[Nettime-bold] Atrocity in America

["Ivo Skoric" <ivo@reporters.net>]

Plenty of Americans opposed bombing of Iraq. Most of the 
Americans were suspicious about the need to bomb Yugoslavia. 
Essentially, living 11 years in this country, now, I came to the 
conclusion that if the real will of the people is let out, there would 
be no economic sanctions or bombing campaigns. Ordinary 
Americans are pacifist and isolationist. They believe in free trade, 
free speech and they are mostly curious when they see people in 
turbans. They do suffer of a hubris believing that their system is so 
much better than anybody's elses. But by large they do not believe 
into possibility of bombing democracy into other people's heads.

There is about 1% of people in the U.S. who are not merely 
Americans, but rather the members of the caste of globally rich 
and powerful. Most of what American politics and official state 
policies are about is designed to please and conform the interests 
of that moneyed group. They, as a group, have the undeniable 
interest to dominate the world affairs - which is often, unfortunately, 
done at expense of others. They, also, think that they are 
invulnerable and god-like. Hits on WTC and on Pentagon were 
obviously designed to prove them wrong.

Yet, it would be wrong to claim that all people who belong to the 
above-described group are evil or ill-meaning as individuals, 
although, perhaps, some of them are. This exactly is the problem 
with systems and networks - they are always more than a sum of 
the individuals that they are comprised of. Take Soviet Union as an 
example - Reagan called it Evil Empire - and not every member of 
Politbureau was evil, but the way how things were organized 
resulted in oppressing people and endangering the world. Take the 
terrorist network that is behind the destruction of World Trade 
Center as an example: there may be intelligent, well meaning, 
moral people among the terrorists, yet the resulting act endangers 
the safety and freedom of people around the world. 

This is what makes retaliatory strikes futile: destroying people and 
property means nothing to established systems and networks - kill 
Osama, there will be another Osama to replace him. Kill more 
Palestinians in Gaza, there will be more willing to die for the cause. 
Roman Emperors killed Christians routinely, and Christianity just 
grew stronger. The same analogy applies to that 1% America that 
"created such feelings of immense hatred against itself" - you can't 
destroy that America by killing its president or destroying its 
symbols of financial and/or military might. And by killing tens of 
thousands of innocent civilians - and 1500 people killed in the 
attack were reportedly Muslim, the rest were mostly support staff, 
that sees very little of the American wealth and power - you just 
make the worst instincts in America come more stronger to the 
surface. Now, local teenagers will chase people in turbans 
intending to hurt them. "What goes around, comes around" - works 
both ways, we should not forget.

"Policy of co-operation, friendship, fair trade and justice with all 
foreign countries", on the other hand, would not only erode the 
psychological foundation of the terrorist network, but would also 
make the life better for Americans, at least, 99% of them. The rest 
1% would soon find that the life is better for them too, without living 
in fear for themselves and their children. There is no money or 
worldly power that can substitute that calm of a simpler life. The 
'justice' - of course - means that those countries that so far 
provided safe havens to terrorist network, should give that up as a 
step to becoming a part of happier and more fair world for everyone, 
kind of like Serbia gave up Milosevic.

ivo

Date sent:      	Wed, 12 Sep 2001 21:29:03 -0400
Send reply to:  	Tribunal Watch List <TWATCH-L@LISTSERV.ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU>
From:           	Dwight Van Winkle <dwightvw@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:        	Re: [TW] FW: Atrocity in America
To:             	TWATCH-L@LISTSERV.ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU

Tribunal Watch archives since 1995
http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/archives/twatch-l.html
======================================

"America is responsible for creating such feelings of immense hatred
against itself and would be better protected in the future if it only
pursued a policy of co-operation, friendship, fair trade and justice with
all foreign countries.   David Roberts"

I agree with this completely.  Which is not at all to say, and I doubt
Roberts is saying, that yesterday's attack was in any way justified.

A local columnist,Joel Connelly of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer wrote
today: "A rule in dealing with evil in the modern world is that those who
sow the wind must reap the whirlwind.  The evil people responsible for
yesterday's deeds must feel what Frederick the Great called 'the slashing
sword of retribution.'"

This kind of talk will lead to the deaths of thousands if not millions more
innocent, powerless people, including more, not less, attacks on
Americans.  By Connelly's morality and logic, I must believe that
yesterday's attack was justified retaliation, because I believe we as
Americans, knowing that our government was killing hundreds of thousands of
Iraqis yet doing nothing about it, are responsible for not trying to stop
those killings.

I don't accept Connelly's logic.  Yesterday's mass murder was evil.

Americans need to reflect, including self-reflection, on the causes of
yesterday's violence, rather than act with mindless vengeance.  But this is
not happening on a mass scale, nor is it likely to.  Instead the government
and corporate authoritarians in our country will use this opportunity to
increase the power of the military and intelligence agencies, and further
decrease our civil rights.

Dwight Van Winkle

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