Zack - How does it cancel my rights? Ensuring the rights of others is the best way to guarantee your own rights.

Would it open up a can of worms? Sure. Maybe the can needs to be open. I guess the practical problem comes in how far you look back. 1066? Suddenly provinces of France become impoverished, paying back the Saxons. Imagine the case Ireland would have. The Jews. Not to mention the Iraqis (people rarely do anyways)...Not all of them have the same history of systematic and brutal history that we have concerning Natives but a lot of them do.

I think talk of reparations are a good thing because I think they indicate a transition. The fact that we can grasp the wrong and talk of fixing it gives hope that it won't happen again.

Not a lot though.

Speaking of...

FAQs: Aboriginal Truth and Reconciliation Commission

Rather than money dispersed to the victims and ancestors of victims, money's spent on education to prevent ignorance and increase understanding.

I have no guilt! I don't need to apologize for nothing! I'm only sorry that America didn't conquer Canada and Mexico during the Revolutionary, 1812 and Mexican - American Wars, Jefferson really wanted Canada and if cell phones had existed when Gen. Lee and Grant stood in Mexico city with only children in defense our southern border would be very easy to secure. It's all PC feel good crap talking about reparations. A civil law suit following established law would put any government out of business if it were to follow the law when compensating any abused group. A state or federal government can say, oh that was regrettable period in our history but not one cent in repayment.

If children are reared to not respect their history as a nation as being on the good guys side in civics class they will not find it necessary to defend their nation when it is challenged by an outside force. It just won't be worth fighting for and if it isn't worth fighting for then give it all back and find a just nation to live in. There are always people who think they have the high ground and these people have the "will", with their higher god on their side to conquer others... Islam is that force now and they see us as we saw the Indians... heathens. Give it up or fight for the right.

Israel is a good example of reparations.

Well it's not about guilt. It's about what's right and what's wrong. It was wrong of us to colonize and murder other people. Acting in such a fashion creates long-term issues and lessens the likelihood of peaceful and healthy global community. In an impractical and unlimited world, we would correct our mistakes, not through reparations, but by getting the hell out. But that's not practical and so we move on to reparations.

I don't agree with reparations either but probably for different reasons. It's a half-measure devolved from a litigious society that thinks a vast amount of money will make up for anything. I absolutely support the sentiment behind reparations, however.

Would you rather be proud of a lie and respect a history that never existed? Or would you rather your country be true to its ideal, act in a virtuous manner so that you can be proud of its actions NOW rather than looking back on past imagined glory? I don't think lying to children in civics class (is that like social studies?) is a good solution to past problems. They'll eventually find out the truth and feel embittered.

Plus, if the citizens of a country no longer believe in it enough to 'defend it', intellectually or barbarically, the solution isn't a decimation of the truth but a decimation of the factors that led to the disillusionment of your citizens. America doesn't have any sovereign right to exist or to rule others and if it can't act in a manner that others find civilized...*shrugs*. Cya.

Israel's a great example of reparations done horribly. I don't see how displacing other people is a solution to anything.. Particularly when they're terrorists.

That seems like a cop out to me, either consider actions following slavery as compensations or leave it alone. There is no connections between citizens today and citizens of the past that haven't been addressed with trillions of dollars. The ideal resolution was that of President Monroe and Canadian government that repatriated Africans back to Africa in the culture they were taken from against their will. Monrovia is the most progressive nation in Africa and is a result of a just reparation. Granted those African slaves that had been in America for multiple generations required different resolution since survival skills of tribal or even organized civil life would not thrive in Monrovia and thus the actions of congress has fully addressed this resolution bring former Africans slaves into the melting pot equally to those immigrants that followed entered the melting pot. Some African Americans thrive and some fail. Some white people thrive and others don't. Some white citizens were enslaved for years just a African slaves were enslaved... all is neutral as passing decades have erased barriers.

As for the American Indians and Mexico goes, they were defeated waring factors and the victor gets the spoils of war. Fair or unfair a war took place and lines were drawn on a map just as every nation draws lines.



