Beelzebubba Upon further reflection, I withdraw my unkinder remarks. I should not have made them in the first place.
You are correct in that the gov’t should acknowledge that it is our foreign policy that prompts these peoples hatred. Often, these ‘Our foreign policy makes them hate us.’ statements imply that we should alter our future foreign policy so that they don’t hate us anymore. You did not imply any such thing.
We can acknowledge that our foreign policy is the cause of their hatred without budging an inch on what that policy should be.
A little thought that keeps creeping in under my radar -
I honestly wonder how much of ANY of our policy is of interest to Bin Laden - that is: I have this nagging feeling like both the religious fanaticism and his anti-American stance are less honest motivators than simple megalomania. I have a suspicion that his fanaticism and jihad-related interests are merely vehicles with which to acquire support from other factions.
An interviewer of Manson once observed that what was important to Charlie was not that his followers had killed, or who they killed, but that he /inspired them/ to kill.
Where this is relevant is that I don’t believe that our policy has makes any difference to the terrorist elements: we’re just a big target. We could be a fascist dictatorship or a religious monarchy and would still be the target of their hatred.
Beyond that, I’m in the zut, Cheesesteak, and Beelzebubba camp. . .
Maybe because he, like many of us, doesn’t give a shit what “motivated” the attacks, a subject already done to death here.
As far as the Taliban go, does anyone else get a sort of surreal “Is this Candid Camera?” feeling when watching them talk? They are so far away from rationality or reasonableness that you can’t even see those things from where they are. Examples:
One guy being interviewed on TV, and asked whether it was appropriate to have coopted a soccer stadium built with international funds as an “arena of death” where they publicly execute people – apparently, lots of people. His response, in effect, was that if the international community didn’t want the soccer stadium used as an “arena of death,” it should give them another great big grant to build a REAL arena of death – another facility, to be dedicated to executions.
Another guy being interviewed on TV, and asked whether he thinks it’s okay that bin Laden is a terrorist and kills all these people. He gives a “what can you do?” shrug and replies that bin Laden is a terrorist, so terror is what he does, just as if he was a doctor, he would doctor people . . . the clear implication being that you can’t interfere with a man’s chosen profession.
A third guy, who when asked about the oppressive way women are treated, reples that if Allah had wanted women to be treated as well men, He would have made them men in the first place.
All of these responses are given with a perfectly straight face and without any apparent realization that, as answers, they make no sense whatsover.
I really think the Taliban would be laughable if they weren’t so dangerous.
The Taliban and Osama will, I’m sure, understand, when our counterattack occurs, that we were motivated by their foreign policy.
I’m also sure that it won’t change their behavior. So why should we consider changing ours?