what is terrorism?
a cowboy once defined for the rest of us as a very, very narrow definition of the word, but i'm daily reminded of what a hazard that sort of narrow-minded thinking really is. over the weekend, it was a sociopathic rogue state flexing its capability to launch death and destruction over long distances and the heads of millions of innocents. yesterday it was the omnipotent state railroading a defenseless (note that i didn't say innocent, because that's not the point) citizen. today it's a boatload of criminal miscreants hijacking yet another tanker on the open seas off the horn of africa. and in each of these cases, there is no "war" being brought, or even being considered, to counter the threat.
why is this?
today, another 20 us citizens are held hostage to our nation's blind pursuit of selective morality. if i were responsible to face their families and explain why nothing will be done directly to save them, i'd have a very difficult time explaining the billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of soldiers committed to nominally similar objectives just a small distance away. (giving us the benefit of extreme doubt that it can possibly be humanitarian interest that's caused us to cause the death of hundreds of thousands of civlians).
tell me, are the parents trying to raise families amidst such lawlessness on the horn of africa somehow less worthwhile than the ones across the gulf? are those dying in the desert to their immediate west (in far greater numbers, btw) somehow less worthwhile than the ones to their northeast?
i'm sickened that we were led by such craven cowardice for so long that we're dug into such a deep hole that we can't become better international citizens any faster than we're trying now. as for trying, if we're in it to build nations, i say let's start where we can do more good for more people more quickly. of course, if we're in it to stop terrorism, then i'd say let's commit ourselves to stopping all terrorism, starting with the kind that sports verified wmd and the means to launch them long distances, and definitely including the chronic sort (e.g. somali piracy) that can be directly addressed with reasonable means. and, finally, if we're just in it just to f*** with people because we can, (and you know that's closest to the truth), then lets be honest with ourselves about it, and put the objects of our f***ing up to a vote, so we can all have a say about who gets it first. (sorry, a-rod).
updated to note that capt joseph murphy of the massachusetts maritime academy has relayed a conversation with his son shane, second in command of the maersk alabama, reporting that the american crew is once again in command of their ship, some 345 miles from the closest us naval vessel. i expect there is a stirring narrative (and perhaps even a movie deal) percolating in here somewhere. hats off to the crew, and here's to considering rapid-reponse air cover to the shipping lanes so that our flag can mean something once again on the high seas.
why is this?
today, another 20 us citizens are held hostage to our nation's blind pursuit of selective morality. if i were responsible to face their families and explain why nothing will be done directly to save them, i'd have a very difficult time explaining the billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of soldiers committed to nominally similar objectives just a small distance away. (giving us the benefit of extreme doubt that it can possibly be humanitarian interest that's caused us to cause the death of hundreds of thousands of civlians).
tell me, are the parents trying to raise families amidst such lawlessness on the horn of africa somehow less worthwhile than the ones across the gulf? are those dying in the desert to their immediate west (in far greater numbers, btw) somehow less worthwhile than the ones to their northeast?
i'm sickened that we were led by such craven cowardice for so long that we're dug into such a deep hole that we can't become better international citizens any faster than we're trying now. as for trying, if we're in it to build nations, i say let's start where we can do more good for more people more quickly. of course, if we're in it to stop terrorism, then i'd say let's commit ourselves to stopping all terrorism, starting with the kind that sports verified wmd and the means to launch them long distances, and definitely including the chronic sort (e.g. somali piracy) that can be directly addressed with reasonable means. and, finally, if we're just in it just to f*** with people because we can, (and you know that's closest to the truth), then lets be honest with ourselves about it, and put the objects of our f***ing up to a vote, so we can all have a say about who gets it first. (sorry, a-rod).
updated to note that capt joseph murphy of the massachusetts maritime academy has relayed a conversation with his son shane, second in command of the maersk alabama, reporting that the american crew is once again in command of their ship, some 345 miles from the closest us naval vessel. i expect there is a stirring narrative (and perhaps even a movie deal) percolating in here somewhere. hats off to the crew, and here's to considering rapid-reponse air cover to the shipping lanes so that our flag can mean something once again on the high seas.
posted by kad barma at 11:15 AM
1 Comments:
The problem is, we can't fix all the world's problems, or even all of our own. So, there has to be triage. My theory on why Iraq is that Libya was too small and Iran was too big and Iraq was just right. Unfortunately, it didn't come out as planned and while Libya gave up its nuclear program, Iran did not. As for the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (the DPRK or North Korea), it is a spoiled child and if we pay attention to it, it just misbehaves more. It is a problem for China—if North Korea implodes, tens of thousand of refugees will stream into China. It is also a problem for China if the DPRK goes nuclear, because then Japan may well go nuclear. China won't like that.
I think the Bush Administration was on to something, but didn't go all the way and have President Bush publicly wash his hands of the whole thing.
Regards — Cliff
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