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Re: [OM] [OT] Terrorism thoughts

Subject: Re: [OM] [OT] Terrorism thoughts
From: Tris Schuler <tristanjohn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2001 14:12:00 -0700
The problem I see is the bad logic which suggests these "rogues" are not supported by their nation-state populations. Were all Germans 100% behind the Nazi regime? No. Was the German populace mainly behind the Nazi regime? Yes. Could that Nazi regime have come to power to begin with, much less sustained itself, without this support? No. Were the Allies, therefore, effectively at war with the German people, the German culture itself? Yes, we were. Was this "right"? It was inevitable. there was no other way around the situation. What were we supposed to do, wait around until the German people came to its collective sense and killed Hitler? Does that strike you as wisdom?

Today we are faced with similar situations around the world. Here is one.

The ruling fundamentalist Taliban regime in Afghanistan denies any knowledge of this affair, indeed, it suggests (and I suppose would have us believe) that our Saudi nemesis Osama bin Laden's al Qaedar organization could not possibly have been involved in this attack on the two World Trade Center buildings. Right. Just the same, I suppose, as this crazy man's organization was not involved in the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, just as this maniac was not involved in the bombing of U.S embassies in Tanzania and Kenya in 1998, or last October's bombing of the destroyer Cole.

What to do? For openers, and besides hunting down and executing Osama bin Laden, we need to get rid of the ruling Taliban regime in Afghanistan, occupy that country, and remain in occupation until a rational form of government might be established, until the people who populate this region of the planet can be educated to pursue more thoughtful ways. How long would that require? A couple of generations at the least I gauge. Is that possible? Well, anything ought to be possible. With the will. I don't know how practical it is, though, given politics and the greed which drives capitalism. I do know that nothing less will suffice in the long run.

That is how I view the nature of this problem, that is why I suggest a systemic approach. Killing this man or that will have no good effect at all. It's like strolling into Iraq to assassinate the mad man there. Sure, we might do that, or bomb him one fine day, like we tried to do with the mad man in Libya years ago, but these methods are insufficient even when "successful."

The best sense I've heard thus far is the proclamation from our president that America will draw no distinction between terrorists themselves and those who aid and abet these people. That is the key, for in reality there is no difference between the one and the other. Until that salient point is driven home, and until resolution is made all around to take the appropriate action, then no good solution will be possible.

Tris

Tris, don't misunderstand me in the sincere horror I feel towards this happening. I loathe everything that has to do with blind terror and violence. What I wanted to say is just that the civilian people of a nation very seldom make up the nations problems. There are many around the world, and many in Europe, who consider USA to be the worst and most powerful "rogue state" of all, because a lot of the worlds terror and oppression originate from there. That is not the debate here, it's just an example; who is really to judge and punish a whole people or religion for something that a few morons do? Another example: take away Saddam instead of starving the Iraquis.

Henrik
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