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Bullying
Most of the bullies I knew when I was a kid were blunt about their belligerence. You know, the knock you down and take your lunch money type. However, the meanest bully I can remember was a kid named Billy Nelson. Billy always tried to stage his bullying so that he wouldn’t get the blame. Instead of challenging you openly, Billy would trip you in the hall, insult your manhood (boyhood) and ask you for part of your lunch money. Eventually his target would be provoked, and Billy would use that as an excuse to pulverize the poor kid.
There is a point beyond which self-defense becomes abuse. While we all have a basic right to defend ourselves, there is a point beyond which our actions can exceed what is necessary for our protection; beyond this point the defender becomes the aggressor. As it is always improper to be the aggressor and force your will on other people, this excess of aggression in the guise of defense is itself a transgression which should not be tolerated.
Unfortunately, it can be very difficult to determine this point when defense becomes attack. The circumstances of the original attack can seem to justify an extreme response. And often emotions can seem to excuse a rash response. Because of this ambiguity, Billy was always able to avoid at least a part of the responsibility for his actions be claiming that he was defending himself, or at most reacting to provocation.
I had forgotten all about Billy Nelson by the late 1980’s, when King George the first had his little altercation with Manuel Noriega. In order to provide himself with an excuse for invading Panama, George had his troops in Panama fan out into the community to set up roadblocks and harass the citizens. Ultimately, someone was provoked into attacking, and the U$ reacted with overwhelming force. Many innocent people died. It was then that I began to see just how slick was this tactic of intimidation, provoked altercation, justification and overwhelming response.
For over fifty years, the United $tates has perfected this slick form of bullying, and has used it to justify—for its own people as well as for the international community—its aggression against anyone who would resist U$ global domination. One reason why this form of bullying has succeeded so well is because the U$ believed its own public was insulated from the direct affects of its aggression.
With the majority of the world’s oil resources being situated in the Middle East, the U$ has long been practicing Billy Nelson Style domination throughout the region. We have intimidated the people by supporting local dictators who keep the people subjugated for the accommodation of the U$. We back these dictators with weapons, training, logistics, and sometimes even U$ troops. If all else fails, we inflict our own form of terrorism (counterinsurgency), or else seek a pretense for a “limited” military engagement. As a result, the people of the Middle East have been provoked to the extreme. Unfortunately the extremists who seem to have responded in this case possessed both the ability and the cold heartedness to react in a most condemnable and despicable fashion. This is true for all terrorists, whether they are following the orders of a religious zealot or a superpower.
It remains to be seen if the U$ will seek to take full advantage of this tragedy in true Billy Nelson fashion. If we use these terrorist acts as an excuse to strengthen our grip in the region, striking out at multiple countries and striking against the general population instead of seeking the specific terrorists responsible for these acts, then it is certain that we are acting in true bully fashion. And if our government used these terrible events as an excuse to do away with freedom among our own people, then we will know that the bully had finally grown so strong that it is not afraid to openly throw its muscle around.
Unfortunately, with the air attacks against Afghanistan, the establishment of a Homeland Protection Agency, and the congressional passage of sweeping antiterrorism bills, early evidence supports the fact that we are the meanest bullies on the block. Whether sitting in command of troops, sitting on a corporate board, or sitting in a jail cell, I am sure that Billy Nelson is very proud of his country right now.
Empowerment/Songsof the March Hare
http://www.angelfire.com/mi3/empowerment
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Olympus/5309
The Linnet's Song
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/059514683X/qid%3D984839641/107-6000916-1315753
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