Your comparison of what happens in a complicated region of the world that has been beset by ethnic strife for centuries with what might happen in this country at the hands of terrorists would be laughable if not for the fact that you appear to be deadly serious (no pun intended). But it is rather sad to see you have such an ignorant recall of historical events. Do you really think that the death squads operating in Guatemala, Nicaragua, and El Salvador that slaughtered hundreds of thousands of civilians in the 1980s weren't engaged in acts of terrorism? And do you think that because the U.S. and the Reagan administration only aided and abetted those groups, rather than actually directing them, they weren't complicit in the terrorism? How about Operation Phoenix during the Vietnam War, where the CIA led an operation that resulted in the deaths of somewhere between 50,000 (CIA claim) and 100,000 (media sources) North Vietnamese civilians? What, if it's state-sponsored, it's not terrorism?
What does this have to do with St. Paul? Probably nothing. But if you're going to stray way off topic, at least use some credible information. And in case you missed it, the killings at the Munich Olympics in 1972 were carried out by the Black September extremist group seeking a Palestinian state. Do you really believe that the only people who have ever committed terroristic acts in the Israeli-Arab conflict the past fifty or so years were Muslims? Try Jews, Christians, and a few other denominations as well. Menachem Begin, the one time prime minister of Israel, was part of a terrorist Israeli network that attacked the British occupation of Israel, blew up a hotel, engaged in sniper attacks, etc. Somehow we have tolerated those acts through the lens of history as being the work of freedom fighters, but any other such heinous attack is only carried out by mongrel dog jihadists. The reality is that all terrorism is appalling. As is the proposed solution that you advocate: militarizing the country. We can seal our borders, and it won't do anything to end poverty, create jobs (other than with Homeland Security, of course), provide affordable health care, develop sustainable energy sources, protect the environment, etc. Republicans, except for those who allied themselves with the John Birch society, used to understand this. A pity that your misplaced fear over something that hypothetically might occur in St. Paul skews you opinions so dramatically. You're just as likely to get injured or killed in a traffic accident when you're on the job as a police officer as be the victim of some terrorist lying in the midst somewhere in the metro area. Did it ever occur to you that the arrests of suspected "terrorists" is about racism and fear, and not based on credible evidence? I realize that your background in law enforcement might lead you to believe that only good arrests are being made in these cases, but remember when we rounded up all the Japanese Americans during World War II? What, exactly, is the difference between that and how the U.S. is treating any foreign national in this country right now? Tom Goldstein Mac-Groveland _____________________________________________ To Join: St. Paul Issues Forum Rules Discussion Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] _____________________________________________ NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your password - visit: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul Archive Address: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/
