Without perpetuating any disrespect, I think Ana's point (or at least, a
point that is being vaguely articulated in this discussion) has been lost.
The profundity of the tragedy of 9/11 is, as many have pointed out, simply
beyond expression, and I don't for a second want to give the impression
that my sympathies aren't with the victims; indeed, my sympathies are
entirely with the victims and their families. But I'm concerned that the
enormity of the event may prevent us from understanding the United States'
own political complicity in what has happened. Going on the assumption of
investigators, who have more or less named Bin Laden as a potential axis
in this whole affair, we might just remind ourselves that (1) the CIA
trained and financed this man for many years (apparently, he's still
stockpiled a grat many of the weapons we gave him); (2) the Taliban, who
are now protecting Bin Laden, rose to power largely by virtue of American
support during the Soviet war in Afganistan.
This is all to say that we can--we must--condemn the attack, but
the rhetoric of so many talking heads has made this their sole task,
thereby severing any relation that we might have had to these events. I
don't want to suggest that we Americans constitute an evil empire, but
it's not as if the government's hands are clean. Perhaps, in this respect,
talk of pacificism versus activism is misplaced: first, because no matter
what we say here, there will be military action of some kind, as the
president has promised and the congress assured; but seocond, and more
importantly, because this dichotomy doesn't for a second acknoledge that,
if Bin Laden is responsible, he is a beast we have built, to some degree,
with our own hands.
Gregg Flaxman
On Fri, 14 Sep 2001, Robert Koehler wrote:
> Regarding Ana's missive, including the comments of Chomsky, I am curious
> what she would actually view as a proper U.S. response to the acts of 9/11.
> Those on the left must carefully search their minds and hearts at this
> juncture, and examine their own knee-jerk reactions, which have been amply
> on view in this discussion. We are all too aware of the right's own jerk of
> the knee; this is hardly news. The American left, for one, before and at the
> start of U.S. involvement in World War 2, was deeply divided between
> pacifists and anti-fascists, some of whom had already gone to war years
> earlier in Spain alongside the Republicans. I'm quite sure that such a
> division will emerge now, between pacifists who view any and all military
> action as improper, and those who view force as the only possible reponse to
> what has now become the most universally condemned act by any group since
> the Holocaust itself. As one humble voice, Ana, I firmly stand with the
> latter position. Mr. Chomsky's argument seems to me unexamined and
> illustrative of the knee-jerk I referred to earlier.
> And as one truly non-violent expression of support and acknowledgment of
> the tragedy of this week, let's all join in calls for such symbolic gestures
> as driving with headlights on, and holding candlelights at 7 p.m. this
> evening (wherever you may be in the world). See you, I hope, next week....
> Robert Koehler
>
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