Paul,

Very well said!  There is no reasonable alternative to going after the
terrorists.

Dave Bergford
60 now / 58 dx. / 55 onset
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----- Original Message -----
From: "Paul Lauer" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, September 15, 2001 1:48 PM
Subject: R


> I thought I could avoid mixing into this one but between the opinions on
the
> list and the opinions on the local talk shows...I live in CT. And get the
New
> York Public Radio station... I find myself more and more amazed at not
only
> the lack of understanding of the situation but of peoples' lack of
> understanding of each other. First, it would be helpful to know what
> background people bring to the debate. For my part, I am a secular Jew,
with
> a natural bias toward Israel and a resultant antipathy toward terrorism.
> Antipathy is defined here not just as "I think it's horrible" but rather
as
> "What to do to stop it." I am ex-military, retired after 30 years service
> both Active and Reserve as a Colonel 0-6 (full Colonel) and bring the bias
> which caused me to serve 30 years and results from that service. I am a
type
> A personality with whatever bias that brings to the subject at hand. I
don't
> hate Arabs; I don't hate Muslims. For that matter, I don't hate anybody
> unless they pose a danger to me and mine. Terrorists who kill people at
> random, fit this description.
>
> Ignoring for the moment pacifist or non-pacifist tendencies. Ignoring left
or
> right wing politics. Ignoring racial and ethnic loves, hatreds or
neutrality
> on the subject; there appears to me to be an aspect of common sense
missing
> from the debate. If there is a mosquito swarm, you spray it lest it
continues
> to bite at will. If you contract a disease and it is treatable, you treat
it
> lest it get worse. If your brakes squeal, you do a minor repair rather
than
> wait for the major to be needed. I suppose I could go on and on with a
> plethora of small examples of how rational people run their daily lives.
If
> you take my point, you can easily see how the collective must also act for
> the common good regardless of the magnitude of the example.
>
> Going after terrorists is a not an exercise in racial or ethnic hatred.
Nor
> is it an example of Man's (All of us) inhumanity to man (all the
terrorists).
> It is exactly and explicitly a case of self and familial and friends' and
> lovers' and neighbors' and acquaintances' and (non-terrorist) preservation
> and preservation of a way and custom of life we would like to continue to
> maintain. Unless the terrorist threat is eradicated (like the mosquitos,
the
> disease and the squealing brakes), it will grow and multiply until it
finally
> intrudes directly into your and my personal relationships, if it hasn't
> already.
>
> Common sense says that no debate is necessary on the ethics, right or
wrong
> of eliminating to whatever degree attainable, any threat to our (lots of
> inclusion in 'our') health, well being and way of life. It seems to me
that
> to think otherwise is to harbor an ultimate death wish. I for one, do not
> think otherwise.
>
> So my opening thought that it would be good to know what bias (and
baggage)
> people bring to the debate turns out to be spurious. Pacifist dove or
> warmongering Hawk, Liberal or Conservative, Muslim. Jew, Christian, or
> whatever denomination, the bottom line is preservation...which cannot be
> achieved if people of any stripe are allowed to blow us up with impunity.
If
> we take no action they will take further action. They will poison water
> supplies, unleash radiation and fill the entire nation with terror. And
then,
> having taken no action, we will bemoan our inaction and belatedly take
> whatever steps are available to the few of us still capable of taking
them.
>
> So, Listfriends, it is not Retribution or Retaliation which is the name of
> the action. It is and should be done in the name of prevention and self
> preservation. And while new terrorists will in all likelihood follow the
old,
> the type A in me says when that happens we'll get them too.
>
> Peace to all who deserve it and a pox on your terrorist head to those who
> don't.
>
> Paul H. Lauer
>
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