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From: gda@unc.UUCP (Greg Abram)
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Glass houses
Message-ID: <51@unc.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 5-Sep-84 09:05:32 EDT
Article-I.D.: unc.51
Posted: Wed Sep  5 09:05:32 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 12-Sep-84 01:04:28 EDT
Organization: CS Dept., U. of N. Carolina at Chapel Hill
Lines: 42

>>> Nah, the expressed goal of the Russian government is only to take over the
>>> world.
>>>                                          (Rick Hawkins @ Olivetti ATC)
>>
>>Can someone cite me a reference to such an expression of this goal,
>>made by the Soviet government within the last thirty years?
>>
>
>I can; I can give you a whole bunch of them!  The earliest is 1956, the
>invasion of Hungary to prevent it's people  from escaping control by
>the Russian Soviets. 

>	Alan Algustyniak   (ihnp4!sdcrdcf!alan)
>        (allegra!sdcrdcf!alan) (cbosgd!sdcrdcf!alan)

Jeez, is that anything like invading Grenada to keep it in OUR camp?  
Or maybe the Dominican Republic?  Arming Contras to get Nicaraugua back?
Sending military aid to this or that right wing dictator to keep their people 
under their thumb?  Assasinating leaders (Allende?  Sukharno?) we don't like?  
Boy, if those Ruskies do things as bad as that I sure don't like them!

We were told that Grenada was being taken over by Commies; I'm sure
Russian (or Cuban) citizens were told that Grenada was being liberated
from American imperialistic domination.  So who's right?  WE are,
because we are taught certain principles.  THEY are, because they were
taught others.  We do things and forgive ourselves because they were
done for a 'good cause' and decry equivalent things that the Russians
do because they are the focus of all evil.  They do the same.  I'm sure
the Russian people didn't want to blow up KAL007, but then I didn't
want to bomb Cambodia.  I'd sure hate to compare body counts.

So their leaders say aggressive things; how about "Extremism in the
defense of liberty is no vice"?  Hey, its OK, you can do anything, no
matter how extreme, if you can label it "in defense of liberty".  Hell,
that baby is better off dead than alive under a Commie rule.  Kind of
extreme, but thats no vice.  So go for it!

In short, people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. I personally am
well trained to prefer our view of the world to the Russians, and I wouldn't
want to live elsewhere.  But before we get high and mighty in the defense
of truth, justice and the American way, we should take a hard look at some
of the things WE do.  I think a lot of things stink.