Ridecamp: Re: [RC] Other side of the Coin - esp. Scott

I deeply appreciate your position, being one who was growing up instead of
being the doer. Please don't lump all of us RC'rs and/or Americans together.
There are many generations here and a lot of us don't have the same views.
To quote you "That doesn't mean that the other 99% of the people think the
same."

----- Original Message -----
From: "Kristene Smuts" <Ksmuts@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, September 19, 2002 1:06 AM
Subject: [RC] Other side of the Coin - esp. Scott


What if I said that you Yanks are the bad ones?  YOU (all on Ridecamp and
particulary Scott) were the ones that instigated sanctions against us poor
South Africans so that we couldn't go to the Olympics or other world
sporting events.  We couldn't trade; we couldn't travel.  My generation had
absolutely nothing to do with what happened in our country - we were busy
growing up and weren't even of an age to vote, never mind know what was
going on.  We now reap the consequences.  YOU Scott and all RCers, were the
oppressor of our people - there was hunger because we couldn't buy food from
rich countries like the USA.  YOU wouldn't allow us much needed medicines;
YOU didn't give us access to technology; YOU didn't allow us access to
scientific research... YOU! YOU! YOU! YOU!

Not nice being part of the same blanket statement, is it?  It's very easy to
sit on your high horse (pun intended) and make sweeping statements which
includes each and every person.  Yes, there are bad people in each country -
and most often they are the ones making decisions on behalf of the rest of
the population.  That doesn't mean that the other 99% of the people think
the same.  Understand the situation first, before you condemn an entire
nation.

What else do "they" do with their money?  Well, the other night I was
watching a local nature program where we relocated some antelope to the UAE.
They showed scenes of the desert, or what used to be the desert.  One
million trees, yes, that wasn't a typo, had been planted in the desert and
is being watered with drip irrigation.  Just imagine the scale of it.  Each
and every tree being drip irrigated with de-salinated sea water.  An island,
just off the coast, is being forested, also with water from the mainland as
there is no fresh water on the island.  De-salinated water via a pipeline to
water the newly planted trees and for the animals to drink.  Their program
on preserving endangered species is awesome!  Not just their own indigenous
species, but animals from all over the world are included in this program.

In every commercial transaction are two parties - the buyer AND the seller.
So why don't you get on the case of those who sell their horses?  Is it
because they are your fellow countrymen and it's OK to sell a horse, but not
for the other person to buy it, because that person lives in an Arab state?

To take away an accomplishment from a young man just because he happened NOT
to be living in the USA, is poor sportsmanship.

Off my soap box
Kristene


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net,
http://www.endurance.net.
 Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
 Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp

 If you are an AERC member - PLEASE VOTE in the upcoming By-Laws
 Election!!!! (it takes 2/3rds to tango!!)

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
 Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
 Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
 Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp

 If you are an AERC member - PLEASE VOTE in the upcoming By-Laws 
 Election!!!! (it takes 2/3rds to tango!!)

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=