Re: How many casultides

[Jeffrey Goldberg <{$news}$@goldmark.org>]

On Sep 11, 2001 Spock <commander_spock@ncc1701d.com> wrote
   in <9nlumg$gfs$1@newsg1.svr.pol.co.uk>:

> "Jeffrey Goldberg" <{$news}$@goldmark.org> wrote:

> > > No way ! This time the US must react with real force : nuke the
> > > bastards !! They would do the same to the US.
>
> so what if its some extreme right US group?  are you saying the US should
> NUKE the US?

*I* am not saying that at all.  You quoted me quoting someone I argued
against.

But I did say that any government that knowingly harbored or abetted the
terrorists needs to be removed from power.

> remember Tim McVey and the Oklahoma bombing??
>
> Everyone said it was the middle east,

Actually at the time, I suspected one of the wacko "militia" men in the
US.  It is worthwhile to note that those organizations fell apart quickly
after McVeigh was indentified.  The right-wing gun-nut who liked going out
in to the woods with his buddies to play pretend war games suddenly felt
deeply uncomfortable with the association to what McVeigh did.

> just because areas of the Middle East have been indoctrinated by their
> leaders to think this is wonderful doesn't mean they did it.

I actually suspect that no Mid-East country (or would-be country) is
substantially involved.  But that is speculation.  I completely agree that
no response is appropriate until we have good evidence of who did what.
But it is worth speculating, as I have done, about appropriate responses
if it turns out that bin Laden's organization is responsible.  In which
case, the question is what should and can be done wrt to the Taliban.

Russia, with adjacent terrority and little regard for "collateral damage"
couldn't win a war in Afghanistan.  I simply don't know what options are
open to the US if it does turn about to be bin Laden.

My reason (stated several times now, but I'll repeat it) for going after a
government that knowningly protects the terrorists is that such an action
is a deterrent to other governments.  You can't deter the terrorists,
since they are suicidal.

At the same time, I think that the US should do what it can to build
better relations with Islamic countries.  The obvious way to do that is to
tone done its peculiar relations with Israel.  But that will be difficult
to do in the light of the public reaction to Palestinian celebrations.

-j


-- 
Jeffrey Goldberg
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 Relativism is the triumph of authority over truth, convention over justice
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