Ok Kiddies, lets do our bit for investagiative journalism.

Kim Chisnell from TV3 just rang me looking for info on an Auckland University Student named Harmeet Singh Sooden 32 years old, Canadian who is or was studying for his Masters in English Literature here at this fine ol' university .

Any one know him??

Apparently he has been taken hostage along with four others in Iraq? :iiam:

I take it the journalists have found this. I wonder if Hannah has bumpted into him/her at the railway campus.

More google findings:

Here is a poem by Harmeet

Looks like Harmeet helped organized the Donna Mulhearn lecture on the eyewitness account of Iraq from 3 months ago

They were human-rights fighters right? I heard about this on the news this morning, the ironic thing being they are accussed of being spies when really they are fighting for the Iraqi quality of life.

Just txted Hannah asking if she knew them

Edit: She just replied with a generally "doesnt know what the fuck" message, so I gather she didnt know him

Just saw the TV3 news feature, wow thats creepy, he worked at the Rec Center as a squash coach

Yeah I dont know this dude.
We were all WTF when i read fez's text, our first thought was why was he in Iraq?

Alright then. My next guess is on Anti-Flag having met this person

Harmeet is a good friend of mine. So it's sad to hear this about him. He's been staying in contact with me via email since he left for Iraq.

I told that fool not to go, grrr.

:( I hope he comes home safe.

You and me both. A lot of paranoia in Iraq, and often human rights activists get accused of being agents.

Hopefully become clear and they're released.

Stupid person. I hope the NZ gov't doesn't waste a single cent on helping out this dimwit.

Mrt, don't make me hunt you down and kick your pretentious inconsiderate ass on your birthday. :)

Unfortunately for you that comeback won't save Mr Dumb Fuck over in EyeRaq from a good ole Ass Whipping.

[FLAMES]

I'm not the one getting myself killed in Iraq. Now that's a total retard.

You're being a tad inconsiderate

Duh. I don't need to be considerate.

I win at research games.

I don't suppose if anyone knows the reason this sort of thing happens is because the CIA, MI5 etc actually does have agents posing as human rights activists? If so, those bastards...

EDIT: Oh rite, Anti-Flag, really sorry to hear that's a friend of yours. I too hope all works out, and he's able to keep a cool head right now.

Simple. Don't go into a war zone to protest against human rights, you're only making it easier for the CIA, MI5. Hurray for activists stupidity!

Certainly. Now, perhaps you could become both not the person getting himself killed and not the person making an arse of himself. Even less of a retard.

Meh, retards are still alive at the end of the day. I can live with it.

[FLAMES]

Harmeet's still alive. He knew the risks when he went there. We just have to wait and see.

You should send this to Amnesty International and have them to forward it on to Harmeet to show how valiant your efforts are to preserve his legacy.

And because he knew the risks I can rightfully call him an idiot. People on this forum frequently blast the Americans for going into Iraq but apparently you get upset when one local gets needlessly caught up on it all.

There is a qualitative difference between going into a country by illegally invading it to disarm it of weapons of mass destruction for which there is no evidence and killing tens of thousands of locals in the process, and going into a country to help people and collect information about human-rights abuses by the aforementioned invaders.

Harmeet obviously considered the risk to be worth it when he weighed it up against whatever it is he was wanting to achieve.

You forgot to qualify the country as being war-torn, dangerous, suicide bomb heaven and last but not least kidnapping heaven

How is that relevant to your attempt to draw an analogy between hassling the illegal invaders and hassling Harmeet?

Harmeet is an amazing guy who of course knew the risks but felt morally obligated to help those who are suffering-why he went to Palestine, and now Iraq. It's beautiful people like him who show there is still hope for humanity.

[FLAMES]

Let's hope it is Harmeet's kind who prevail.

Americans do something stupid, like starting a war, people hassle them.
Harmeet does something stupid, like moving into a war zone, people defend him.

It is relevant because what harmeet is doing would not be stupid if the country was safe to be in. Unfortunately for him, it's a hell hole.

That's right. Don't try to understand me, just isolate and dehumanize me with your own justificiations. You are especially good at doing that. [FLAMES]

That's right, let's hope Mr Anti-American prevails. Cause let's face it, if he went to Iraq and Palestine, but not Israel nor Ireland, then he certainly comes off as one-sided as you think I am.

People do not hassle America's invasion because it is stupid. They hassle it because it is immoral and illegal. That is why they don't hassle Harmeet.

Your argument is something like saying, "Hah! They complain about this guy who raped someone on Tuesday, and then don't complain about this other guy who bought everyone pizza on Tuesday! Where's the consistency, people? Tuesday, Tuesday."

These are some of the reasons why people believe the war is stupid. Hence my comparison is still correct.

The exact same fallacy. You paint Harmeet's actions as against America simply because it's America ("Anti-American") or against Israel simply because it's Israel. Rather, Harmeet's actions were for human rights. If Israel and America weren't shitting on human rights, Harmeet wouldn't have a problem with them. Whereas, if he was the strawman you've created, he would have a problem with them no matter what they did. And gosh, everyone recognises that's just nuts, so your post sounds like it's informative, even though it is misleading, used to promote a point of view.

On an unrelated note, that's the dictionary definition of "propaganda".

They are not, however, the reasons relevant to their objections. Hence your comparison is still incorrect.

So you're saying that being illegal and immoral are not reasons people are objecting to the war? Perhaps it was the colour uniform. Or they were unhappy with their cut of the oil.

Stupid: Tending to make poor decisions or careless mistakes.

People think it was a poor decision for America to go to war, due to the consequences of it (death).

I think it was a poor decision for whatshisname to go to a war zone, due to the consequences of it (death).

My comparison stands. Yippie!

Yet somehow I doubt he gives a damn about an Israeli dying from a suicide bomber. If we're very lucky maybe he'll be able to confirm/deny that for us one day. Feel free to cross your fingers!

If you ask people why they complain about the invasion, they will either say that it is immoral and illegal, or they will say that it is stupid. If it is the latter, and you further enquire as to what makes it stupid, they will say it is stupid because it is immoral and illegal.

Immoral actions that risk death are called stupid, yes. Harmeet's was a moral action that risked death, for which we have another word: courageous.

There is a difference, your comparison doesn't stand, [FLAMES]

Further, Harmeet risked his own death, while the decision-makers behind the invasion ensured the deaths of many other people, not themselves.

It is stupid to die needlessly. Period. Morality is not the divisor that you make it out to be. Courageous and stupid are also not mutually exclusive.

Yeah, so apparently people who don't throw themselves into war zones are wrong. Silly me, my bad. I guess I'll just continue to be wrong about that one.