Faith In Weapons!

Just till then

Why are Hindus targeted in India. Why are no other religions allowed to worship in Mecca. Why are buddhist statues destroyed in Afghanistan?

I am not as you suggest naive about the atrocities done in my name by my country.

But really look at history. Islam has been intolerant of every other religious group it has encountered throughout history (and so has christianity).

It is indeed simplistic to think there is a simple cause effect: I hurt them so they want to hurt me. But that does not explain why they bully everyone else.

Hate (and love) ultimately come from the person's inner workings. Gandhi did not hate the british. I suspect that the founders of this nation did not hate king George. When we wiped out the Indians there was hate. The person responsible for their hate is that person. Not the circumstances around them.

The nazis were not justified in their hate of Jews because the jews were economically successful even if they were using banking systems to exploit the poor germans. Likewise, islamic hate of buddhists, hindus, animists, etc is not because the colonial powers were abusive. It predated that.

hariaum

Hello Navin1 ,

I disagree with your diagnosis of the causes of hatred and attack. I certainly disagree with your extremely simplistic definition of "us" as the victims and "them" as the problem. Do you have so little knowledge of the historical interactions of the Western Powers in Mid-Eastern and Far Eastern and African governments and economies? It was not even that long ago that many African nations were colonies, along with outright or de facto colonization around the globe by the United States and European nations.

Are you not aware of the arbitrary and destructive realignment of borders and countries and cultures that happened in the early decades of the 20th century? And the manipulations and meddling and sucking from the pot that was done by Western overlords?

Do you know how many of the then mujahadeen, fighting for control of Afganistan against Soviet invaders and then competing factions, died when America abruptly withdrew it's support of them? Osama bin Laden was among that crew that were fed by America and then abandoned by America, and thousands died.

Look at the history of Saddam Hussein.

You want to pretend that America is innocent, but we are not. You and I did nothing to abuse power and steal resources and manipulate foreign coffers, but our representatives did. We have earned the ire of many around the globe, Navin. We were the original abuser. We need to collectively and publicly recognize and accept that, for it is the truth, and we will be further on the road to making peace in the world feasible.

B R E A K i N G --- N E W S:

Osam Bin Laden is Dead; since June 2007!

Osam Bin Laden is Dead; since June 2007!

Osam Bin Laden is Dead; since June 2007!

Osam Bin Laden is Dead; since June 2007!

Osam Bin Laden is Dead; since June 2007!

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Oh come on. People hate because they are confronted by their own inadequacy and want to blame someone else for their problems. They do not hate anyone (Americans, Hindus, Buddhists) for who those people are. The haters hate their own ideological construct and have to externalize it onto the other to validate it.

If we blame the rape victim for the rape, we do not solve the rape. Free society is under attack by people who do not want others to be free. A girl going to school is attacked, a couple wanting to marry out of their tradition is attacked, a film maker is attacked, a cartoon is attacked, etc etc.

They fear that they are wrong. If those with a pluralistic viewpoint survive and get along, it is proof that those with dogmatic views are wrong. then the value of their lives, their ideology is negated. And thus they must destroy pluralism.

There is no question that all of us are sinners. There is a question why some sinners hate and others forgive. The answer is not in the sin but that person who hates.

It is not us who lack a little decency. It is those that fly airplanes into civilian targets, burn Hindus and Jews on inquisitions, that run jihads and crusades for their mono-ideologies...

STOP BLAMING THE VICTIM. Stand up and fight for justice, even if it is complicated.

hariaum

An Active Shooter (a spree murderer) is usually "finished" with his murder spree in two-to-three MINUTES. Active Shooters favor "UNARMED VICTIM ZONES". Think about it.

Police response in less than three minutes from the beginning of an "incident" is nearly impossible.

When the "bad thing" happens, those involved will be on their own to solve the problem, to live or die. That is the reality of dealing with an Active Shooter.

If more "good citizens" were armed (and trained), there would be fewer victims of criminal assaults. Ultimately, we are responsible for our personal protection, the government cannot be with us every moment and I do not want them with me every moment.

There is nothing wrong with guns in the hands of these Rabis who are trained in the use of these tools of protection.

Very simply: the highest expression of humanity's emotional intelligence, social intelligence, and spiritual intelligence shines forth in an example like the great soul, Mahatma Gandhi. His faith was such that he never would have taken a gun into a temple. We should aspire to nothing less. Guns in temples will not solve gun problems.