The Zone

[Richard Romeo]

We live on the cusp of a new dispensation (that rather Pynchonian 
term)--what unsettles is that government has the opportunity to wreak 
devastating havoc or the great opportunity to rid the world of a horrible 
menace.
Most countries are aware what havoc radical groups of all kinds and bents 
can create--it is in all interests to join the fray. We may look at why the 
Baader-Meinhof, Red Brigades, Japanese Red Army, have been defeated.
I wonder if this attack exemplifies the last type of misguided blowback 
resulting from alliances made during the Cold War--the bin ladens and 
saddams are surely enemies now, though we did support them years back partly 
due to cold war geopolitics.
The focus seems to me on law enforcement and communication, not  widespread 
miltary operations. One of our biggest weapons is economic sanctions and the 
isolation of noted nations from the international community.

What is uncertain is the fact that government can take advantage of its 
citizens in the pursuit of such terrorists due to the overwhelming support 
it has for radical measures. I believe in the short-term such measures, for 
the most part, are justified, in conjunctions with our allies, but not 
long-term.
In the zone, Government can claim church-state division is sacred and that 
the US do not support assassination or putting unsavory characters on the 
payroll, but we know the truth--government today is more than rabid with 
religious fervor, and has proven to engage in assassinations in Chile, 
Congo, Vietnam, and in other places in the past. Despite this, we are 
dealing with a horrible menace and must be realistic.

The U.S. is not fighting this battle alone. We all benefit from ridding the 
world of maniacs.

Rich

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