thjis,

You may disagree with me on the rights of college level teachers if you want. That's your right. But the fundamental elements of teaching tells me that a teacher is not supposed to plant the seeds of a specific point of view in the minds of people by stating they advocate it. I refuse to accept academia's stance that they are allowed to be judge and jury on any issue related to humanity. That includes God, and whether or not he/she exists. If you can impose your values in a classroom, mainstream America has the same right. It isn't a domain you own, it's one we own as a society, and as a professor, or teacher at any level, your job is to create a thirst for knowledge, not pass judgment. Passing off errors from the past, like the teaching of American history, which also must be corrected to reflect the truth is not acceptable as an excuse for being able to promote your own agenda. It's rediculous to say that it was done before so it's acceptable now. It should never have been done, and it must be corrected in all areas of education.

You mentioned "programming" by Fundamentalist Muslims. When a professor insists that the students turn in papers that support their point of view, or they look at the response that disagrees - as critically as they do - and respond by failing students, they are imposing their values on the student and that's intolerable in our society. Of course, agreeing with the professor, and following their "instructions" like "good little soldiers" gives fantastic results. Go to the head of the class.

UN diplomacy. You'd advocate that? Have we been misinformed about something? I suggest you point out what the UN has done effectively for the last twenty-five years. Name one issue where they didn't argue over the situation based on their political ideology and/or their own gains? The UN has lost focus, and in my opinion, should no longer exist. I felt this way long before the issue of Afghanistan, as I watched them push their agenda for "restraint" as one nation after another fell in step with terrorism and genocide, for political reasons. That's not acceptable. I've watched as one war lord after another in Africa has gone on a rampage killing people from another tribe, and the UN sits back and "debates the issue," without any concern for the people being systematically killed in what's obviously genocide. I've watched as dictators and less than honorable governments have held their hand out for more money to build opulent surroundings for their ruling class, by withholding their votes on critical issues associated with the well being of the people of the world. I should accept this?

No my friend. The last straw was Saddam Hussein thumbing his nose at the world, because the UN lacked the guts to respond against him when he failed to deliver on sanctions. He'd become the poster boy for every nation that would defy them, and they sat back, and let it happen. Allowing a cancer like him to grow did nothing more than create more hotbeds of nations where terrorists could be trained, supported, and unleashed on the world, because nobody could do anything about it, since the UN was impotent.

You might want to read NEWYORKRED's postings a little closer. She's seen it all because she works with an organization that is trying to save lives, not barter them away like chips on a crap table. She's seen the pain, the hurt, and the lack of help people get from the UN, while fat cats sit back and enjoy the proceeds from the UN's offerings. Maybe it's time for a "sabbatical." How about taking a field trip? Spend a year or two with the people in the front lines of the tragedy of people, then come back, and tell us what your ideas are for the future. Offering these views up from an ivory tower of self-righteous indignation isn't acceptable.

I take umbrage with your characterization that I am a Rush Limbaugh fan. He's so far right, and totally out of the loop of reality the same as far left theorists are. I was also deeply upset by the Fox news "Told you so!" crap offered as well. These people do not represent mainstream beliefs in America, and if you think they do, your views are as radically far left, as theirs are radically far right. I also take umbrage with your comment that our numbers reflect a high number of "fair weather supporters." The polls tell me you're all wet on that one as well. Of course it works nice for you if you want to "take a shot at us," without having any facts to back it up. The polls have only drifted up slightly, and your alluding to all of these new advocates as being fair weather supporters is hypocritical at best.

Please! Enjoy your view from the ivory tower. Support the UN. Feel free to advocate a POV in your classes. Speak out all you want against us, and our beliefs. But remember one thing. The only reason those rights are guaranteed are because Americans have shed their blood to insure that right has been maintained for you.

Apparently you've conveniently forgotten that the people of Iraq didn't have that right under the butcher. Of course, as long as it didn't directly effect the orderly life of academia, and the UN was always there as a "buffer of truth ." You haven't had to face these realities.

I’m afraid you’ve missed some very important statements made by people out here. NEWYORKRED is not speaking from an ivory tower like you are. Red has been there, and works in the trenches of human despair every day in the field. But what she says doesn’t matter to you. When Booklady speaks about the persecution she’s seen within her own family from a dictatorial government, you conveniently ignore it. When those of us who have been in the hell of war, you act like we didn’t see what we did, it was all an illusion. If I remember correctly, that’s the same statement that Baghdad Bob offered us when the U.S. Army took over the area of Hussein's palaces and Baghdad’s airport. It was all an illusion. We weren’t there.

It’s funny. I would have sworn I saw American soldiers there. So when are you sitting down with Bob and talking about illusions again? You seem to be on the same page.

Wolf