Listmembers. Having but little time to respond ordinarily to subjects
bouncing around the list I am motivated by the intense events of late, however
to take pen, er, computer, or something in hand to make a few points. Paul's
point, as I understand it is well taken. Although, undoubtedly anger is
justified and a killing efficiency will be necessary to lessen the risk of
further attacks, which however, are probably inevitable, it is nevertheless the
case that we should ask ourselves why people are willing to die to hurt or kill
innocent Americans, particularly in such horrific numbers. Remember the Achille
Lauro and the killing of an American in a WHEEL CHAIR. I would argue that when
our antagonists have become motivated to such an extreme level of hatred such
that they are willing to kill themselves and thousands of innocents, then it is
indeed highly pertinent to ask the question why and dangerous not to. Any
President should ask himself this question and evaluate the possibility of
changing the motivations of such people. If not, he would have to be considered
derelict in his duty.
The answer to the question just posed can found in the many examples in
history of cultural conflict. Although the struggle between Christianity and
Islam is endemic and will continue we must take care that we do not alienate
the moderate and secular Arab and Moslem world. The oppression and
displacement of the Palestinians, particularly on the West Bank, achieved and
maintained with American money and arms is a dangerous miscalculation on the
part of the West and the United States that this can be accepted in the Moslem
world. An increasing radicalization of the Arab world results, in large part,
from this, the effects of the embargo against Iraq., and other things. A
highly predicable outcome of this radicalization is the continuing increase in
terrorism of which the present episode is but one example, albeit pitiful and
horrible in the extreme. Simply killing the perpetrators of these and other
events will not change the fundamental dynamic in the tension between the west
and the Moslems. On the contrary, it will only antagonize the rest of the Arab
world. Others, equally dangerously motivated will eventually arise to take
their place, achieve technical competence and, again, deliver catastrophic,
terrible blows against the United States. Given the nature of technology in an
increasingly open and democraticizing world this cannot be prevented short of
radical alterations of lifestyle and policical sysems, something Americans will
not countenance. The real danger is that the present incidents are likely to
only be a minor episode in comparison with what may occur in the future. For
these reasons and others not only should we kill the people and destroy the
systems connected at present to the terrorist network aimed at the United
States, we must examine, for the sake of the future, the mentality and
antagonism of our enemies in an effort to preclude revival of this network. It
is not sufficient, indeed it is dangerous, to simply indulge, to use a phrase
from Secretary of Defense Rumsfield, our "lust for violence" and thirst for
revenge. This is what has been done in the past and has not worked. We must
look to the reasons for this antagonism, comprehend it, include it in our
analyses and then act. .
The continuing incompetence of the body politic and leadership of America
to rationally analyze developing problems is, again, plainly evident to see.
Lurching from crisis to crisis in a reactive mode without thoughtful and
far-reaching solutions is possibly an inextricable part of the isolation,
especially in the past, of the United States, shielded as it is behind its
protective oceans. The attacks delivered on Clinton's command to Afghanistan and
the Sudan are good examples of this incompentence. One was ineffective and the
other, predicated on inaccurate information, hit an innocent target, something
never acknowledged by the United States. However, a good part of this
incompetence arises from the indolence, self-centeredness and irresponsibilty of
us, the voters. Unwilling to take casualities, lazy, fearful of effort and
expense, we will now have to take and have already taken heavy casualities;
will have to be roused to prodigous effort and incur enormous expense, simply to
defend ourselves, here, ensonced, thought we happily, between our protective
oceans. It is to us, the voters, to account to the thousands of grieving
families, the children now without fathers or mothers, the grieving parents, etc.
for the loss of these thousands of people insofar as the policies of the United
States have contributed. AND THEY HAVE.
Trembling and shaking lest hostages be killed the United Staes allowed the
medieval, clerical regime of Iran to tweak, abuse and humiliate what was for the
Iranians a vastly more powerful nation, encouraging others to do so. American
inaction allowed the clerical dictatorship to consolidate its power and become
what it is, a font of terrorism in the present day world. The correct response
would have been to eliminate such deadly adversaries of the United States before
they could threaten us here. We did not and now they do. The hundreds of
American Marines killed in Beirut in the early 80's paid a price for our
misconceptions as have now the thousands in New York.
The preposterous unwillingness to unseat the monstrous killing regime of
Saddam Hussein, when forces were already in the field left us now to pay the
price - a price paid by his own people betrayed as they were by us; and that
price was paid by the sailors on the USS Cole, the soldiers at Khobar Towers,
the people at the bombed embassies, and now the people in New York, Washington
and elsewhere. The rationale of this astonishing decision bears little sign of
any mastery of statecraft and its consequences linger today. The implacable
hostility of Saddam Hussein , the hatred of the mullahs of Iran, and the lust for
our blood by the Taliban, Osama bin Ladin and many, many others are not
manifestations of insanity, rather they arise from the sense of the Arab nation,
fictional perhaps to us, but nevertheless real to them, and of the Moslem world
being invaded in some of its most valued parts, and being, to this day, slowly,
implacably chiseled away from them in what is but a reprise of the Crusades.
Like it or dislike but base your analyses on the facts as they are for it is the
most terrible of these that the lives of many more thousands of innocents are
likely at stake. Prudence requires us to comprehend this situation in its
entirety. Then we may be able fashion policies and take actions to lessen the
danger. Donning FLAME SUIT
Robin Hufford RPT
JIMRheir territory.PT@AOL.COM wrote:
> In a message dated 15/09/01 2:47:52 PM, larudee@pacbell.net writes:
>
> << I am talking about how our retaliation will create their Alamo, and an
> opportunity for them to recruit armies of volunteers. >>
>
> Again Paul "Perhaps you would do well to refelect on history"......It was
> the 'attackers' who succeeded in their goal of destroying the Alamo and it
> was the defenders whose cause ultimately gained victory. Don't take my word
> for it just look at any map and see where Texas starts and Mexico leaves off.
>
> Have I missed something here...... did we fly some of their planes into
> some of their buildings killing thousands of innocent people? "Their Alamo"
> indeed!!...hopefully more like the battle of San Jacinto..............
>
> No nation is perfect and no national policy is without fault........... As
> an example name one western/non arabic/non islamic nation which still
> practices slavery and then name one Arabic/Islamic nation which practices
> slavery. The lists will be drastically different as the western nations will
> contain no names. Is there a message there?? While you are at it name one non
> islamic nation where followers of Islam are on trial for being Islamic and or
> preaching 'True' Islamic belief..........now name one Islamic nation where
> Christians are currently being held for trial for preaching
> Christanity......again the lists are very lopsided with one containing no
> names.........aren't they?
> Jim Bryant (FL)
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