Date: Sat, 2 Mar 2002 03:05:02 -0500
From: pimann@pobox.com ("Dan Sullivan")
Subject: [libs4peace] Home soil ploy
To: libs4peace@yahoogroups.com
Reply-To: libs4peace@yahoogroups.com


Consider that it is a violation of a law-abiding 
citizen's rights to trespass on his property, but it 
is not a violation of the rights of a criminal to 
pursue him onto his property.

Now, to those who would say that Afghanistan is the 
property of Al Queda or Bin Ladin, which is a 
considerable stretch, it should be pointed out that 
our own government has been engaged in criminal acts 
in the Muslim world for more than half a century, and 
that those who came here to attack us were, indeed, 
attacking a criminal nation with the only resources at 
their disposal.

Moreover, to the extent that we claim to be a 
democratic republic, we claim, as citizens, 
responsibility for the actions of our government. We 
become accessories to the crimes of our government, 
not only by our vote, and by our lack of opposition 
and resistance those crimes, but by our support of 
that government by our payment of taxes and our 
general compliance with its agenda. That is, if we are 
what we claim to be, then the charge that "innocent 
civilians" were killed is a false charge. Anyone who 
has acquiesced to the crimes of our government is not 
innocent.

On the other hand, if we are mere subjects, as are  
the people of Afghanistan, unable to control our 
government, then we can lament the loss of "innocent 
civilians" just as they do. However, even in that 
case, we cannot morally abide the lie that an attack 
against our government or our corporate elite is an 
attack against us all, any more than one could abide 
by the lie that an attack against the master is an 
attack against his slaves.

Those who were innocent of corporate or military 
conquest, such as the fire fighters, most of the 
airline passengers, and some of the lower-level 
employees in the World Trade Center, can be considered 
"collateral damage," just like the peaceable citizens 
of Afghanistan who happened to be in the way of our 
government's bombs.

Still, no matter which way one spins the scenario, 
there is no coherent rationale for treating the 
attacks of September 11 as unprovoked attacks on our 
home soil. To do so is to strain against the gnat 
after swallowing the camel.


Dan Sullivan <pimann@pobox.com>




------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Buy Stock for $4.
No Minimums.
FREE Money 2002.
http://us.click.yahoo.com/BgmYkB/VovDAA/ySSFAA/nJ9qlB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->

If you continue to vote for the same policies, you will continue to get the same consequences because of those policies.




To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
libs4peace-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com



Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/