It did stimulate my thought processes. I am trying to recall if there was ever a war or rebellion fought by barefooted Americans whose rights were being trampled so that they had no choice but to become terrorists.
My thought is no. The American protagonists in the American revolution were mostly very prosperous men who thought of themselves at first as loyal British subjects who wanted political equality. Jefferson, Madison and Washington were ultra-rich plantation owners. Adams was a rich lawyer. And Franklin, a rich publisher, was the richest man in the colonies, as rich as Rockefeller or Bill Gates. They were not oppressed, just offended.
Similarly, Osama bin Laden is a billionaire, and his cadre's material wants are all paid for, either by bin Laden himself, or sympathetic Saudis. Laptops, cell phones, apartments, plane tickets, flight training, so much money that they did not have to work and yet they were able to indulge in lap dancing strippers and work out at private gyms. Where is the oppression?
While Hussein, of course, had dozens of palaces with gold plated toilet seats. Where is the oppression?
A lot of leftist Iranians worked to overthrow the Shah, but were executed when the Ayatollahs came into power. Ironic, no? Isn't that what always happens to leftist idealists? They work to put the strong man into power, who then lines them up and has them shot? |
