Ken and Bob, I would not have even bothered to engage in dialogue with you if I did not respect your opinions and want to let you know there are alternative perspectives available on this desperate mess. I knew my views were unlikely to be popular in your ears, but perhaps I should clarify a few points since my arguments have been misunderstood in some respects.
I’ll do this short style to keep it as clear as I can.
1. I detest and abhor the actions of the zealot madmen who perpetrated the outrage and consider it an act of barbaric evil.
2. I am not a pacifist, and (to repeat my earlier remark) I believe reprisals should be taken in cold blood.
3. I believe that all reprisals should be taken within the law of civilisation which we seek to defend – in principal, if the USA tries to act as judge & jury & executioner in the manner suggested, it will have undermined the very basis for rational action and will have descended to nothing better than lynch law and an exposition that “might is right”.
4. It is clear to me that an imperative of dealing with terrorists is to detach them from their support base.
5. To do this it is vital to understand those who show ill will in a general way – vide “…Americans. They don't care. To them, we're all mortal enemies…” The people shown dancing in the streets in Palestine are IMHO sick bastards; but that people can show such extraordinarily inhuman ill-will has to be understood if it is to be fixed.
6. I believe the USA’s history of action in the wider world since the second world war is crucially relevant to gaining this understanding. You may not be comfortable with this fact, but it is true that even amongst America’s many friends there is a widespread perception that the USA government pursues its long-term goals with a ruthless disregard for the competitive interests of other peoples on this planet, and has often behaved in ways that are illegal and wrong.
7. I do not personally believe Bush Snr can be viewed as a mass murderer – I raised this as a question to illustrate the fact that there are some who do and who come to a very different world-view as a consequence. You may not like this fact – but it is a fact, and one that we have to come to terms with in order to be able to live in a more or less peaceable world.
8. I raised the issue of the Palestinians because in my view until the western world comes to a balanced appraisal of this incessant tribal warfare, there can never be any resolution. This was in response to the suggestion that the USA should change its stance in relation to these parties by adopting a bellicose and even more partisan position. [Personally, the only thing that makes sense that I can understand is a viable state for Palestinians and another for Israelis, both mutually recognising each other’s right to existence and the pursuit of freedom and happiness, but that is a red herring at this juncture.]
9. I think it is crystal clear that all major powers act in a manner dictated by expedience rather than morality, and indeed all that it takes for an evil course of action to prevail is for good men to do nothing. That is why it is vital that we do not allow idiots to brand this as a “war” when it is a despicable act of terror, why we cannot let anyone suppose there is any quick fix available no matter what force is thrown in the scales, and why the only way in which we can improve our long-term hopes is to learn the ultimate lesson that there is no Them and Us – there is only us. We have to change our own hearts as well as our neighbours’. Of course, this does not make for good TV.
