<< Discount 95% of what I'm saying. I'm tired, cranky, and cynical over the
warmongering, the jingoistic press, the mosques being vandalized/marched on,
the fact that the US government is using the fear in the air to grab at
power... >>
I'm sorry, that's not just "cranky" or "cynical", that's rather overstated
and wrong-headed. I'm not aware of any warmongering, the press has for the
most part been quite restrained (at least the press I've been paying
attention to; primarily the NY Times, BBC, CNN, and MSNBC), the US government
doesn't have to "grab at" power since it already possesses quite a bit of it,
and it isn't "fear in the air" - it's righteous rage along with momentous
sadness. We've been *attacked* - innocent people have been massacred by
cowardly, venemous - and, yes, evil - plotters. How do you *expect* Americans
to feel?
The policies of the US government are not perfect. Americans are not perfect.
We've done some bad things, and we may not always be as responsible with our
power as the rest of the world might like (I daresay no other country would
do a better job given our power). But to say that our reactions to what
happened Tuesday are warmongering or jingoistic or a grab at power - isn't
that to totally negate the enormity of the destruction and murder we've
suffered? Can *anything* justify what happened on Tuesday?
As for our response - so far I think it's pretty reasonable. We haven't
bombed anyone. We haven't flown off the handle. Any anti-Arab or anti-Islamic
attacks or hysteria are awful - and anyone and everyone with an ounce of
sense and even the tiniest access to the media has condemned them and
demanded they stop.
Anyone who expects us to behave any way other than the way we have been
behaving is demanding of Americans behavior that he or she would never expect
in a million years from himself - or from anyone else.
What we do about terrorism is up for debate, of course. But to condemn our
response so far as jingoistic and warmongering and a grab for power is
nitpicking, croccodile tears, and absurdly unfair.
Tom Beck
