Ashcroft's press conference today

[Barry]

I watched the "General's" press conference today announcing the code orange terrorist alert. He introduced something I've never heard before. He referred to "evil chemistry" and "evil biology"

 

Now admittedly it's been a long while since my college days but I don't recall either of those courses offered even at the grad level.

 

Did I go to the wrong schools?

 

Are they offered now? Can you major in either or both of them?

 

Why isn't there "evil physics"?

 

So many questions.

 

Confused..........Barry

[alanalt]

>Why isn't there "evil physics"?

>

>So many questions.

>

>Confused..........Barry

 

evil physics = nuclear physics :-)

 

And you think you're confused...x(

 

Alan (never thought anyone could make Janet Reno look good until...)

[jack]

Barry, we find ourselves today in a new global situation where world wide, free people are being killed just to be terrorized and killed. President Bush was the first world leader to identify, objectify, and name the terroism that has been occurring more relentlessly and seemingly, until now, unrelated, as world terrorism. He provided the venue for all other world leaders to join together and to pursue terrorists in their own countries, which, in fact, we discover, all seem to be related.

 

Hence, this new awareness of this new type of enemy that grows and moves amongst us calls for and requires new vocabularly and words to describe what it is. "Evil chemistry","evil biology" are excellent new metaphors that help fill in the blanks we have in our languages to define what we are in the middle of.

 

I am positive you went to excellent schools and that you have not missed anything.

[Guest Merlin]

Biology used to create weapons of mass murder of innocent people may reasonably be characterized as "evil biology". Ditto chemistry applied to that evil purpose.

[Guest in yer face]

Id have to disagree with you on a few points. The previous 2 administrations (Clinton and Bush Sr) both recognized terrorism as a global entity. Bin Ladin had already been indentified, and has been stated by various sources that there had been a push for more money to fight terrorism. THat money had been cut or delayed by both Clinton AND Bush Jr. (that is until 9/11).

 

Bush has not done anyhting that any other president would have done in the same situation as far as trying to unite the world against terrorism. WHat he has managed to do is act in such a unilateral way that most of the free world resents us more than ever. WHile this may not matter so much now, it will in the future.

 

As far as the term "evil" is concerned, I personally think its a stupid word that sounds a whole lot like a religious term. "Evil Doers" "evil biology" or whatever just sounds silly. Is our own military technology "evil"? Id say call it what it is, chemical weapons, biological weapons. We are not 5 year olds.

 

Just my opinion, you have yours, this is mine.

 

 

 

Barry, we find ourselves today in a new global situation

>where world wide, free people are being killed just to be

>terrorized and killed. President Bush was the first world

>leader to identify, objectify, and name the terroism that

>has been occurring more relentlessly and seemingly, until

>now, unrelated, as world terrorism. He provided the venue

>for all other world leaders to join together and to pursue

>terrorists in their own countries, which, in fact, we

>discover, all seem to be related.

>

>Hence, this new awareness of this new type of enemy that

>grows and moves amongst us calls for and requires new

>vocabularly and words to describe what it is. "Evil

>chemistry","evil biology" are excellent new metaphors that

>help fill in the blanks we have in our languages to define

>what we are in the middle of.

>

>I am positive you went to excellent schools and that you

>have not missed anything.

[alanalt]

Well, we're going to take this seriously??? :-)

 

Well, Ok.

 

I have a real problem with 'evil' science (be it 'evil biology' 'evil chemistry' or whatever). In my opinion there's no such thing. The techniques for making a biological weapon are very similar to making a vaccine. Certainly, science can be put to 'evil' uses by 'evil' people, but anything can be used that way, even a Boeing passenger plane...

 

Or let's put it another way, the USA has the most powerful arsenal of destructive weapons in the world. Does that make the US 'evil'? Osama and Saddam would argue 'yes', I think the rest of us would take a different approach.

 

Biology, chemistry, guns and rockets are tools, neither good nor evil, its what we do with them that counts.

 

Alan (enough serious thinking for now, back to packing)

[BuckyXTC]

Alan:

 

I'm with you on this. Makes little sense to me to talk about evil science. Science is science, period. How it is used is open to discussion and debate, but science itself is morally neutral.

 

The old ploy of linking pejorative moral terms to things like science is not new. Governments do this for the purpose of making themselves appear righteous and their enemies unrighteous. We call some of our missiles "Peacekeepers", while calling the ones possessed by our enemies by evil sounding names. Our satellites are "surveillance satellites; theirs, "killer satellites". This nomenclature is not unintentional, but a common tool of every government's propaganda apparatus.

 

We have a host of terms we use to diminish the harshness of actions in war. When we fuck up and kill civilians in the process of trying to kill enemy soldiers, we refer to it as "collateral damage". I doubt the families of the innocents killed in those situations are inclined to use that terminology. And when we kill our own soldiers through tactical error, we call it "friendly fire". I doubt those who happen to be on the receiving end see it as "friendly".

[BuckyXTC]

One more thing

 

If I remember correctly, Mr. Ashcroft is an ardent supporter of the National Rifle Association, whose credo is that guns aren't evil, but only those who use them for wrongful purposes. If he ascribes to that notion, as I believe he does, seems a bit hypocritical to ascribe evil to biology or chemistry when he won't do the same for guns.

[BewareofNick]

RE: One more thing

 

Let's not forget that this is John "I don't like the Constitution so I'll just try to push it aside/ I know better than you do" Ashcroft. Let's also not foget that he lost his election bid to the corpse of Mel Carnahan. His definition of evil would be anything that does not agree with him. A lot of people thought that no one could make Janet Reno look good. And then came Ashroft....

[ready182]

Gun control

 

Many people have been murdered by assailants using golf clubs (can you say Kennedy?). Therefore all golfers are ... and gold clubs should be ...

 

Many have been killed by cars. Therefore all drivers are ... and cars should be ...

 

Let me make a deal with the liberal gun-hating naive idiots: the day the "law" successfully removes cocaine from the US, I will support gun control. i.e. as the cliche goes 'when guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns'. To further explain, the "bad guys" will ALWAYS have guns, and if they want it, much worse.

 

I bet Iraq and Iran have great gun-control policy. Since some seem to agree, may I suggest they consider a relocation. I'll chip in for their moving expenses.

[BuckyXTC]

RE: Gun control

 

Ready182:

 

You missed my point. I'm not arguing the merits or flaws of gun control, I'm just pointing out the inconsistency of Ashcroft on similar arguments of causation Wouldn't you say it is inconsistent if you say that guns can't be considered evil but science can?

[bluenix]

RE: Gun control

 

>Let me make a deal with the liberal gun-hating naive idiots:

>the day the "law" successfully removes cocaine from the US,

>I will support gun control.

>

>To further explain, the "bad guys" will ALWAYS have guns, and

>if they want it, much worse.

 

I'm sorry, ready, but if you can't say something intelligible, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to step into my crosshairs.

 

http://www.ezshots.com/members/blueman/images/blueman-32.jpg

[BuckyXTC]

RE: Gun control

 

Bluenix:

 

Thanks for a much needed laugh! That is so funny!!!!:-)

[ready182]

RE: Gun control

 

I hope that weapon is properly registered!

[ready182]

RE: Gun control

 

Bucky,

 

Sorry, you hit a nerve. Peace, Justice, and the American (opps, not my line

 

Ready