Worlds... But not Hearts... apart (2 of 4)

--------------- (written 9:00pm last night 09/13/01:)


Phil, and those who share similar views,

You wrote "I've lived my whole life knowing Muslims hate and kill Americans.
Excuse me if I use my powers of observation and discrimination to instantly
distinguish between friend and foe.  Let the foe prove he is really a
friend.  It is his burden, not mine."

Against my (and Lou Forlini's) better judgement, I cannot let these kinds of
views pass uncontested.



I use my powers of observation and discrimination to find truth, in even the
most incorrect statements.  You imply that ALL Muslims hate and kill
Americans, and the facts may not convince you otherwise.



But it IS true that it's time to find out who is really a friend and who is
really a foe, of Americans.  By their actions, and not their words.  If
Americans have the will, those who want to cause harm to Americans will
perish.

But even in the countries that will evidently be at war with America, there
are people that mean us no harm and some who even support us.  America has
the technology to remove the cancer without killing the patient, which is
US.  Many share your views that the innocent must die, in order for
America's enemies to die.  But, as others have noted, all that does is
ensure a never-ending supply of enemies.

And overlooks the same point that the "people" that perpetrated this crime
overlooked:  many times the enemies of America are the governments and
armies of other countries and not all, or even the majority, of it's people.
If Americans have the will, America has the technology to take out those
governments, and their armies, that don't support us fully in this war.  And
if the people of those countries put a new government in place, with the
same hateful goals, then Americans will have to decide if America will take
that one out too.

Furthermore, IMO, it would be best to let the people of these countries,
those we will be at war with, have any government they want...  So long as
it doesn't support, harbor, or even tolerate those who want to harm innocent
people.  I agree, completely, with what you said about the need to
discriminate between friend and foe; but disagree completely with your
method of discrimination.

After this display of such Absolute Evil, it is all too easy to fall into
the trap of seeing things only in terms of absolutes.

I'm sure not saying that there is no Right and Wrong involved here, but that
things can rarely be seen clearly in terms of only black and white.  That is
my take from reading Neil's and Dale Draper's posts, anyway.

...