Dear Sashah:
I have been thinking alot about your keen intellectual insight into the failings of our global interactions. Since I have been unable to come up with any alternatives to what our country is now doing, I humbly ask you what is your profound answer to the global terrorism that has been going on for the past 30+ years?
Specifically, what would you do to counteract all the acts of aggression by the muslim extremists that have occured globally for the past several decades?
"Dear Sashah:
I have been thinking alot about your keen intellectual insight into the failings of our global interactions. Since I have been unable to come up with any alternatives to what our country is now doing, I humbly ask you what is your profound answer to the global terrorism that has been going on for the past 30+ years?
Specifically, what would you do to counteract all the acts of aggression by the muslim extremists that have occured globally for the past several decades?"
First, we need to look at how these extremist were stimulated into action. But I know among a group of people like this that may be a can of worms. So I'll just say that we need really think hard and deep in our hearts about what it would mean to respect other people's sovereignty, whether it is sovereignty of the nation, the family or the individual. How can we create truly soverign subjects who do not wish to infringe upon nations, families or individuals rights. That is the other first step in realizing a more hospitable world, I think. I mean think about it, WE want to be free to do what we want, to live the way we want. But society is not like that the government infringes upon our freedom all the time, and it also expands them like the road network across this nation that enables us to drive practically anywhere. So one way is to make human rights the marker for who to respect. But some things are more subtle like forcing people to wear a veil, or not allowing it like the French did in their schools. Or not allowing someone to have abortion, or allowing it as we have done in this country for quite a while. Ultimately, I think these questions about the veil or abortion, the government is infringing on the sovereignty of the family and the individual. We need to all talk about and work on where we do and don't want the government infringing on our own sovereignty. So in the case of the mid-east you have multi-national corporations and the US infrnging on multiple levels of soverignty--the government, the family, the individual, the mosque, etc. Or at least that is how the so-called religious extremists see it. The fact that we have supported many of these governments in the mid-east for long time and the fact that those mid-east governments have infringed on the rights of families, individuals and churches in those locales is part of the reason why we are in this mess. It would be nice if they hated us jsut because we beleive in freedom and democracy, but it's just not true; there is a lot more going on and no one is willing to think about it. There is no easy answer and like I said before to actually create a world where people were genuinely tolerant of each other while being wary of abusing or killing each other is almost like a pipe dream. But I like to believe dreams can come true.
I'm actually just thinking off the top of my head about sovereignty and rights, but I do feel that what I said would make a good paradigm to follow to avoid conflict. Unfortunately, in this war there is a lot more at stake like the US economy: oil, reconstruction contracts, the weapons industry, racism, religious intolerance, geopolitical strategy, etc. I would love to do laundry list of how to stop acts of agression by muslim extremists, but the fact of the matter is that they see us as extremists too. When we both see each other as the antagonist, who is going to suck up their pride and say "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry we got into this mess. Let's stop killing each other." Is it going to be you?