I would add that most of the intelligence comming from our Europian allies were confirming our intelligence of WMD's in Iraq. Our intelligence was budget was drastically reduced under President Clinton.
Thank you for the explanation about the words above. My problem is of course that even though I feel I have improved my English, it’s still difficult for me to understand many words here, and I cannot always find them in the dictionary. You Americans use a lot of shortenings and slang talk. So I didn’t knew what you meant with WMD and I didn’t knew for sure what you were talking about, when you mentioned “intelligence”. And it seems as if something is wrong in the last sentence. But I understand it now, just want to explain, why I perhaps seemed stupid.
So here we go - I know now that some of you still are interested in what I have to say
.
WMD
It’s funny because just now we have a big discussion about the reason for Denmark sending troops to Iraq. Some says that it was because the government want to please USA, and that the government had told that Iraq had weapon of mass destruction. So the government had told a lie. But the truth is, that it was because Saddam Hussein had ignored the resolutions from UN. That is, what is written in the departmental order, and that was, what our prime minister told. But our prime minister had to admit that there had been too much talking about WMD, so he can understand, why many people believe that WMD was the reason. I remember exactly that I was in doubt about these WMD. Some of the people, who had been in Iraq to investigate it, told that there was none. But the reason - that Saddam Hussein had ignored the resolution - was good enough for me. So I cannot say that “the intelligence” in Denmark had failed.
Life stories etc.
It’s so interesting. All this political talk has learned us a lot more about the forum member here. What they do for living, their background, their kids etc., etc.
So now I will give you a small part of my life story.
None of my parents had more than an ordinary school education, they were hard working, but they never became rich- even though they didn’t pay much in tax. They were not poor, but they couldn’t in any way have afforded to pay, what I can understand it costs to go to college- even though I was the only child, and they would have done everything for me. Hubby’s parents too had only an ordinary school education and were hard working, they were not rich either, but they had a better income than my parents and paid more in tax. Perhaps they could have afforded to pay for college, if they didn’t have to pay so much in tax, I’m not sure. But I know, they wouldn’t have done it! They would have said: we have earned our money without help from our parents, our 2 sons must do the same.We deserve to reap the benefits of our hard work ourselves.
Hubby and I both started working, when we have finished school in the age of 17. We could have continued in another school – like a college- but that was, what we want. When hubby has served his apprenticeship, he wanted to take an education as an engineer. It took 5 years, the school was free, and with the money I earned, and a few money hubby earned as a teacher for young kids one night every week, we managed to come through this years without taking loan. After being an engineer he joined the military for one year. We had our son, and both of us were still working.
When our son grew older, I used some of my spare time to take more education, and after some years hubby took a supplementary education, also in his spare time. Everything in school was free. Both of us managed to make a good career. I didn’t have any plan. I just like to learn and was interested in my job. But seeing that men had a better salary than me, even though they didn’t do their job as good as me, made me stubborn (remember I’m not young, and so it was at that time). So I have to tell that to the manager and ended up having a good income. Not as good as hubby’s but good for a girl.
Now I have stopped working, but if I try to make an estimate and see if the society’s investment in free education for us has been a good investment, I have to say yes. We have paid much more in tax, than we have cost in free school, health care, education for our son etc. etc. But we also knew people, where the society’s investment has been bad. Perhaps they don’t use their education, perhaps they are lazy, and perhaps they are being sick. But so it is with investments. Some give profit and some give loose. It’s the total result, which is the most important, and I’m pretty sure that free schools for all are a good investment.
Our kids
For Soxfan and others it’s very important that they give their children a good example, that they teach their children that you have to do an effort to have a good life. I cannot say that I disagree.
I just want to say that if your children are clever enough, they will be able to see it themselves.
That if you are lazy and don’t work, you perhaps will be able to survive, but you will perhaps not be able to go to STJ every year.
And sometimes you cannot be sure that your children do as you. Perhaps they have other values. Our son is intelligent and well educated, but he doesn’t have his parent’s energy. Except from that with the energy, he is more like my father. Very generous, could give his last penny away, and so filled with humour that all people like him. A lovely boy with lovely children, but sometimes we cannot understand his “laissez faire” attitude. He has a good job, but I don’t think, he will make a career like his father. So what I want to say is that even though you try to educate your children in your values and give them a good example, you cannot be sure that they will be like you.
We didn’t go the same ay as our parents, and our son doesn’t go exactly the same way as us.
Oh, this ended up as a long story and took a long time to create. I hope someone is still listening
.
Linne