[thechat] Justice, was Chomsky, was Michael Moore's message

[john corry]

> There is no invading army at our borders.

Nope. They're already within our borders...living and workign amongst us,
gainng our trust.

> There are many other less visceral, less flashy, more creative, more
> effective, and certainly more peaceful responses to last week's
> tragedy.
>
> We can't bring back the 5,000 people who are gone.  But in choosing
> war, we can send more innocents to their graves.  We can magnify the
> destruction exponentially.

An unfortunate reality, but nonetheless real.

We are the leaders of the world. If we allow terrorism to win, what kind of
world are we creating for our children, for the future? What message do we
send to the rest of the world, that acts such as these are permissible? That
to get the US to comply with your fundamentalist islamic cause all you have
to do is scare us?

I certainly hope not.

The only response we can have to violence on this grand scale is to make a
concerted effort to eliminate the threat. Sadly, that does seem to dictate a
violent response. How that response is crafted will determine the amount of
loss of innocent life. I trust our administration to *consider* that loss
and to make every effort to minimize it, but I also am sure that to there
will be civilian casualties.

> It is the eagerness toward war (and the associated language and
> mentality) that sickens and disappoints me.  Instead of the last
> option, it becomes the first.  Is this the best we can do?  Sad.

Well, we are a democracy...and the leadership of our nation reflects the
nation itself. I'm sorry that you are dissappointed by the firm resolve fo
your countrymen to do everything in their power to STAMP THIS INSIDIOUS EVIL
OUT. I do respect your position on it though..I commisserate, I know, war is
a terrible, terrible, evil thing itself.

I hate the prospect of war, but in a practical sense see no other
alternative. I would be very dissappointed in my country if it were to
receive a blow like this and not respond in kind...that seems to be the
prvailing sentiment within the USA right now. Not a call for vengeance...but
a call for justice and for good to prevail over evil.

jpc