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Mood Disorder Community
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Administrator
Administrator
14912 Posts
Gratitude: 593
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 Posted - 10/05/2007 : 16:21:48
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Dear Members,
I very much would like to continue the discussion we were having at "Ethics In Psychiatry And Politics":
http://www.mytherapy.com/discussion/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=10988
However, I somehow triggered a bug in our word-wrapping in the original discussion (making it very difficult to read).
Thus I suggest we continue this discussion here.
Phil Long M.D.
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| Administrator
Administrator
14912 Posts
Gratitude: 593
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Posted - 10/05/2007 : 16:36:47
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Dear Members,
Re: 160,000 American-funded mercenaries occupying Iraq
It find this story incredible, but it was confirmed by an interview with U.S. Congressman David Price that I heard on the Canadian government CBC radio Oct. 4/07.
http://www.cbc.ca/mrl3/8752/asithappens/20071004-aih-2.wmv
U.S. Congressman David Price stated that there are 160,000 American-funded "armed guards" working in Iraq; which is numerically greater than the total number of U.S. military stationed in Iraq.
These private "armed guards" were not accountable to either Iraqi or American law.
I believe it is totally unethical to have Iraq occupied by a private, lawless band of 160,000 "armed guards" (i.e., mercenaries). Is this the "democracy" we wanted to bring to Iraq?
The last time in history that such a large band of private, lawless "armed guards" existed, was in Nazi Germany (i.e., Hitler's "Brown Shirts"). I am a 62-year old psychiatrist, and an amateur student of history. My reading of history warns me that we are quickly in the process of losing our democracy and its ideals. This entire Iraqi war is just so totally unethical.
I welcome your comments.
Phil Long M.D.
Administrator
P.S. Strangely, in the archived copy of this CBC radio interview, the majority of Congressman's interview is now missing. I have emailed CBC asking them to repair this damaged (or censored) file.
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| spirit
Amazing Member (1000+ posts)
1055 Posts
Gratitude: 245
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Posted - 10/05/2007 : 18:52:13
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It occurred to me that Black Water is maybe a metaphor for oil which is important to us and where as water is important to the desert people.
This leads me to ask:
Is this war an attempt to maintain a supply of oil and/or to maximize profits from oil. Or, maybe an attempt by a certain segment of the oil industry to control a source. I would liken it to the empire building of the past but oil industries are characterized as "global". This would mean the US as a whole is only a pawn in some game and not to blame. My step-father, a retired Army officer from WWII and Korea, use to say to me "My Country, right or wrong, My Country", which pretty much sums up a career soldier's fate. And, he would say "I salute the desk."
This is all hypothetical, there is no way for me to know. I hear much on the radio and TV I must dismiss as beyond comprehension. War is deplorable and the recent Ken Burns PBS series on WWII explains it's necessity at times fairly well. However, this latest attempt does come across as a bit high handed which brings to mind the recent Lawrence of Arabia documentary also on PBS and the manipulation for control that played out in that era.
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| Administrator
Administrator
14912 Posts
Gratitude: 593
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Posted - 10/06/2007 : 23:36:18
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Dear Members,
Earlier I wrote about there being 160,000 American-funded mercenaries running lawless in Iraq. The Washington Post just ran a lengthy article which confirms this story at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/05/AR2007100501677.html
These private "armed guards" were not accountable to either Iraqi or American law. They have enraged Iraqis with their indiscriminate killing of civilians:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpHdP6aZGKI
I believe we are witnessing a major breakdown in American morality. We must learn from this terrible example. What are we doing as individuals that always leads to war and these atrocities?
Phil Long M.D.
Administrator
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| spirit
Amazing Member (1000+ posts)
1055 Posts
Gratitude: 245
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Posted - 10/08/2007 : 04:32:14
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The best source of information I have found for what is going on, if you've got the bandwidth is here:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/view/
spirit of friendship
p.s.: The documentary they did on Blackwater isn't listed. I guess it is still being played out.
Thank you Spirit, Your link was excellent, especially the link to the PBS documentary "Endgame" (a military history of the occupation of Iraq) at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/endgame/ This documentary shows how life is now hell for civilians in Iraq. No civilian population deserves this level of chaos and carnage. I was hiking in our mountains this weekend, and I happened to meet an Iranian tourist. She told me that, in Iran, they were hoping that the Iraqis and the Americans would fight to the last man. She told me that Iran has no sympathy for Iraq (especially after their recent bloody war with Iraq). What is my point? I believe that many are losing sight of the deaths of more than 655,000 Iraqi civilians. The ethics are so distorted in the Middle East that even a neighboring country "couldn't care less" about this massive loss of human life. Ethically, we must ask ourselves how did we ever let it get this bad? Phil Long M.D.
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| spirit
Amazing Member (1000+ posts)
1055 Posts
Gratitude: 245
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Posted - 10/09/2007 : 04:44:35
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The word's of the woman you mention are understandable considering the state of anxiety (stress + fear) that exist in war torn and war weary nations. Her remarks were probably an exaggeration for emphases.
The Blackwater Documentary is there and listed as Private Warriors 2005. It really is inconceivable that such an organization is necessary. The chaotic nature of what is happening in Iraq can not help but make one think that the profit motive of "others" might be interfering in the outcome.
spirit
100% In Agreement Spirit !! |
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| stigmastomper (inactive)
Super Incredible Member (10000+ posts)
24317 Posts
Gratitude: 1940
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Posted - 05/20/2008 : 14:50:19
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was it dwight d eisehower that warned us about the military industrial complex?
and what of the various emperialsts,immperialist that have come to america?
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| stigmastomper (inactive)
Super Incredible Member (10000+ posts)
24317 Posts
Gratitude: 1940
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Posted - 07/26/2008 : 06:13:08
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dr.long.
and they all shall make war on the lamb , and the lamb shall over come them.
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| Jonathan90125
Incredible Member (2000+ posts)
4098 Posts
Gratitude: 378
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Posted - 07/26/2008 : 12:02:30
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| I agree with you Dr long, howeverr I get 404 Not found error when I click on the 2 links on that page. |
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| stigmastomper (inactive)
Super Incredible Member (10000+ posts)
24317 Posts
Gratitude: 1940
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Posted - 10/26/2008 : 12:57:09
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dr.long
they make the nazis look like girl scouts. |
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| stigmastomper (inactive)
Super Incredible Member (10000+ posts)
24317 Posts
Gratitude: 1940
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Posted - 07/07/2014 : 12:36:02
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good talk here
hi,
please pardon the typos I'm using the speech recognition dictation program. Thank you. PS you all rock |
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| warblaster
Super Incredible Member (10000+ posts)
112498 Posts |
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| warblaster
Super Incredible Member (10000+ posts)
112498 Posts |
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| warblaster
Super Incredible Member (10000+ posts)
112498 Posts |
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| warblaster
Super Incredible Member (10000+ posts)
112498 Posts |
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| warblaster
Super Incredible Member (10000+ posts)
112498 Posts |
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Ethics In Psychiatry And Politics (Continued)
