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Moogs
Hates the Infotainment
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: NSA Archives
 
2011-03-25, 08:51

Gray (gr - A) adj. - of a color intermediate between black and white.

In common parlance, something that is "a gray area" can be said to contain complexities that make a "black and white" judgement of same to be impossible. To wit: we (along with several other countries who agree it's a good idea) use cruise missiles and bombs to create and enforce a no-fly zone. This zone prevents a dictator who exhibits signs of delusion and mental illness, from launching air attacks and ground-based tank and rocket attacks against his weakly armed civilian population, which in the midst of a democratic revolt. What makes it gray is the mix of positive and negative consequences. Negative is parts of the country get broken down and destroyed, and some civilians will get killed. Positive is far fewer people will die this way than if the dictator is allowed to directly resist the revolt with his military, and ultimately, a country will be able to govern itself.

A better definition of hypocrisy is when we decide to intervene on the behalf of one nation's struggling and abused citizens over another, saying it is about human rights and dignity. In reality it is because one group of citizens lives near oil fields while the others live in a land devoid of all industry or natural resources. We help the Libyans but we routinely watch other groups of African citizens get slaughtered (Rwanda, Congo, et al) because their country has no business interest to us. THAT's the hypocrisy.

...into the light of a dark black night.

Last edited by Moogs : 2011-03-25 at 09:09.
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