Article.

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Your thoughts?

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What Does Revenge Accomplish?
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By C. ALTON ROBERTSON
C. Alton Robertson is an emeritus associate professor at University of Redlands

September 15 2001

President Bush said in his speech to the nation on Tuesday that we were attacked because the United States is "the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world," and the perpetrators of the attacks want to stamp out this beacon.

Does this satisfactorily explain why the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon took place?

A general interviewed on ABC said that this was an attack by an enemy who hates us. He gave no reason for this intense hatred nor was he asked to do so. Roy Romer, superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, was asked PBS' "Life and Times Tonight" about helping children understand what they were seeing on television. He said that this is about conflict resolution and drew a parallel between the horrendous events of Tuesday and a fight on the playground. This is how some people think they can right a wrong, according to Romer.

But no one asked Romer what the perceived wrong was that these people were attempting to right.

Are we content to accept the president's explanation that we are hated so intensely and these events occurred because this enemy resents our being a country of freedom and opportunity? Are we content to assume that it is our best that brought this about? That these dastardly deeds were born of envy and jealousy?

Or should we, taking Romer's lead, ask what actions of ours could be perceived by some as so terribly wrong as to evoke such hatred and anger such a ghastly response?

But do we share in responsibility for wrongs that somehow made those who carried out these acts feel justified?

I love this country. I am grateful for my freedoms and for the opportunities that citizenship has provided. I am proud of the many achievements we have made.

But I also know that my government, acting on behalf of myself and all my fellow citizens, has perpetrated unspeakable acts of violence against the citizens of other states.

Why were Palestinians celebrating in the streets of Jerusalem and in the putrid Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon on Tuesday? Why were people dancing in the streets in Tehran? Why did Chile have to go through 17 years of terrible oppression under Gen. Augusto Pinochet after our government instigated the coup that led to the death of the democratically elected president, Salvador Allende, in a country that had a history of 100 years of democracy? Why did we oust Jacobo Arbenz in Guatemala? Why did we spend billions of dollars decimating the countryside of Nicaragua? Why were we bombing Cambodia? How long did we support apartheid in South Africa and keep oppressive regimes in office?

The front page of this newspaper on Thursday screamed, "America: Stunned, Saddened and Now Ready for Revenge." Is revenge what the perpetrators of Tuesday's crimes seek? Will revenge in return solve anything?

Of course, the perpetrators need to be identified and their supporters held accountable. But revenge, unbalanced by truth, will gain nothing but increased rage and further acts of revenge. Revenge, unaccompanied by self-examination, accomplishes little. There are other ways to right wrongs and to resolve conflict.

 

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[danielson]

nice post

i am very interested in what president bush's response will be in terms of militarty attack,..i personally think he should bomb the shit outta them but im wiondering how severe it will be and what the taliban response will be as a result. interesting times.

i ponder this as im hungry as hell for carbs.....fucking cutting! i ate a hell of a lot of chicken and im not even full

 

[MkZk]

Good post.

People need to think of why instead of just revenge. Revenge ALONE will NOT prevent another attack.

Of course, their might be a whole conspiracy behind the whole attack...this changes everything. As citizens, we should not automatically rule out a possiblilty of a deep and sinister conspiracy. Just keep our minds open about it and don't listen to the news with our guards up.

 

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Praise the lord for he has blessed us with yet another person who thinks for himself.

MkZk: My thoughts exactly. I would never trust the news, like I said in my other posts..how many of you condemn their lies about AAS, ephedrine, the Drug War, but then open wide to be spoonfed the bullshit about this?

I completely understand that everyone in this country is horrified and looking to get behind our 'great leader' and release our anger on the Evil Heretic Osama Bin Laden.

But again, I urge everyone to take a step back for a moment and look...what do you really see?

 

[MattTheSkywalker]

Bill Clinton:

8 years
3 major attacks (WTC, embassies, USS Cole)
0 response (excepot for a haphazard missile that blew up a pharmaceutical factory)

These people planned for years to do this, without any real fear.
Then we put them on trial and even convicted a few of them. Wow!

It is not only revenge. We are not hijacking an Air Iraq jet and flying into the tallest building in Kabul. (Their 9 story goat herding school).

Has US foreign policy been perfect? Far from it. But US reaction will be aimed at drastically reducing the terrorist threat.

Americans should ask themselves: do we want to be perfect in an imperfect world, or do we want to enjoy our standard of living without fear of terrorists? I'll take the standard of living, and if you disagree, I hear the goat herding school is seeking applicants.

 

[spongebob]

bump,
you are right. the people who perpetrated this attack probaly do feel that they are retaliating for the US' foriegn policy. there is always two sides to every arguement and sometimes it just boils down to who has the bigger gun. another reason to be thankful we live in the USA.