i read the chomsky piece. as well, seashells sent me some text off list too.
i still don't see the world as they describe. my gut reaction after the
bombings was that the taliban government needs to go. i was most moved with
bush's speech the other night, particularly his line....we condemn the
taliban regime. i've never condemned anyone in my life. but i'm comfortable
with condemning the taliban.
i do not believe the people of afghanistan, or the hungry people of pakistan
are the aim of our government's quest for justice. i don't even believe that
justice is the underlying motivator of our government right now. to me,
there will never be justice for the attacks we suffered and i believe our
government is able to grasp that concept as well. the only possible positive
outcome we can hope for after that attack is to see that it does not happen
again. ever. and i'm comfortable with what ever means it takes for us to
see that through and will support our governments efforts to do that.
there are dilemna's in life. no win situations where the best choice we have
to make is actually the least worst choice available. to me, this is our
situation right now. and chomsky's analysis is to me, naieve. it places
again too much credit on a bunch of suicidal maniacs driven by hate. and it
does not address our responsibility to protect our country and our citizens.
the usa is to be afraid of the likes of the taliban and bin Ladan? come on.
that is an impossible paradigm to live with. it goes against everything this
country was built upon and it defiles the lives spent fighting for our
freedom. and it's gross.
pacifism falls short under the duress of self defense. as does history.
self defense is primal and clear and present. to compare the usa today to
the usa of 1812 is stretching to prove a wishful point. as well, to think
that video and cassett footage of bin Ladan will inspire and flourish
terrorism, even if he is killed, and continue the sufferings of the usa, is
to me...totally naieve. not only is the usa to be afraid of bin Ladan, but
his legacy as well? bullshit.
these terrorists must and will be brought down, dis-assembled, killed, and
made a non threat to the united states. to me, that is the only acceptable
solution to this current situation and it is justified at all costs already
by the 6000 lives crushed to dust for no fault of their own at all. american
lives are being lost...right now. it is an all or nothing issue.
in fact, chomsky's thinking is poisonous to me. how the taliban came to be
does not matter right now. how bin Ladan came to power does not matter, in
our current quest of securing our cities. once that is done, then we can
look at our history and not make the same mistakes again. but i'll be damned
before i live in fear of the likes of bin Ladan or yield to his brand of
threat. nor will i accept the youthful hearts of pacifism as my inspiration
while my very own youth..my children's lives... are in danger. and i'm most
grateful to men and women of all ages like vince's son who are willing to
live with risk in harms way for our protection. to me, they are far more
impassioning, intelligent, and powerful than the pacifist poets who inspire
us to see the injustice of violence. i already see that injustice, in a huge
heap of flesh and steel in lower manhattan. i don't need a poem today to
remind me of that injustice. what i really need is to never see it again.
pat