A superior force conquered an inferior force and a nation was established. All is fair in love and war and yes we cheated but in the record of anthropology this is how nations are created, how lines end up on a map. The mindset was that of superior god verses inferior god, you learn and adopt our superior god or we will destroy you and your inferior god... sounds like Islams demand on the West today now doesn't it? Draw a picture of our god and we'll kill you.

Israel was removed by war and then returned to their homeland by war. Israel citizens are to Israel what American Indians are to America and Canada. The Mid East chose the wrong side in WWI and WWII and as a result the winners of the war, the allies "owned" the defeated territories as in all wars. The British and the French were assigned management and the League of Nations and the UN used their authority as victors to repatriate Israel to their homeland. Following the "authority" of the UN to establish the state of Israel a war took place where the entire Arab nation attacked Israel... Israel handed them their butts and all territory taken by war in the Laws of War are spoils of the victor.

Why leave it alone? Attempted genocide is not something we should forget. The sentiment behind reparations is a need to correct an injustice. I just don't think we've found a proper channel. The link I posted about Canada starting an education program might be a good solution. We'll see.

Right. I said money wasn't the answer.

I agree sending people back to a country is not an answer. Mostly because they're people and not cargo.

You're falling back on the status quo that produces the slaughter of thousands of people. You do know how the American Indians we're treated, right? It's not exaggeration to say "like animals". And that's justified because one culture had more military might than another culture? I don't see how that's rational.
By that logic, 9/11 is perfectly justified. Please don't be so naive to think that war and terrorism differ that widely. One's for the rich and the other's for the poor.

Remember when I said earlier that guaranteeing other people's rights is the best way to guarantee yours? Well the same applies to your statement above. Having that kind of attitude encourages others to build up military might and attack America. Then all we do as human beings is fight. That kind of existence is an excellent reason to be horrified by our past actions and to ensure that we learn from them.

Sorry I don't count bloodthirsty aphorisms as an argument. Yes, that is how lines end up on a map. Those lines so far have caused nothing but further bloodshed and death. Why do you want to protect those lines so much? Why would you want to continue the actions that caused those lines when it means slaughter?

The currently superior often like to wax poetic about their right to conquer. They're usually less eloquent when their inevitable downfall occurs and their own civilians begin to be slaughtered (9/11)

No, they're really not. Nobody placed Natives here out of a sense of guilt.
Hey buddy, you're not playing with your G.I. Joes here. These are actual people, not a game. Territorial slaughter has been a thorn in our side since our conception. What -good- has it brought? Naught. So why defend it? What's so fucking great about slaughtering each other for things we currently have the capability to share?

America has taken many actions towards African Americans and American Indians in support of their situations in early America to compensate for and to bring them up to equality.



Yes, by human natue 9-11 was in fact a normal reaction. To understand you must look at it from the eyes of the holder of the religion. The nature of man is to justify all actions of inhumanity against those of a lesser god. Join with me and my superior god or perish, in the case of Islam the Jewish aren't even allowed to convert. It has been that way throughout history and there is nothing humans can do about human nature.

Brutal retaliation is the only thing the human nature will accept. If Islam attacks with their superior god then you surrender or "get their attention". Defeating an Army, Navy, fire bombing several cities and nuking two cities was what it took to get Japan to strap on cameras and peacefully visit Disney world, I'd say we have not taken the proper actions against Islam quite yet... but there is time to see them glow in the dark.



It's human nature.

The answer is surrender or cause them to strap on cameras and come to Disneyland in peace, like a dog fight until the strong fighter causes the weaker to submit it goes on.



Are you a Palestinian? The Jews lived just fine with the people of the region until the UN established Israel as a state. The UN did that and not the Jews, and when the UN established Israel Jews that had formerly lived in peaceful coexistence across northern Africa and around the world flocked to Israel. This caused minimal dislocation of tribal residents that could have easily been compensated by the UN or the British/French managers of the spoils. There is absolutely no excuse for generations with no connection to the land to be considered refugees, the region is wealthy and other tribes in the region could have easily resolved the situation long ago. The Palestinian people were like "American Indians", there was no line on the map that indicated this is "Palestine", they were but a people, a people of a lesser god that was on the losing side of WWI & WWII.