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Indeed, some morons have already applied this thirst for vengeance to random Mid Eastern "appearing" people or Muslim believers who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, most Americans have responded admirably...magnificently well...in the face of this tragedy. We are informed daily of the heroism of the passengers on the flight that they caused to crash in Pennsylvania before it could reach its target in Washington, the bravery of the fire fighters and policemen who continue to risk their lives trying to prevent more loss of life by others...strangers...in N.Y.C..
We have also been reminded that a large number of the victims were not even Americans, but foreign nationals. Which brings to light the first great truth behind what is happening. This attack was not only aimed at the economic and political well being of the U.S., but actually constitutes the first battle in World War III and will eventually impact the lives of every human being on the planet. The goal of the attackers? To "preserve" a medieval, religious based view of the world and to destroy "Western Secular" interests in a final "Holy War." That the attackers happen to call themselves Muslims is incidental. History is rife with examples of elements of almost every religion trying to impose "God's will" by force on "unbelievers." And these particular "religious" fanatics constitute only a tiny minority of the Islamic world.
But, what do our leaders have to say about all this? We are told we must prepare for a "protracted war" and make the requisite sacrifices necessary to assure victory. While paying lip service to the notion that we must not ourselves become terrorists in combating the recent threat, all the actual implemented or suggested remedies require more money...for the government, of course...more bureaucracy and less freedom for individual Americans...and presumedly, for everyone associated with us. So it appears that any sacrifice will...as usual...be borne by the people, not by their leaders. To date, there have been NO CALLS WHATSOEVER for any sacrifice on their part. Meanwhile, the John McCains, Bob Kerrys and Hillary Clintons of the world are engaged in business-as-usual...running for higher office, tailoring every utterance with an eye to the next election.
The actions already taken on airline travel point the way. No more curbside check-in, nobody but passengers past the security gate, restrictions on parking....and, most notably, hours and hours of further delays for passengers at airports. Mention has been made of the actions that airlines COULD take to protect themselves and their passengers...arming pilots, fortifying cabins, putting armed air marshals on every flight. These would surely add to airlines costs...which would, of course, be passed on to us...but would be ENORMOUSLY less expensive and disruptive than the endless "security" checks of the passengers themselves. After all, all passenger-related security measures to date have FAILED! What makes us think that adding more such busy-work procedures will make the situation better? Each additional security measure is nothing but another puzzle for the attackers to solve. And solve it they will, if history is any judge.
As for the use of military force...against whom? What can we possibly do to Afghanistan that they have not already done to themselves? Hit Saddam yet again? Why? So some other despot...using Saddam's demise as a propaganda tool...could take power in this benighted country which was the seat of the first human civilization? When Bush brags that we will find "them" wherever "they" hide, about whom is he talking? Osama bin Laden? Saddam? Muslims in general? Even if we could identify and "neutralize"...with extreme prejudice...every terrorist now extant, what exactly would this accomplish? The killing of people who are prepared to willingly give their lives for their beliefs seems like a Christmas present to the opposition, providing them with martyrs galore for their "Holy War."
What is clear to us is that any plan which does NOT target ALL terrorism is doomed to failure. That means, above all else, that we cease to behave like terrorists ourselves. We should have learned this lesson during the Cold War, but we did not. Images of dead or maimed civilians in far away lands will do nothing to further our cause. Our most precious gift to civilization has been freedom...freedom of the press, freedom of religion, freedom of speech. We can not sell freedom to those whom we are oppressing, FOR ANY REASON. We should immediately drop ALL embargoes on ALL foreign nations, including Cuba, Iraq and North Korea. It is obvious that such actions hurt only the people of those nations while strengthening their leaders...precisely the opposite of our stated goals! We should offer immediate and massive aid to Iran and Pakistan to help them deal with the millions of Afghani refugees who have flooded their countries, no strings attached.
It's not that our military force is not impressive. We already proved, at Hiroshima and Nagasaki...two of the greatest terrorist attacks in history...that we are capable of deeds which makes the WTC attack look puny. We must assume that whoever did this terrible deed was fully aware of the strength of the bull they were taunting.
No, it is time to show our other side, to apply all those billions of "defense" dollars to REAL defense. This can only come from waging peace. We must stop supporting, in any way, EITHER side in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Both have lapsed into the barbarity of terrorism. As we write these lines, Israel is taking the WTC raid as cover for indiscriminately attacking Palestinians, killing civilians and military alike, setting up illegal military outposts in Palestinian territory. Bombs and rockets simply do not pick favorites. We should withdraw until both sides eschew such tactics. The Israeli people must stop their forces from committing terrorist acts, the Palestinians must stop theirs. Each should by now KNOW that no amount of force or fright will deter the other. It's time for kindness, not strength.
Similarly, we should stop ALL military assistance to South and Central American countries. End the absolutely stupid War on Drugs...which has become a war of terror against our own people and those of other countries. Remember that Chief Drug Warrior Pervert Bill Bennett, who recently wrote a popular (among morons?) book on morality, referred to those killed or maimed in errant DEA raids as "collateral damage," while appearing on TV Sunday with blood dripping from his fangs vis a vis the WTC terrorists. He is eager to send our children into battle, to fight and die, while he pontificates from Washington sitting on his fat ass. Instead, we need to get out of Colombia and every other South and Central American country. We must replace military assistance with agricultural and economic aid throughout the region. We spend hundreds of billions of dollars each year on war materials and military structures that have protected us from NOTHING. A small fraction of that money would go a long way toward providing REAL national security.
Which brings us to our final point. Right now, the U.S. government has put a tight clamp on all discussions of future actions, military or governmental. Their rationale for this is...as always...national security. However, any person who has ever worked in classified areas of the U.S. government knows, most "secrets" are designed to cover up the incompetence of those who have the power to decide what is or is not to be revealed. The intelligence services even have a "standard" rationale for this. If our enemies know just how ineffective our spies are, they will be able to hit us in our weak points. Oh, really? You mean the recent attacks were NOT at our weak points? That they do NOT reveal massive failures of our overfunded and overblown information gathering services? If our enemies knew these "secrets," why shouldn't we?
What the world needs is not more "professional" agents and intelligence analysts, but a system involving ordinary citizens all over the world in the task of providing for their own security. We need MORE disclosure, not less...more truth, fewer lies of commission OR omission. Instead of putting our trust in cynical and power hungry politicians and their paid lackeys, let's build a world wide network...on, where else?...the Internet...and take our security into our own hands. Just as the terrorists used the Net to further their ghastly ends, let us use it keep them in check. As a former intelligence agent and Internet expert, Willy has many thoughts on how this could be accomplished, but this essay is neither the time nor the place for those details. Suffice to say that we need to replace the CIA with the WWWIA. No doubt the "official" government agencies will oppose such efforts. After all, their power and prestige derives almost exclusively from their ability to control the flow of vital information to us, the people.
The bottom line is this. Do we want to back fitfully into a future of ever more constraints on our freedom, ever more terror and war, or should we use the current tragedy as a lesson in what NOT to do? It is time to wage peace...with freedom. What do you think?
Talk to you later...
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