Teachable Moment
Now that 9/11 is just a memory until next year let’s indulge in a teachable moment by exploring questions not being asked about causes of terrorists bombing of the Twin Towers and other less publicized acts.
The unsubstantiated reason that the terrorists hate us because of our freedom and liberty is a feeble explanation that should be accompanied by asking, why do they hate us? This could be a teachable moment in possibly discovering an answer to this question. If we could find that answer it may lead to less costly ways in fighting terrorism. This could be defined as a logical approach to the problem.
Critics of the bombing maintain that terrorists have deep grievances against the United States which must be addressed to fight terrorism.
These grievances are easily identified: the stationing of troops in Saudi Arabia, site of the most holy Muslim shrines while attacking Kuwait; slaughtering retreating troops and families on The Highway of Death; Ten years of sanctions against Iraq resulting in the deaths of hundred of thousand children; bombing Iraq with smart bombs with some bombs not too intelligent, missing their intended targets and killing many civilians; plus U.S. support of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land.
We could go back farther to Reagan bombing Libya, Clinton bombing Iraq, our intervention and committing savagery acts in Somalia, and bombing Sudan. These weren’t exactly humanitarian acts.
These actions may not have endeared us to many zealots in the Middle East. Mores of the tribal culture prior to Mohammad still exist today. When a person of one tribe was harmed by someone from the other tribe, retaliation was required by harming anyone from the other tribe. Are we guilty of doing the same?
Addressing the fight on terrorism can not be successful without a fundamental change in our foreign policy which would be opposed by the military-industrial complex dominating most major parties.
Withdrawing our troops, if not from the 93 countries we occupy, at least the Middle-East, would be a cheaper way to stop inflaming zealots who use terrorism as a means of retaliation.
If you’re not wearing a lapel pin or question actions of your country you are characterized as unpatriotic. Those supporting our country right or wrong obstruct progress. Put your little flags away and do some analytical thinking before allowing a few leaders in Washington free access to send our young people into life threatening and mindless conflicts.
Mencken in 1920 said “The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populous alarmed by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.” He was probably referring to WW1, but still prevalent today.
Don Cooks 
Thanks so much for those insights. From what I am reading, we will soon be experiencing retaliation by Pakistan for our actions there. It’s hard to recognize our foreign policies are being representative of what would be expected of a nation of “Christians.”
Seems so simple really and also a cost saving approach to running a country. If we focus more on our internal problems that plague the citizens daily and allow other countries the latitude to deal with their own problems perhaps we will not be a target and even get something solved for ourselves.
I like the idea of withdrawing our troops and doing as Luanne suggests to focus more on our own internal problems. I hope Vicki Sue isn’t right. We have be so blessed to have relative peace on our own soil.
Not even considering the loss of lives, have you read of the billions of dollars in military supplies we are leaving behind in Iraq….not to mention the money lost through graft and corruption in the military contracts? Could there have been a better use of that money?