Although the language gets a bit too strong for my taste in places, I'm with you on this -- it is a great piece. Thanks for sharing the pointer.
"...Our first goal must be to understand why Western culture -- with all its consumer toys, action movies and seemingly unlimited freedoms -- is not as compelling to these millions of young people as a religious mission whose greatest expression of faith is martyrdom." This is a question we truly should be trying to answer as a nation and with the rest of western civilization. I'll offer the question another way: why does much of Islam regard us as enslaved by consumerism? Ironically, they don't see the "land of the free" as all that free. It seems that is why the many in Islam imagine that they can defeat the west -- that we are so fat and happy that we won't be able to defend ourselves. Their successes on September 11th showed that we were; our actions now will show whether or not we will continue to be. To echo the conclusion of the piece, we need to decide, in public debate and discussion, what values we are fighting for. If there is anything that deeply worries me, it is the possibility that there is no reliable venue for such communication to take place... and the result will be polarization, an emerging deep division within western society. Nick > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On > Behalf Of Marvin Long, Jr. > Sent: Monday, October 01, 2001 8:54 AM > To: BRIN-L Mailing list > Subject: Democracy held hostage (fwd) > > > > This editorial at Salon.com pretty much sums up my feelings these days. > > http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2001/09/29/democracy/index.html > > > Marvin Long > Austin, Texas > > "If you will not grant me victory, then grant me vengeance!" > Conan the Barbarian > > "Blessed are the peacemakers." > Jesus Christ >
