OT to Brian,
I have unsuccessfully tried to stay out of this OT discussion. I replied to your post only because of my respect for you and your other contributions.
This will hopefully be my last OT post on this subject on this thread.
re: I do not believe I am merely "throwing out platitudes." What good are principles if they are abandoned when they are most needed? Can you answer this?
Principles are fabulous if all members of the community subscribe and adhere to them. However when one or more members of the community seriously jeopardize the entire community's welfare, exceptions in the form of decisive action must be made. For example, the Inuit (formerly called Eskimoes) value peace, life and community. When was the last time you ever heard of the Inuit having any role in any war? Yet these same people would take those that we now describe as criminally insane out into the middle of nowhere (like an isolated ice floe) and let them die rather than let them continue to endanger the wellbeing of the community.
There is a very small group of extremists that have decided not to accept the basic principles or values of the civilized world. This group has become increasingly violent wreaking increasing amounts of death and destruction in various parts of the civilized world. History has taught us that appeasement never causes an irrational extremist to modify behaviour. It has also taught us that the longer the world waits to take action, the more drastic will be the required corrective action.
So, even with hindsight, you don't have a solution to Hitler, Naziism and the Aryan nation.
Nor have you made any attempt to show any difference between that and, Bin Laden, the Taliban and Islamic Extremism.
So I would suggest that if one truly believes in an idealistic set of values or principles, there comes a time when one must be prepared to fight for their defense using whatever measures the civilized world deems appropriate.
Finally, the actions which: slaughtered 4 Plane loads of innocent civilians as well as several buildings worth of innocent victims; all done without warning; have convinced me that any discussions or attempt at negotiation or appeasement is inappropriate. It would only give the enemy more time to become stronger and do more damage.
The enemy is a cancer threatening civilization. That cancer must be removed. The other option is to accept that you, I, billions of others and our children will not be tolerated in the world envisioned by that cancer.
Regards,
Ian |
