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We do not understand, as a people, that this is not a war
in any conceivable sense. It is a conflict with a world wide
criminal cult which has hijacked the Muslim faith.
Therefore it is a psychological conflict,
a religious conflict, a conflict between the humanity
of all our Wisdom traditions, our Western civilization
and an extremist cult,
now spread world wide,
with immense complications.
If so, then brute force or military power cannot work. Bombing is wrong. Continued bombing is more wrong. Bombing means we have accepted the "collateral damage" that the killing of innocent civilians is necessary in this case. How many people is it okay to kill to get one ruthless person or a gang of criminals? Nothing can justify the events of September 11. But few Americans know or want to know how the policies of this country have set the stage over many decades by ignoring, or supporting overseas violence. Not simply thousands, but HUNDREDS of thousands of lives, and those of innocent children, have been destroyed, often with weapons and training we have supplied. Few of my conservative friends are even willing to examine America's very ugly and sad record of abuse of human rights overseas, particularly among the Muslims, now decades long. This is not a "war" we can win by force or violence. We are already escalating the Muslim hatred toward infidel America in dozens of countries where the radicals are strong and growing. Any military action necessary to capture the criminals should be led by the United Nations with a Muslim force recruited from Arab allies. Muslim extremism is a Muslim responsibility before it is ours. It is a perversion of their ancient faith. They are the ones with the first responsibility. Because it is a perverted cult of their own faith. Instead, we have accepted the bin Laden's terms of war: that violence shall determine the outcome. Furthermore, use of brute force justifies additional rage AND conspiracy AND revenge. Military force in this situation escalates a conflict and a horrific crime into a WAR that No one can win, that shall cost many lives. Unnecessary lives that fuel extremist Muslim hatred. I believe we have begun, in response to a horrific tragedy, a horrific response that has gravest implications for the future of our civilization, gravely threatening peace and justice for the un-imaginable future. No American is one bit safer by anything we have done so far. It is all the more important to speak up now. It is not allowable for anyone to take the life of another. When the other is mad and intent on your destruction, it is allowable to kill in self-defense. It is not allowable to take the lives of innocent persons to get to those who are mad. Human life is sacred. What is really scarey is that so many of us are willing to justify the taking of innocent human life at this time, early Fall, early October, 2001. Generals ALWAYS re-fight the previous war. Like LBJ in Vietnam, we have the wrong strategy, the wrong model and the wrong motivation for a very different kind of conflict, which this administration, mostly cold war warriors, and the world itself, is poorly prepared to understand. It took us almost thirty thousand body bags of our youth in Vietnam, before we awoke as a country. It took almost another thirty thousand body bags, not to mention four million Vietnamese, before we were forced out, because Nixon did not want to be the first President to admit defeat in a war. How many body bags this time? On their side (which hardly counts) and on "our side?" How many acts of future terrorism are we inspiring on the part of a different desperately poor people of an ancient faith who can see only the dark ugly side of America, which our current actions are only reinforcing? Brute force and military action is only upping the "ante." We are betting we can win by military action, or that we can intimidate people already filled with hatred. We are misconceiving the challenge and our options. We have joined the issue with bin Laden on his terms. This "war" as we have conceived it cannot be "won." When we call it "war" we can begin to justify many things to ourselves, as we already have, in the killing of innocents. What we are now engaged in, in my humble opinion, does MORE to threaten our national security than the horrific bombing itself on September 11. It shall not make it safer anywhere to be an American citizen. In my humble opinion, IMHO, Paschal Baute, October 14, 2001. Lexington, KY |