Yes, what you say about the endless cycle of violence is true--look
at Northern Ireland, the Middle East, all the ethnic/tribal/religious
wars everywhere---please forgive a response, since you asked----
I believe there is a solution but we seldom use it--trying to
understand and then address the underlying causes that produce the
hate/anger/violence.
Tonight on PSB there was a Frontline program "Hunting Osama Bin
Laden" which seemed to speak to this. Apparently Bin Laden , a very
wealthy son of the Saudi establishment, joined the resistance against
the Saudi ruler, King Fahd (sp?) which especially objects to the
presence of American "infidel" soldiers on the "holy soil" of Saudi
Arabia. They believe that we are not there to protect the Saudi
people, but rather to protect the oil resources of the country, and
our economic stake in them. ( He demanded that US troops leave, but
the Saudi regime refused to kick them out. )Thus economics,
nationalism and religion are linked in their minds, and we become
"the Great Satan" again, propping up a corrupt and hated regime.
When Bin Laden was forced to leave Saudi Arabia, he took shelter in
the Sudan, then was pushed out and went to Afghanistan, where the
Taliban (with help from the USA) had forced the Russians out. None
of this made him love us more, of course, and he has become a
self-annointed apostle of the militant MINORITY of Muslims, fighting
a "holy war" to defend his religion.
There are always underlying issues like this that need to be
understood--and in most cases if we try hard enough we can find ways
to defuse them and prove the haters wrong. Not simple or easy, and
probably less popular than a militant "we're #1" response, The
"others" are looking at the same facts but seeing a different
picture than we do.
I heard today that Secy. of State Colin Powell was pressuring
Pakistan, a Muslin state, to come out strongly on our side, and
offering American assistance in return. Sometimes the carrot works
better than the stick--and you might get a carrot back, instead of a
stick!
>Violence does nothing but beget violence, so that's not the solution. But
>then, trying to be loving and forgiving doesn't appear to be the solution
>either - how many terrorists respond to those who turn the other cheek?
>With their mentality of "killing infidels for Allah," they just figure if
>America turns the other cheek, that just makes it easier for them to do
>Allah's will by smacking that cheek as well. So, what IS the solution?
>Good question.
>Ron
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Camilla Flintermann [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
>Sent: Thursday, September 13, 2001 8:37 AM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: NON-PD: Giant awakens
>
>
>Greg wrote in part---
>>
>>I finally think the sleeping Giant has been awakened. It's a shame
>>that it took the loss of so many innocents to accomplish it.
>>Unleash the beast!
>>
>>Greg
>>48/35/35
>
>But please, let us not become LIKE the terrorists by "unleashing the
>beast" on other innocent people in an attempt to serve justice on
>the perpetrators of this terrible act--the last thing we should want
>is to become like them-- That would certainly not be the America we
>love!
>--
>
>Camilla Flintermann <[log in to unmask]>
>
>
>
> on the web at http://www.geocities.com/camillahf/index.html
>
> *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
> "Our lives begin to end
> the day we become silent
> about things that matter..
> ...Martin Luther King,Jr.
> *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
>
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--
Camilla Flintermann <[log in to unmask]>
on the web at http://www.geocities.com/camillahf/index.html
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