I am going to say a few things. Dont get me wrong, I am an American, and I love that I was born here, and have the freedoms that I do have. And I think all should have them. But there is a definite line, one which America has crossed.
You say the Taliban struck first with the WTCs. Do you really think this? Have you not been paying attention to any of the past 50+ years or anything that happened in them?
First, we trained the Taliban and Iraqis. We gave them weapons and taught them how to fight. We taught them this because we knew they would want to fight the invaders into their countries - mainly Russia and Iran. We created them to be the way they are today. We created the monster, and then lost control. We should have known they would have turned on us. It was only a matter of time. The same reasons that we used to turn them against others, were the same reasons they should have turned against us for.
Secondly, these are not new conflicts. Remember the USS Cole? Remember how in return bombed several different plants, etc. that were supposed bases, centers, or chemical/biological weapons plants? It goes back much futher than this.
We live in an age today where one question comes to mind - is the US an empire? Economically, we hold dominion over all countries. We have power to raise up Third World countries, or keep them where they are. Technologically, people come here. We have the power. Everywhere you go, as long as you know English, you are generally ok. Militarily, we have bases in countries all over the world. We are the world's policemen. Yet who police's the policemen?
Our foriegn policy is in many ways completly selfish. Often times we dont care who we step on as long as we come out on top. We are quite ruthless. We get into everybody's business, because "it is our own." All this in an age when empires and colonialism were supposedly dead.
In the melting pot of the world, that shouts "Rights! Freedoms! Liberties!" from the rooftops, we have an intolerable government towards others. We have no respect for others. Now I am not saying that the beliefs of Islam are correct (in fact I think they arent), but we continually offend them in the name of commercialism, free trade, business.
Who is it that has kept Israel alive in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? Did not the original charter call for a Palistinian state as well as a Jewish one? What happened to that part? Who is it that gives Israel weapons, planes, helicopters, and missles? Those helicopters they use in assisinations and in shooting of refugee camps and such were American made. Those planes they used to attack Egypt in past wars, or Syria, or Jordan, those were American made (both defensives and OFFENSIVES!). The missiles that fell were American. We hold a certain amount of responsibility for what they do with them, for we gave it to them, well knowing how they would be used.
I DONT agree with anything that they have done, but I certainly understand why they are upset. It is not like we have done nothing to wrong them, or their beliefs, or anything.
I mean, look at our government. In this age of freedom of the press, and freedom of information, the president put a block on what comes out of the White House, that at one time was standard. Why? Does he have something to hide? Then you look at the handling of prosecutions and such, in which we have DENIED people their American rights in the name of America? Does that sound contradictory, that in order to have our freedom, we should have to suppress other people's? They are also looking for more freedom in tapping phones and tracing calls and doing just about everything they can to invade our privacy. Should we give up our Bill of Rights in order to keep it? Isnt that a bit contradictory?
We love our freedoms. And yet we give China, which continually has been shown to oppress freedom and infringe upon basic human rights, permanant trade status? Please explain this to me. We are upset with Iraq over the Kurds, but no one mentions that the day after they got their trade status, they buldozed several villages thought to contain underground churches, or shall we begin to mention numerable massacres. What is the difference? Iraq doesnt have much we need other than oil, which we have other sources for. China, on the other hand, we need economically. Our biases clearly show through.
And now North Korea has nuclear weapons. We dont like this, and say they cant have any. I am sorry, I dont think that anyone should have nuclear weapons, but we say they cant have them but we have a huge arsenal of them? Do we expect people to just follow what we say? How long are they just going to listen as we continually buy them off with economic trade (we have done this with N.K. on several occasions previously).
And why is that when there are UN forces, they are predominantly US? And it is usually the US that is pushing for the forces to be put in?
There is a difference between attempting to keep our world safe, and infringing upon others, pushing them around, and establishing an empire of sorts.
Those are my thoughts on the subject. I will leave it at that. I wont return to debate. I wont confront. Take pop shots if you will, I wont be here to take them. I just thought I would give you a little food for thought. I disagree with violence, especially the WTC sort. I think it was aweful and terrible. But at the same time, our hands, too, are stained with blood; our hearts, too, burn with vengeance; and in many ways, we have become like "the enemy."
A quick story - the September 12th, 2001 - a friend of mine was on his way to school. He passes a nieghborhood that is predominantly Muslim. The one thing that was different that day was that no one was waiting at the bus stop on the main street. Instead, the bus pulled up, and kids began to sprint from their homes. These were elementary schoolers, whose parents were to afraid of the ignorant people who turned on all muslims. This fear was instilled in these kids. And so they ran to the bus, out of fear. These were kids!
God bless
