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Politics : Formerly About Applied Materials -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: michael97123 who wrote (53154)	9/25/2001 6:18:18 PM
From: Fred Levine	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 70976

Mike-- Went to NY and was amazed how much activity had returned. It seemed that people were ashamed to have a good time, tho. Our apt., on E. 30th St, was a police stageing area, but things were returning to normal. My feeling is that we have to slow down with the memorials or they will lose their impact, we will become habituated to them. I am in favor of Bush's statements, but see paradoxes, if not contradictions from his previous policies. Before, IMO, he had his middle finger up to the world. Unilaterally, against the wishes of everyone, he wanted to go forth with the antiballistic missle. Now he is the champion of international cooperation, Indeed, his statements that if they are not with us, they are with them, ring peculiar to me after he avoided Kyoto, the racism meeting, and his statements of not getting us involved in European conflicts. He infuriated many of my international friends. I also remember his repeating that we would not get involved in any action without a clear exit stategy. Sure... However, it seems that he is growing up to the fact that the world does not exist for the gratification of the USA. Look what it took to bring him greater enlightenment! If we get into Afghanistan it will be considerably better than it was for Russia or for us in Viet Nam. The cold war mandated that we arm those against the USSR and vice versa. Who will arm the Afghanis? Surely there will detectible activity in and out of supply positions and they will be vulnerable. I am getting less sympathetic to the positions of those who want to understand the terrorists position. It is like saying that society is at fault because we don't provide socially acceptable sexual outlets for a rapist. There is an appropriate role for appropriate punishment. Some actions are wrong, dead wrong. I also share with Jacob fears when terms like "crusade" are used. More evil and murder has and is being done in the name of God and goodness than for venal motives, like self-interest. The blindness of Falwell and Robertson are testimony to this sort of mentality.Clearly F&R would not kill, but we must keep in mind that the terrorists believed that they committed a heroic act that would give them entry to heaven. fred