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Paul, Very well said! There is no reasonable alternative to going after the terrorists. Dave Bergford 60 now / 58 dx. / 55 onset [log in to unmask] ----- 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 > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn