part of the whole picture; Venky who taught me about self-control in the face of provokation; Threadbear/Emmersonbiggins/Free/Neopo who taught me about the importance of critical thinking in the face of media bias and propaganda; and Roger who made me laugh when everything around me was a somber reality of children crying their dead mothers and homes being converted to rubble in seconds.
I'm probably forgetting a few people, but suffice it to say that I do learn from those that I find disgusting as much as I learn from those that I admire.
8-I am not the red-haired girl. I have dark brown hair and green-blue eyes. Want to see a pic?
PS: Sorry for the loooong posts. I'm a very expressive, opinionated (and articulate) person
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