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>From across the pond...
The heinous acts of war reaped on the US this week is a wake up call. The
UK have been having these from the IRA for decades, so though we are acutely
aware of the shock, grief and trauma that you are suffering, not only due to
the 500 or so British who may have perished along with your countrymen but
those of every nation and family member who now grieve, it is the sheer
scale of the tragedy which effects us all. I felt the same rage this week
watching live TV as I did (in the '80's) when 2 British soldiers were
dragged out of their vehicles by a catholic mob and killed. And when
living in Knightsbridge heard the bomb go off which killed soldiers and
horses in Hyde Park. Its heinous .....but you will move on.
The middle east is a tinder box and its important to read the signs.
Translated the wake up calls say
' we don't like you, in fact we hate you, this is revenge for the past and
your policies towards us..... why can't you see our point of view ?.' The
message this week is directed at all democratic, liberal, freedom loving
countries, unfortunately, for which the USA is a particular 'focus' point.
These acts of terror are perpetrated by INDIVIDUALS not whole societies.
These INDIVIDUALS move seamlessly between the masses and are mostly unknown
until they strike - it is difficult to identify and track them down. How is
that a Florida flying school were suckered into training these suicide
bombers to fly or that a German University educated the hijackers in
electronics ? Why is that the FAA turned down the same security levels
implemented for International flight as for domestic in the USA?
The usual suspects (and it could be them all acting in concert) could be
from Palestine - Arafat ( surely one of the most successful terrorists of
all time) and the Palestinians want back some occupied territory and are fed
up with being bombarded by Israel and NOT listened to by the US. Iraq -
Sadam Hussein wants revenge on the US for his losing Kuwait and the gulf war
and for the years of trade sanctions which have further crippled Iraq.
Afghanistan - Bin Laden issued a FATWA on the US. He has a problem with
continued US presence in the gulf. No doubt he is mentally ill - a wealthy
thug with friends.
However, seeing a President dive for cover whilst the brilliant Guiliani
toured the battlefield was symbolic and (unfortunate). It is a pity that
the knee jerk reactions from Colin Powell has set the 'revenge' tone. He
was more of a statesman when he was a soldier. Saying and do-ing are
different. Bush and Powell have set an impossible task - each European
country which has suffered in the hands of terrorists knows that to be true.
How can there be an eye for eye when you can't exclusively identify the
perpetrators?
I fail to see how wasting Kabul or the Taliban will make the US more liked?
And if Bin Laden is caught and brought to the US is there any punishment
which can do justice for his decade of horror ? For me, no. Execution
would be too fast and he would become more of a martyr to his followers than
he is today. Terrorists are societies cancer. A long term programme of
separating out these criminals is needed and will not be achieved with
cruise missiles but through intelligence and co-operation between freedom
loving nations and particularly working with and lobbying the Arab league.
Terrorists need to be imprisoned and made to suffer over time. As Barak of
Israel said this week ' hunt them down as pirates and imprison them'.
The task force could start with an easy target - Gerry Adams and Martin
McGuiness of the IRA. It should move on to ETA of Spain, Hammas and the
PLO and so on.
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