Date: Sun, 16 Sep 2001 16:36:28 -0700 From: Terry Lambert <tlambert2@mindspring.com> To: Piet Delport <siberiyan@mweb.co.za>, Dag-Erling Smorgrav <des@ofug.org>, Stephen Hurd <deuce@lordlegacy.org>, freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Helping victims of terror Message-ID: <3BA5377C.7744869A@mindspring.com> References: <NFBBJPHLGLNJEEECOCHAMEFMCDAA.deuce@lordlegacy.org> <xzpelp9s9ga.fsf@flood.ping.uio.no> <3BA33CB6.FE0102C8@mindspring.com> <20010916024154.B57021@athalon> <3BA51CBA.BB366813@mindspring.com>
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Terry Lambert wrote: > > > PS: How profound do you think is the guilt of the perpetrators of the > > > September 11th atrocity?. > > > > Even less than the guilt of Joe Average American over America's own > > atrocities, i imagine. > > Any attrocity is justifiable in self defense, when the alternative > is your own destruction. To elaborate on this one point: Recently, I was at a meeting where it was suggested by one vocal person that the U.S. had no business backing Israel, and that this event was the just deserts of the U.S. not stepping aside, and allowing Arab nations (presumably, Syria), to militarily assault and hold the West Bank. The person went on to state that Israel had no business displacing the people of the West Bank from their homes, to build housing for Israeli immigration from other countries. I pointed out that Israel won that land in a defensive action as the spoils of war, and that the Geneva Convention recognizes the spoils of war as being legitimate. Further, I stated, the non-Israeli people living on the West Bank do so at Israel's sufferage, and that most nations would have forced them to leave at the time the land was won, following occupation and the end of the war. I further pointed out that Israel was created as a reparation for crimes against them in World War II, and that the attacks on Israel which resulted in that war were illegitimate and illegal, in the eyes of the world. He ignored (or rather, was infuriated by, but held himself in check) these points, and stated that it was only the U.S. military might that prevented the land from being seized by "its rightful owners". I pointed out that Israel had nuclear weapons. He stated that Israel would _never_ use such weapons, as they themselves would be down wind, and would destroy themselves. I pointed out that Israel probably had a sufficient blood supply, bone marrow depository, and stockpiles of Calcium EDTA and powdered eggs, that they would probably be willing to use the weapons, if it came down to them feeling their existance was threatened, and accept the losses, knowing that while they may be terrible, they will not be total, and the alternative would be to accept total annihilation. One side is fighting for land and political and religious reasosn; the other side has those same reasons, but is also fighting for survival. He was flabbergasted, and thought that I was insane -- How, he asked, could they do that, even in defense of their own existance? I was flabbergasted in return... how could they not?, I asked. If the U.S. or Russia were in the same position, they would do it; that was the entire basis of the cold war: mutually assured destruction: if I die, I am taking you with me. It kept the peace for decades, knowing that if war started, destruction was assured to both combatants. The conversation ended there (thankfully). I left him thinking about how what was unthinkable to him was not only thinkable, but unavoidable, for another. -- I guess bad people can't understand how good people can be put into a position where they have no choice but to do evil, and therefore, they can act with impunity outside "the rules", as the good people will stick within "the rules", and they will be safe from retribution. This is not true of good people; they will feel guilty about doing it at the time, and remorseful afterward, but they will act -- since to not act is also to act. -- Terry To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-chat" in the body of the message
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