September 11th Revisited
Below is an article that was written five years ago on September the 12th, I thought I would post it as it pretty much still stands up today.
12th September 2001
To attack the largest economy with incredible accuracy right in the heart of it’s ‘World Trade Centre’, killing thousands, is incomprehensible. To do it using America’s own planes, domestically prepared and executed is unthinkable.
America has been hit a massive sucker punch and is dazed on the canvas. It should make the most of the count instead of jumping up too quickly to hit back. This enemy is not someone of equal stature. It is devious and dirty. It is small, nimble and without morals. America is in danger of acting like a champion boxer flailing arms against a swarm of bee’s.
America can drop a nuclear bomb on Osama Bin Laden’s head tomorrow. In a week his followers could hit back with something equally as atrocious as Tuesdays events. Finding the ‘enemy’ is one thing. Understanding and defining the enemy is an essential concern that, unfortunately, will not bother America too much.
America and the western world needs to focus its issues and address them as a coherent objective. The action should not be to lynch somebody in full view of the grieving family’s of New York and Washington but to make sure that this horror will never happen again. Killing leaders and members of a group that appear to have little difficulty in arranging martyrs will not remove future threats one iota.
To recover from this without spilling more innocent blood is going to be extremely difficult. If capturing Osama Bin Laden and bringing him to justice is the focus, then extreme international pressure –and promises- will certainly persuade the Taliban to hand him over swiftly. I fear that alone is not enough to satisfy the American anger.
To witness the bitterness and hate exchanged on the Islamic and other related internet newsgroups is abhorrent. The bulk of the bile regurgitated by American’s. You only need channel hop the news to pick up incidents of hate against Islam by the narrow minded and excuse picking racists. This is the complex challenge that presents itself to America.
Strapping Bin Laden to an electric chair will anger his followers -at the last count represented in 34 countries. Making overtones that Islam is the enemy, or offending the culture in any way directly, will insult and attack a religion with over a billion followers.
Clear lines need to be made. World leaders to state and overstate, until it sinks in, that the people responsible for the destruction in America are obsessive fundamentalists who are not representatives of the Islamic faith. No newspaper editor should allow publication of any article or comment, however shrouded, to negate Islam. No ‘readers letter’ should be published that insinuates responsibility as Arab or Muslim. This is not a Holy War. No God would condone the murder of thousands of innocent people. It is the duty of the media to report the news free from prejudice or bias. If we do not adhere strictly to this ideal we are in danger of aiding and abetting terroism. Not just against ourselves but against Islam.
12th September 2001
To attack the largest economy with incredible accuracy right in the heart of it’s ‘World Trade Centre’, killing thousands, is incomprehensible. To do it using America’s own planes, domestically prepared and executed is unthinkable.
America has been hit a massive sucker punch and is dazed on the canvas. It should make the most of the count instead of jumping up too quickly to hit back. This enemy is not someone of equal stature. It is devious and dirty. It is small, nimble and without morals. America is in danger of acting like a champion boxer flailing arms against a swarm of bee’s.
America can drop a nuclear bomb on Osama Bin Laden’s head tomorrow. In a week his followers could hit back with something equally as atrocious as Tuesdays events. Finding the ‘enemy’ is one thing. Understanding and defining the enemy is an essential concern that, unfortunately, will not bother America too much.
America and the western world needs to focus its issues and address them as a coherent objective. The action should not be to lynch somebody in full view of the grieving family’s of New York and Washington but to make sure that this horror will never happen again. Killing leaders and members of a group that appear to have little difficulty in arranging martyrs will not remove future threats one iota.
To recover from this without spilling more innocent blood is going to be extremely difficult. If capturing Osama Bin Laden and bringing him to justice is the focus, then extreme international pressure –and promises- will certainly persuade the Taliban to hand him over swiftly. I fear that alone is not enough to satisfy the American anger.
To witness the bitterness and hate exchanged on the Islamic and other related internet newsgroups is abhorrent. The bulk of the bile regurgitated by American’s. You only need channel hop the news to pick up incidents of hate against Islam by the narrow minded and excuse picking racists. This is the complex challenge that presents itself to America.
Strapping Bin Laden to an electric chair will anger his followers -at the last count represented in 34 countries. Making overtones that Islam is the enemy, or offending the culture in any way directly, will insult and attack a religion with over a billion followers.
Clear lines need to be made. World leaders to state and overstate, until it sinks in, that the people responsible for the destruction in America are obsessive fundamentalists who are not representatives of the Islamic faith. No newspaper editor should allow publication of any article or comment, however shrouded, to negate Islam. No ‘readers letter’ should be published that insinuates responsibility as Arab or Muslim. This is not a Holy War. No God would condone the murder of thousands of innocent people. It is the duty of the media to report the news free from prejudice or bias. If we do not adhere strictly to this ideal we are in danger of aiding and abetting terroism. Not just against ourselves but against Islam.
posted by Felix at 9:35 AM
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