Well, I'll suggest Kurt staying in the IT territory and not looking for
evidence in fields he doesn't understand.
God bless America...
Vashek Weis
Israel
========
At 04:16 12/09/2001, you wrote:
>First, second, and third: Sources, sources, sources.
>
>Your word is only as good as the evidence you have to back it up.
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Kurt Buff [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
>Sent: Tuesday, September 11, 2001 7:05 PM
>To: NT System Admin Issues
>Subject: A few thoughts on today's events
>
>First:
>
>Thanks to those outside of the US who have expressed concern and
>support. It
>is much appreciated. I don't live anywhere near NYC, but as a US citizen
>and
>a simple human being I am distraught by these events, and wish the best
>for
>those who've been affected.
>
>As usual, people across America have mostly responded by trying to
>comfort
>and care for those who have been directly affected by the attack. It's
>not
>for nothing that citizens of the US are known as the most generous in
>the
>world, and the most practical.
>
>Erik Goldoff's forwarded post from his IT director is spot on, and also
>much
>appreciated.
>
>
>
>Second:
>
>It does not matter, in some senses, who did this. What matters is why it
>happened. While steps do need to be taken to detect and punish the
>perpetrators, this problem will not fade simply because the US will have
>(probably) killed whoever did this. In many places across the world, the
>US
>is hated, and with reason. The US government has since World War II been
>instrumental in destabilizing many democratically elected regimes, and
>has
>sided with tyrants and dictators, so long as they supported US foreign
>policy, or were willing to be puppets. The main target for many years
>was
>Communism, although after the Berlin wall fell the focus changed, and
>has
>continued to change, to whatever enemy of the day is fixated upon.
>
>Cuba, Iraq, Iran, Syria, North Korea, Afghanistan, Osama bin Laden,
>PFLP,
>DFLP, etc., etc., etc. are all targets now, but whether now or in the
>past,
>the US government has pursued its ends with means that are not in
>keeping
>with the stated values that most Americans cherish and profess to
>believe.
>
>American foreign policy has tried to direct events and attitudes across
>the
>world, but it has often not had a coherent aim, usually trying simply to
>keep a lid on various situations, or trying to reward those who have
>toed
>our line. Its overseas agenda has been chaotic, perverse and
>inexplicable.
>We will suffer more for it.
>
>The easiest example is right now the most relevant - Israel and the
>Palestinians.
>
>I won't try to say who is right or wrong in that conflict, but suffice
>it to
>say there is blame enough for both sides, and the US government has been
>neck-deep in it. Worse, the US government has sent conflicting signals
>since
>the beginning.
>
>It's overly simplistic to say that we are hated because we have tried to
>be
>the world's policeman. If we were only that, we would have far fewer
>problems. The problem is that we are the corrupt cop on the world beat;
>sometimes meddling where we shouldn't, sometimes turning a blind eye
>where
>we shouldn't, often picking on the wrong party in a conflict, and in
>general
>being ham-handed and incompetent in the patrolling of our self-appointed
>rounds and the execution of our self-appointed duties.
>
>I'll make one last point here, which has been stated elsewhere - I don't
>believe that you can find a large terrorist attack anywhere that wasn't
>sparked by some long-standing pattern of government interference where
>it
>wasn't wanted and wasn't justified. If the US government hadn't elected
>itself the world's policeman, this wouldn't have happened. Still on
>point,
>if the US government hadn't been such a corrupt cop, this probably
>wouldn't
>have happened, although it possibly might still have. That's harder to
>discern. Whether or not we should be the world's policeman is a separate
>matter, but if we must be, we should be a good cop, not a bad cop.
>
>
>Third:
>
>The fallout from this outside of realm of the immediate (i.e., our
>military/political response to the actual attack) is going to take a
>long
>time to see. Economically speaking, the WTC housed some really
>influential
>firms, and major offices for many more. People are worrying about gas
>prices, among other things. You should be aware that fluctuations in
>commodity prices will fluctuate for a while, and that gold and oil
>prices
>will rise for a while - mainly because they are real stores of value,
>and
>are, er, liquid assets.
>
>Longer term, there may be flight of capital from the US because of loss
>of
>confidence in the security of the country. Or not. There may be serious
>erosion of civil liberties. Or not. I'd bet on the former in each case,
>but
>I hope for the latter. However, I believe that that the longer-term
>effects
>will be overcome, as long as the US government doesn't pass too many new
>laws.
>
>
>Finally:
>
>I'll not try to make any exhortations on actions anyone should take, or
>what
>they should believe. I'll leave that to others, who perhaps will be
>better
>received than I think I will be for posting this message. What I wish to
>impart here is some perspective, and some context. If you wish to flame
>me,
>please think again. I don't rile, and will simply delete any flames. If
>you
>wish to discuss my thoughts, do so, either here or privately. I can't
>say
>how much I'll be interested in talking about this, since I'm still
>trying to
>come to terms with this both emotionally and intellectually. Still, I'd
>like
>to hear what others have to say.
>
>
>
>As Bette Davis' character said in All About Eve - "Fasten your
>seatbelts,
>we're in for a bumpy ride."
>
>
>Kurt
>
>
>http://www.sunbelt-software.com/ntsysadmin_list_charter.htm
>
>
>http://www.sunbelt-software.com/ntsysadmin_list_charter.htm
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