Greetings, Keith... Pearl's death is so sad. He was a fellow alumnus. But, I am sorry to day, it is no sadder than the killing of an Afghan innocent. They are all being used as pawns. 'Collateral damage' -- that favorite of the US Defense Department -- is blind and cuts all ways.
We must recognize, as I and more importantly, others have been warning, that the US administration's actions in response to Sept 11 have and will produce further anger at the US and an increase in anti-US terrorist activity. Pearl is one such victim. It would be disengenuous of us to close out eyes to the fact that more than anything else, it is US activity that killed Pearl. Had it not been for that activity, Pearl would be alive today. I like your idea of a diplomatic and humanitarian outreach to begin to defure the flames that we have to this point been fanning. But the State department and Powell have been reduced to ciphers at this time, and the dogs of war on the loose. people have died, and more will die before the dogs are leashed again. It is tragic, and all of it unnecessary. Lawry > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Keith Hudson > Sent: Friday, February 22, 2002 3:13 AM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: The death of Daniel Pearl > > > The death of the Wall Street Journalist, Daniel Pearl, in its own > premeditated way and with the video tape of the murder itself, is, to me, > just as brutal and shocking as 11 September. > > This will reinforce American anger and we can expect all sorts of further > repercussions, particularly when we reflect on the fact that Osama bin > Laden and the leading members of Al Queda have escaped from > Afghanistan and > are probably plotting further outrages from wherever they are. > > But there's a much more difficult problem than finding these extremists. > All round the world there are now millions of desperate young men, > particularly in the Islamic countries, who have nothing to do and > no chance > of entering interesting and gainful employment. Among these there > are bound > to be significant numbers of disturbed individuals able to be persuaded > into acts of extreme violence. This situation will exist for many years, > probably decades, yet. > > They want what we want, and usually are able to get. But they are > held back > by cultures which prevent the opportunity for even a half-way all-round > education and opportunities for enterprise and employment. A huge > effort is > needed to implant the seeds of change in those countries. > > I think the chances of sizeable wars between America and Islamic countries > is pretty high now. Quite besides increasing provocations from extremists, > several countries -- for example, Saudi Arabia, Israel-Palestine, > Pakistan, > Afghanistan, Indonesia -- are highly unstable. Even now, is it too much to > hope that the US State Department could start to think about peaceful > incursions into those countries by making offers, such as funding for > schools and medical centres, that even the most reactionary politicians > could not refuse? > > Keith Hudson > > > > __________________________________________________________ > �Writers used to write because they had something to say; now > they write in > order to discover if they have something to say.� John D. Barrow > _________________________________________________ > Keith Hudson, Bath, England; e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > _________________________________________________
