Orcaoid, you'll have to forgive me for not responding directly to the points you mentioned in your most recent (and thoughtful) post. But I'm going to have to take a step backward and tell you that I've actually been questioning my original viewpoint on this subject.
A friend of mine, whom I greatly respect for his keen ability to articulate himself and cut to the heart of any matter, asked some hard questions of me that forced me to acknowledge some of the inconsistencies in my way of thinking and reasoning. After much thought, I came to the realization that I've allowed my personal feelings and experience to bias much of my opinion on this subject.
I mentioned that I don't think we've been given all the facts by the press and am concerned whether this case will be handled fairly, but that didn't keep me from assuming that some level of crime or wrongdoing had definitely been committed by the accused persons involved. Whatever reasons I have for coming to that conclusion, it's still conjecturing on my part. I should have approached the subject with an open mind and reserved judgment.
And, with regards to my feelings concerning the use of violence... Well, suffice it to say that I'm trying to figure out if my abhorrence for such a course of action is, indeed, too rooted in idealism. I have to admit that I'm hard-pressed to find peaceful resolutions to much of the injustices going on in the world today. The terms "freedom fighting" and "terrorism" still rub me the wrong way, but I would concede that perhaps there is a different kind of violence, that of resistance, borne out of the need to protect and preserve basic human rights that is justifiable. But even as I write that, I'm not really sure what the acceptable parameters for that would be. Needless to say, it obviously warrants a great deal more understanding on my part.
Ultimately, this really is too complex of a topic for me to try and work through overnight and I doubt I'll come to any sort of satisfactory conclusion in the near future. However, I do want to say that I appreciate your sensitivity to the issues concerning the Hmong community and your willingness to engage in an active and open discussion.
I've been rethinking my opinion...
Orcaoid, you'll have to forgive me for not responding directly to the points you mentioned in your most recent (and thoughtful) post. But I'm going to have to take a step backward and tell you that I've actually been questioning my original viewpoint on this subject.
A friend of mine, whom I greatly respect for his keen ability to articulate himself and cut to the heart of any matter, asked some hard questions of me that forced me to acknowledge some of the inconsistencies in my way of thinking and reasoning. After much thought, I came to the realization that I've allowed my personal feelings and experience to bias much of my opinion on this subject.
I mentioned that I don't think we've been given all the facts by the press and am concerned whether this case will be handled fairly, but that didn't keep me from assuming that some level of crime or wrongdoing had definitely been committed by the accused persons involved. Whatever reasons I have for coming to that conclusion, it's still conjecturing on my part. I should have approached the subject with an open mind and reserved judgment.
And, with regards to my feelings concerning the use of violence... Well, suffice it to say that I'm trying to figure out if my abhorrence for such a course of action is, indeed, too rooted in idealism. I have to admit that I'm hard-pressed to find peaceful resolutions to much of the injustices going on in the world today. The terms "freedom fighting" and "terrorism" still rub me the wrong way, but I would concede that perhaps there is a different kind of violence, that of resistance, borne out of the need to protect and preserve basic human rights that is justifiable. But even as I write that, I'm not really sure what the acceptable parameters for that would be. Needless to say, it obviously warrants a great deal more understanding on my part.
Ultimately, this really is too complex of a topic for me to try and work through overnight and I doubt I'll come to any sort of satisfactory conclusion in the near future. However, I do want to say that I appreciate your sensitivity to the issues concerning the Hmong community and your willingness to engage in an active and open discussion.