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Politics : Formerly About Applied Materials

AMAT 301.11

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Jan 9 9:30 AM EST

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To: Gottfried who wrote (51953)	9/12/2001 6:57:42 PM
From: Sam Citron	Read Replies (2) of 70976

Gottfried, Sorry. Let me try to explain my analogy. Please correct my mistakes because as a German I am sure you are much more familiar with the causes and aftermath of WWII than I am. I was making a comparison between Hitler and certain demagogues in the world today, who are trying to exploit the misery felt by their people and offering to ameliorate it by means of the use of force, including the murder of innocent people. My limited understanding of world history suggests that the principal reason Hitler was able to recruit millions of otherwise sensible Germans to his Nazi ideology is that it seemed to offer an instant means out of the poverty Germany faced in the miserable years after WWI, possibly compounded by measures taken by England, France and other nations to permanently ensure that Germany would never again become powerful. Hitler rose to power by offering to restore Germany to its former greatness and carefully chose his minority scapegoats who he blamed for all Germany's problems. Eventually he was defeated and the Marshall Plan helped to preserve the peace through economic assistance and a coordinated effort to restore democracy in Germany. Fast forward to today's world...the fast-fading outrageous fortune of the "West" and the misery of the rest. The demagogues of today (Hussein, Milosovich, bin Laden) are still trying to rise to power by scapegoating minorities as the cause for all their woes. Be sure of one thing -- the terrorist feels very deeply that he is the oppressed and is striking out against perceived injustice. What makes him feel this way? He was born a human being but learned to hate. Grinding poverty combined with statelessness and the lack of freedom hardens the heart. Do you know how many people today are living in refugee camps in dire poverty? How many are willing to risk their lives to cross a border in hopes of finding work in the sweatshops of the garment district of NY or wash dishes in the back of a greasy spoon near LA so they can send their precious savings back to their families? When the dream of attaining the mass-media inspired vision of the "good life" fades, what sustains them? Ideology, frequently the ideology of fundamentalist Islam, where "all men are brothers" and a jihad is justified to purify the world from corruption and greed. George Bush is talking about waging a war on terrorism and none can disagree with his motives. I was merely suggesting that instead of spending our vanishing surplus on missile shields and anti-terrorist measures, we might try a variation of the Marshall Plan to work on eliminating some of the poverty and misery that produces the breeding ground for today's terrorist networks in places like drought-striken Afghanistan. Sorry if my previous message was unclear. Hope this helps. Sam

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