Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83 (MC840302); site mcvax.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!hou3c!hocda!houxm!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!tektronix!hplabs!hao!seismo!mcvax!steven From: steven@mcvax.UUCP (Steven Pemberton) Newsgroups: net.flame,net.politics Subject: Re: Criticism of US foreign policy Message-ID: <5978@mcvax.UUCP> Date: Mon, 17-Sep-84 11:20:08 EDT Article-I.D.: mcvax.5978 Posted: Mon Sep 17 11:20:08 1984 Date-Received: Tue, 25-Sep-84 08:31:23 EDT References: <479@tty3b.UUCP> <1731@sdcc6.UUCP>, <5971@mcvax.UUCP> <1380@qubix.UUCP> Organization: CWI, Amsterdam Lines: 12 Ever noticed how a criticism of a Western Government often gets met with a remark like "Try saying that behind the Iron Curtain, and see how far you get!" This to me is a giant non-sequitur, on a par with name-calling. It seems to be based on the assumptions that a criticism of the West is automatically pro-Soviet, and because the USSR is so much worse than the West it's wrong to criticise. There are plenty of countries, West, East and non-aligned, where you're not allowed to criticise the government, and that's precisely why I think Piet's right to disagree with US foreign policy should be defended.