confusion

I do not think that the term ‘War’ should be applied to the coming offensive against terrorism that the US government making plans for. In war one has a common enemy. If we approach the problem of terrorism like we approached the drug problem in the 1980’s we will again find ourselves in a war with no real battles, no victories and no chance for success, only casualties.

I think that while there is a common cause and a feeling of unity among most of the countries of the world we should seek to set a new international precedent. The United States should not take one the responsibility of riding the world of terrorism through a war of vengeance. This is a situation where the workings of a small number of people and countries are acting against other countries, a situation for which one organization needs to step up and perform the tasks for which it was meant. The US should not lead a war against terrorism, the United Nations should enforce it’s jurisdiction. The United Nations was designed to deal with international problems, and acts of systematic violence by citizens or nationals of one country against the people and territory of another sovereign country are international acts.

Here is a chance to set a true international precedent for the UN. Now while most of the member countries agree on a problem, the United Nations should come together to form a unified stance against international terrorism. While civil unrest and violence within the borders of a country by citizens of that country (rebellion & revolution) is something outside the jurisdiction of the UN (unless the people and sovereignty of another country is threatened) true international terrorism is outside the jurisdiction of any one country and the only organization which is in a position to deal with a problem like this is the United Nations.

Up till now the United Nations has been more of a policing agency over civil wars. While I agree that when a civil war threatens the lives of people in many countries the world should intervene, I think that a country should be allowed to deal with most of it’s own internal strife (not to say that there are not situations where the international community should not step in, things like systematic human rights violations, or genocide, et cetera.) Now is where the UN should take a more proactive roll in the world, instead of ‘peace keepers’ a military task force under the flag and control of the UN could be used to hunt down and eliminate (through arrests or violence if needed) international terrorist.

Now that the initial shock of Tuesdays events have passed, we must ask ourselves what to do now. The outpouring of support around the world has been amazing. Stories of the unity and desire to help among Americans who would not normally give each other the time of day are encouraging. In Russia, people gathered outside the American Embassy with candles to show their sorrow and support for America. Many of the leaders of the world have cried out and placed their support behind America. I admire the leaders of America, who have not taken any rash action. Many bigoted and angry people in America have cried out for all out war on Afghanistan, even before the identities or nationalities of the perpetrators of this act where known. The short term solution to terrorism may well be a military one, but in the end, only education and understanding will put a stop to terrorism which depends on misunderstanding and misinformation to survive.

A good friend of mine is from Afghanistan, and she spent the past two days holed up in her house because of the uneducated bigots who attacked ethnic Arabs in the aftermath of the tragedy. Along a road in Northern Virginia where a mosque is to be built to serve the ever growing number of Muslims who live here (Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world!) a billboard marking the site was marred by graffiti Wednesday morning, saying “Fuck you!” The individual, or individuals who wrote that have shown themselves to be no better than those who fan the flame of hate in the hearts of the terrorist who hijacked the planes Tuesday. America is supposed to be better than that. These people came to America to live because they wanted to be a part of it.

It is unfortunate that when we think of terrorist we think of an Arabian man with a turban on his head and a flaming Molotov in his hand screaming about America, the ‘Great Satan.’ It is unfortunate because we identify this man as being a Muslim, and nothing else. Terrorism is not so one sided. For years catholics and protestant alike have been blowing each other up in Ireland and England over a 400 year old dispute. Timothy McVeigh was a corn feed white American, and till Tuesday he was the most successful terrorist in American history. The reason many Arabs in the middle east do not like America is not religious it is political, they believe it is wrong of us to support Israel. The Muslim faith expressly forbids violence against the young, the old, women, and the infirmed; against any innocents. Terrorism is a few misguided people of all religions and all nationalities, it is not the product of any one society, religious of otherwise, and hate and violence will only make it worse.

A friend of mine at work said today that on his way home yesterday he heard the Star Spangled Banner on the radio. He said that for the first time he understood it on an emotional level. For the first time he understood what it means to be be an American. He said he cried.

Oh, say can you see by the dawn’s early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

I grieve for those who’s life was lost today, and my heart goes out to those who lost a loved one.

If the Taliban hate the teaching of other religious views so much I suggest that we fill an old B-52 with the thousands (millions?) of those little green (and red) New Testaments, they hand out all the time. Then fly it over Afghanistan since the Taliban have said that their airspace is off limits to commercial and military traffic. They have vowed to shoot down and violaters of this, so we put the biblical B-52 on autopilot and when they shoot it out of the sky it will rain down Christian propaganda.

(If you have no idea what I am talking about take a look at the forum on Religious Bigotry or browse your favorite news site for any stories regarding the Taliban and the Foreign aid workers who they have put on trial for “Preaching Christianity”…