Re: Theological reflection on Just War

From: Dick Fischer (dickfischer@earthlink.net)
Date: Thu Oct 25 2001 - 15:08:23 EDT

  • Next message: george murphy: "Re: Theological reflection on Just War"

    Jonathan Clarke wrote:

    > >There are other free, wealthy, and powerful countries out there who do
    > not suffer terrorist outrages
    > > to anything like the same degree. They have to do with a hypocritical
    > and self-serving foreign policy and bully-boy military actions.

    Spoken like a true outsider. All countries have foreign policies that are
    "self-serving." I would submit that the US has been and will continue to
    be the most benevolent society on the face of the earth. No country
    responds quicker to help any region of the world when a catastrophe
    strikes. We have given money and aid far beyond what any other country has
    done.

    That being said, there is a pervasive sickness we continue to justify as
    "free speech." We say the Moslems belittle and humiliate women. They say
    we exploit them. They wrap them up, we parade their naked bodies on the
    silver screen and Internet. President Bush said, "Freedom was attacked
    today." We were not attacked because of our freedom, but because of our
    permissiveness. We could clean up out own act and rid ourselves of what
    the USA appears to export: homosexuality, pornography, etc., but I am
    afraid such a message is drowned out today by the atrocities committed
    against us.

    All of us (Americans) remember the senseless acts of murder committed at
    Columbine High School. How many know there was a two-tiered system of
    justice at that school - a permissive system for "jocks," and a more
    restrictive system for everybody else? When the two young boys launched
    their attack, one was heard to say, "Let's kill all the jocks." In
    essence, they rebelled against an unfair and discriminatory system. But
    their crimes were so heinous the root causes have been lost and forgotten.

    The same thing could be said about the terrorist attacks. We are so caught
    up in indignation and flag-waving there is no looking inward at what we
    might be doing to provoke these people. I do not think a man would
    "martyr" himself because of our "freedom," but only because he believes we
    are an evil society, and he is serving a righteous cause. If we continue
    to engage in reckless permissiveness and call it "freedom" we can continue
    to expect an unending supply of "martyrs."

    Dick Fischer - The Origins Solution - www.orisol.com
    "The answer we should have known about 150 years ago"



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