MAXIM-UM 'REGRET'? Protesters Don't Buy 'Apology' (ROLOL Alert!! Best Apology letter I have seen)

tolerance ^

[neither-nor]

Thank you.I'm here on FR primarily to learn- many people here have a fascinating and informed take on subjects. And this has been a really great discussion.

I absolutely agree with your take on Islamic terrorism- I have seen enough Islamic fundamentalists here in India. I don't think that the Islamic terroists are likely to take passive ressitance either. The way many of them seem to interpret their religion precludes such an eventuality. No, this is just a nightmare scenario of mine, one that I have thought over for years.

Even African blacks, today, yearn for the days of Apartheid. South Africa, under ANC rule,is a disaster. Without the deification of Mandela, the lefties' mass propaganda, and the West's heavy handed importunings for them to end Apartheid, South Africa WAS slowly getting rid of it. It would have seen an end, without the interfierence and the Commies wouldn't have taken over.

Your comments on South Africa surprise me!( By the way this isn't sarcasm, but genuine surprise.I'm saying this because written statements often come out differently than what one means). I don't know if blacks yearn for apartheid. IMHO if they do it is probably akin to the yearning that some citizens of erstwhile communist countries have ( as is often described) for their erstwhile communist masters. The yearning that says, at least we had some security,jobs, food under the communists. This yearning would be highlighted by the present instability.

Just to give you a little perspective ( this may be an impreferct analogy for South Africa): Here in India a FEW (elderly) people STILL say, apparently from personal experience, that things were better under the Brits! They base their statement on their beliefs that the average British officer was upstanding, honest and committed, while Indian bureaucrats, politicians are...um.... not!

I think they are wrong because ultimately, in the imperfect yet best system that is democarcy self governance is inevtiable and the best solution. Of course many countries - notably in Africa and Asia -appear to be going down the tubes once their erswthile colonizers upped and left.

How South Africa will go remains to be seen. Interestingly, I think that the history of post colonial governments seems to show that socialist/communist leadership 'inevitably' takes over immediately after. India too had a socialist outlook till we began to wise up in the 1990s. The process of change continues.

South Africa WAS slowly getting rid of it. It would have seen an end, without the interfierence and the Commies wouldn't have taken over.

Was it? I didn't think so - perhaps you can point out somelinks where I can do more research (Again: genuine request, no sarcasm). If it was the case then I would think that it was because of internal resistance and external pressure.Would South Africa have got rid of apartheid without internal/external pressure? I dont think so.

Thank you for your time, patience and courtesy all this while in replying. Now I really have to go to office!My boss is gonna kill me."

[nopardons]

For your later reading.

My extended family is South African. I read their newspaper, as well as talking with them. Last year, two government owned ( ALL of South Africa's median is owned and run by the government, except for the underground papers )ran HUGE, bold headlines, stating " BRING BACK APARTHEID ". These were neither whites, nor old people.

I'm sorry, but I do not do links. If you FREEPmail me, I'll tell you some of SA's web sites for newspapers and perhaps, they have archieves.

Oh yes, South Africa, without any outside interfierance WAS indeed slowly getting rid of Apartheid.It would have sped up, had the UN and the Western world not stuck their collective noses into it all. Remember, as I have already said, blacks actually DID have the vote, prior to the English invasion. For the most part, the Boers and most blacks lived harmoniously ( especially the Boers and the Zulus ! ) for hundreds of years. The Boers bought land from the Zulus, had treaties with them, and some of the lands they lived on, had NEVER been used/lived on by another human. They displaced no one.

Under ANC rule, blacks have suffered greatly. Even before they " took over ", Mandela and the ANC made many blacks' lives untenable. Now, the crime rate, almost destruction of the police force, infant rape, the ANC's removal of blacks, from lands, which they had lived on for generations( not to mention that the ANC woke them up and just bulldozed their homes, in about a 15 minute time period ! )are things which NEVER happened under the previous government's rule. Then, there is the dumbing down and destruction of what once was one of the world's BEST/ FINEST free school systems, the killings, torturings ( necklacing and more ), and tribal warfare, now being fought...which wasn't, for more than 100 years, the cronyism ( they have state instituted Afirmative Action, but ONLY for ANC cronies ! ), and oh so much more.The first year of Mandela's rule, EVERYONE , white, black, coloured, were dancing in the streets; literally ! They thought that he was going to unit everyone and rule brilliantly. Old Commies don't reform and he is wasn't the exception. Though better than his successor, Thabo Mbeki, things soon began to fall apart. It's a VERY long story and quite unlike what happened in Russia, where some yearn for the restoration of the " old " regime.Oh and the corruption, hardly qualifies South Africa as a " democracy ".

Yes, we do seem to agree completely, about the Ilsamic terrorists. Passive resistance is so far removed from their cognative abilities, that they would never adopt such a thing.

Though I know a little bit about Indian history and know some Indians, who are now American citizens,I know far too little ( especially compared to you ! ) to ever post any kind of reply about that topic. Still, I think that the Brits did impart some good, during their stay there; but, that is all I am willing to say about today's India. LOL

This is how debates/discussions should be, on FR; unfortunately, most aren't.I am looking forward to your reply.

[Nachum]

Oy vey. This sounds like something out of a Monty Python sketch!