Eloquent Statement...

[TwinMom7]

This was just sent to me by my son's Family Readiness Officer...

SADLY, YOU'LL NEVER SEE ELOQUENT STATEMENTS LIKE THIS QUOTED IN THE N.Y. TIMES OR WASHINGTON POST:

When in England at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of empire building by George Bush.

He answered by saying that, "Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return."

 

[DawnCt]

My eyes tear up everytime I read that statement. I have trouble reading it allowed. It is so true. We have always left the countries we have entered better than what we found them.

 

[jamsmom]

Can someone please explain to me why some people don't believe this statement?

 

[DawnCt]

Originally posted by jamsmom
Can someone please explain to me why some people don't believe this statement?

I didn't know that there were those who didn't believe it. Did you mean they didn't believe that he said it? If so, I saw and heard the news clips not more than two weeks ago. If you mean do they not believe that we don't take over a country and call it our own? That should be apparent. Those people belong to the group called American wrong and wrong again. I have no patience for them. Especially now.

 

[Deb in IA]

Interesting.

Colin Powell is indeed an eloquent man, and I respect him immensely.

By the way, I do not think the Archbishop of Canterbury has ANY room to talk about "empire building".

After all, it was the BRITISH EMPIRE that, only a short century or so ago, routinely invaded foreign countries (India, Rhodesia, etc), subjugated their native peoples, and established themselves as the government.

What did Jesus say about the speck in my eye and the plank in yours??

(Oh, and I am an Episcopalian too . . .)

 

[Loftus]

Correct quote - wrong context.

http://urbanlegends.miningco.com/library/bl-colin-powell.htm

 

[Mackey Mouse]

I am just so glad he said it.. I do not care where he said it... just that he did say it..

 

[Galahad]

(Oh, and I am an Episcopalian too . . .)

 

[Claudia1]

Thanks for posting that quote. It is very very good!

 

[Deb in IA]

Thanks, Loftus . . .

 

[nativetxn]

We have gone forth from our shores repeatedly over the last hundred years and we’ve done this as recently as the last year in Afghanistan and put wonderful young men and women at risk, many of whom have lost their lives, and we have asked for nothing except enough ground to bury them in, and otherwise we have returned home to seek our own, you know, to seek our own lives in peace, to live our own lives in peace. But there comes a time when soft power or talking with evil will not work where, unfortunately, hard power is the only thing that works.

Thanks for that link, Loftus. I really like this quote too

 

[rob@rar.org.uk]

Originally posted by Deb in IA
After all, it was the BRITISH EMPIRE that, only a short century or so ago, routinely invaded foreign countries (India, Rhodesia, etc), subjugated their native peoples, and established themselves as the government.

Guilty as charged. British foriegn policy in the last century and before has contributed to many of the most difficult international problems we currently face (eg Palestine, Iraq, Afganistan, etc). That's why the former Archbishop's question was an important one. Any country trying to build an empire is just storing up trouble in the future. For waht it's wortyh, I think there are very few British people who belive that America has any desire to create an empire. Those that do believe it are normally ignored, so I don't think that there is anything to worry about.

Powell's response to George Cary was the perfect answer to a somewhat impertinent question.

Regards

Rob

 

[Loftus]

Rob, the reason I posted the link was that Carey didn't mention empire building in his question to Powell.
I also think it is difficult to judge the Empire by imposing todays standards. It started off after all as a huge commercial enterprise - a desire to obtain natural resources not available in the UK and to increase the country's trading base. India and much of southern Africa were 'governed' for a time by private companies rather than Britain.
As with all these things it is easier to get into than get out of

 

[rob@rar.org.uk]

Thanks Loftus, I should have followed your link! I was surprised that Carey had asked such a crass question, so thanks for pointing out that he didn't.

I agree that it is not always sensible to judge actions from a different era by today's standards of behaviour. While the building of Empire might have been for sensible commercial or well-meaning patriarchal reasons, we can with hindsight see the folly of it.

Regards

Rob