Dale,
You missed the point, but maybe you've missed the entire point. Unlike any previous conflict the U.S. has been involved with, you, YES YOU (assuming you are an American, or happen to be flying on an airplane, or happen to be in a tall building (in the West), or happen to be in the habit of opening your daily mail) are now on somebody's hit list, as are your parents, your cousins, your little nephews and nieces and lots of people you never met. That is, there is somebody out there WHO WANTS TO KILL YOU. That might not bother you, but the fact that there is somebody out there who not only wants to kill me but also my niece Alexandra and has proven the ability (to the tune of 6,000+ civilian casualties and counting since 9/11/01) to carry out the start of the program BOTHERS ME AND THE VAST MAJORITY OF MY CO-CITIZENS. I realize that in your cafe society you and your fellow boulevardiers might pooh-pooh the entire idea, but then again, soldiers are jumping out of airplanes willing do die to defend your right to have inane views and conversations.
As I have noted many times here, the solution here is not to target Islam but to embrace Islam, give it a good bear hug, and coax it toward evolving toward 20th and 21st century standards of appropriate behavior, respect for human rights and rights of people living 5,000 miles away and working in 110 story towers. We are now entering into a world wide police action, civilization vs. terrorism, but unlike normal police activity, we are forced to act when 1) we don't have geographical jurisdiction and 2) we don't have political authority. We can act, appropriately, to police the Mafia or general disorganized crime, but we need to find a new way, a new method to act against world criminals outside our geography.
If that includes "shunning" passengers from certain "nations," in order to pressure their "authorities" to do what they have, so far, failed to do (that is, exterminate the threat of terrorism), then that's okay with me. Islam and Islamic countries, should they ever choose to evolve toward secular and pluralistic forms of government (we're talking only Turkey and maybe Malta?? as far as I've ever heard), will have to extirpate the international criminal movements occurring in their jurisdiction before they can be allowed free congress with the civilized world.
I understand that, draping yourself in the cloth of certain parts, and certain parts only, of the Constitution, you want to tell everyone that, wellll, it's okay, because statistically, very few of us will be actual casualties of any terrorist attack, so we should all feel fine. And that Ahmed Abdullah el Amir of Yemen, pulled off of a USAir flight bound for Denver for questioning (this is by way of example only) might feel his rights as a USC student in violation of 3 parts of his visa status have been impinged; to which I (and the vast majority of us) would answer, tough luck, you'll have to make do with a later flight until certain Very Important Questions are answered. And, you know what, if those same airport security guards or FBI agents want to pull me off because of various stamps in my passport and ask me questions and make me miss my connecting flight, that's okay with me, too. And it is especially okay with me if they do it to you and all the others who have not bothered to read the entire Constitution and have not bothered to think about the scope and nature of exactly what happened on 9/11.
But since this is a republic of self government, and self preservation, you won't mind if your view ends up, quite correctly in my opinion, as the minority view, and not the course of action we end up following.
Having said this, I am in agreement with Russ Feingold on his recent position vis a vis Ashcroft's request and also with the State of Wisconsin on the pledge of allegiance and school prayer. I do think the Bill of Rights is very important, but that doesn't mean we have to grant plane tickets, visas, immigrant or otherwise, to citizens of states which are not acting in accordance with the clear and present needs of Civilization.
Kb |
