Myth, fear, and habit: they put people in power, they can take people out
Yep, the bombs have started falling in Afghanistan.
Everything spirals out of control, and often it seems like whatever we do (unless it’s something really fucking huge and pathetically selfish like flying jumbo jets into crowded office buildings or killing people who dress differently because “I’m a patriot”)
On the one hand, Bush told the Taliban, give up bin Laden. Stop harboring him.
OTOH, the Taliban asked to see evidence that bin Laden was the instigator of the 11 September attacks against the U.S., and that they didn’t want to hand him over without seeing that evidence. (This ties into Muslim codes of conduct, which make a host responsible for the safety of his guest, up to and including not allowing third parties to forcibly remove the guest from the host’s protection — I don’t understand all the nuances, but that’s the basic gist. Asking to see the evidence doesn’t seem all that unreasonable.)
And on to the third hand, the U.S. gave the Taliban — what, two weeks? — and was talking with the Taliban through the Pakistani diplomats.
OTOH, the U.S. did state that they would not negotiate. This seems like a rather bullying stance to take, even in light of the horrific attacks that happened in New York and Maryland.
It seems that the only way that I can be is to keep living my life like the kind of person I want to be: dealing honestly and forthrightly, showing civility and courtesy even towards people that I don’t know, and also towards those that I really personally respect much (and that one isn’t easy, I don’t always live up to my own standards.)
But it seems that being the kind of person that I admire, that trying to lead by example, doesn’t do anything but get me branded unpatriotic, seditious, and an arrogant bitch.
Some days, some hours, there doesn’t seem to be a place in this world for people who want to strive for fairness all around, who want to be honourable in all situations, who want to see the guilty punished but ONLY the guilty, and don’t accept the idea of ‘collateral damage’.
Keywords: | philosophy | nationalism | international policy |
Posted by Laughing Muse • 618 views • Share this link • Newer • Older
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