Reply #47: there's an old saying ... [View All]

if you want peace, work for justice ...

first of all, let's define what we mean by terrorism ... the context i suspect you mean is that unofficial forces, not sanctioned by a sovereign nation as their primary military, violently attack innocent civilians ... let's use that as our working definition with the understanding that some might define terrorism very differently ...

for example, is it terrorism to drop thousands of bombs on Iraq when they don't have an Air Force to defend themselves? is it terrorism to poison Iraq with depleted uranium that will lead to tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of cases of cancer? is it terrorism to invade a sovereign nation that has not attacked us? well, i think you get the point ...

so let's stick to the narrower definition from above ...

i will not defend terrorists or terrorism here but i will challenge you to suggest a course of action available to oppressed peoples who are invaded by the world's most powerful superpower ... do you expect them to put on Iraqi uniforms and fight head to head with the American military? i don't justify the killing of innocent civilians but i'm not clear American violence and tyranny leave many alternatives open ...

so, now to your question ... terrorists do what they do as a means to an end ... as do we all ... U.S. "free market capitalism" has exploited the resources of the Middle East ... we sold horrible weapons to Saddam (well, we didn't but Reagan did) that he used not just on his own citizens but on the Iranians as well ... I make no defense of Saddam ... where do you think he obtained the power and the weapons to do the evil he did in Iraq? what is the U.S. history with the Shah of Iran? how much "dealing" has gone on behind the scenes between bush I (via the Carlyle Group) and the Saudi government?

it's important to understand that, whether you see the AQ crowd as "some seriously sick fucks" or not, they act for their own reasons ... their strategy is very calculated ... it is certainly not irrational ... so we must ask ourselves, is our conduct in the world, especially in the Middle East, morally justifiable?

we can never win peace over those who see us as perpetrators of injustice ... we are seen as poisoning their lands with our satanic culture ... their religion and way of life are very different than our own ... our government, for far too long now, has acted in the commercial interests of large multi-national corporations rather than in the interest of promoting a better planet ... our foreign policy has become one of rewarding greed rather than helping those in need ...

so, the road to peace must be paved with justice .. not with tanks and bombers and heavily armed troops ... we have far too often failed to understand that most people will not attack you when you are acting in their best interests ...

i'm afraid that our addiction to fossil fuels, especially imported oil, will not allow us a solution to the mess we're in anytime soon ... we are like drug addicts who must rob and kill to sustain our habits ... what folly to shout out the window of your 10 MPG SUV that you don't understand why we are hated in the Middle East ... it's because we prop up oppressive regimes there who guarantee a continuing supply of oil ... and those who are oppressed by these regimes are enlisted into the ranks of terrorism ...