American flame wars or is it the summer hole?

[davemarc]

Writes kwp:
 
9/11 was the consequence of incompetence, inability and the competition between several "services" who mistrust each other (CIA, FBI). They are no "monolith block" (I hope this is the right expression). And, of course, some saw this as a very good opportunity to change several things in the country. 

The "war on terrorism" has one problem: this is a new kind of terrorism, the "terrorism of globalization", and there is no "real" enemy any longer. The enemy is invisible and can be everywhere. Al Quaida and Bin Laden are myths, pop-idols  and it is no longer important if Bin Laden is still alive or not. Bin Laden has become the Che Guevera of the Arab world, and if he is dead he's a martyr. Smashing bombs on suicide killers is not very effective. The more you provoke "colleteral damages", the more you create new monsters. This is also the problem of Mr. Sharon in Israel. 

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Claiming without qualification that 9/11 is the consequence of inefficiency among US agencies and calling al Qaida and bin Laden "myths" is very problematic to me.  Like many of the posts on this list, the claim seems to place the burden of responsibility for 9/11 on the US (the victim in this case) while practically ignoring the existence of the actual perpetrators.  To me, 9/11 is really the consequence of a group of violent fanatics who infiltrated the United States and took advantage of its domestic freedoms (and its lack of preparedness) in order to wreak deadly havoc.  The fact that the US and other players in the world community could have or might have prevented it, and are responsible for their own grave misdeeds, does not absolve the wrongdoers of their baseline responsibility.
 
Writing without qualification that al Qaida and bin Laden are "myths" is like saying without qualification that the Nazis and Adolph Hitler are "myths." They may come across as symbols, but they are as real as a real gun to a real head.  Based on what I've read and seen of al Qaida and bin Laden, they're part of an extremist movement that takes pride in terrorist actions against civilians and blatantly builds upon decades of anti-Jewish and anti-US propaganda to demonize its targets.

In Pynchon's work, "keep a close eye on your government" seems to be a repeated theme, but it does not necessitate turning a blind eye to wrongdoing wherever it may bubble up.

Here are some recent quotations from Abu Gaith, supposed spokesman for al Qaida:

"We confirm our continuation in working to attack Americans and Jews, and targeting them, both people and buildings."

Regarding the attack on Jerba, Tunisia, that killed 15 people, including 10 Germans:  "This is an operation that was carried out by the al-Qaida organization (by a man) ... who could not see his brothers in Palestine being killed, slaughtered, their blood spilled and honor violated and he looks around him and sees Jews in the city of Jerba wandering and enjoying and practicing their rituals at will."  

These remarks can be found at this URL:  http://www.msnbc.com/news/771111.asp?0dm=C12ON

d.


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