Posted on 09/19/2001 7:57:36 AM PDT by az4vlad
It's All Morally Relative - End Support for Israel
An Analysis of the After Effects of the Terrorist Attack
by R. Alexander
September 19, 2001
Many of us were surprised to hear responses coming from both U.S.citizens and our so-called allies suggesting the U.S. somehow deserved the terrorist attack. With righteous moral indignation, these enlightened critics, suddenly experts on terrorism, lecture us, claiming "this would not have happened if the U.S. hadn't been intervening in the Middle East." This criticism is said with a straight face by Americans who see no problem driving an oversized SUV that gets 12 miles per gallon, while condemning the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 1990 which assured them the continued use of their environmentally irresponsible gas guzzlers.
What angers Middle Eastern terrorists most about U.S. involvement in the Middle East is U.S. support of Israel. A 2001 State Department report on global terrorism stated that the goal of Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda terrorist organization is to expel Westerners and non-Muslims from Muslim countries and overthrow non-Islamic regimes. Without U.S. support, which includes money, weapons, and aircraft, most political and military analysts agree that Israel would cease to exist, or at best, disintegrate into tiny pockets. The U.S. gives aid to many of our allies to support democracy and protect our security interests throughout the world. Israel is just one of many democratic countries the U.S. believes is necessary to arm in order to protect our own security interests. There is strong evidence that Israel's cooperation in the "strategic consensus" against the former Soviet Union helped bring the Soviet Union down.
After the terrorist attack, it seems even more imperative to continue to protect our security interests by giving aid to Israel. Unfortunately, there are those who would conclude otherwise. The thousands of Americans killed in the attack has given critics of U.S. aid to Israel the chance they need to use people's emotions for their own political purposes. The terrorist attack is viewed by them as evidence the U.S. is supporting Israel to its detriment. There are already many signs that support for U.S. aid to Israel is dwindling. One is the prevalence of anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitism has long existed within the U.S. and subtly exists within its media. Although the Jewish lobby is powerful, anti-Semitic sentiments are deeply entrenched in society. The recent U.N. conference on racism, expected to be taken over by anti-Semitic discussion, resulted in the U.S. only sending a low-level delegation which walked out midway in protest. The conference adopted arguably anti-Semitic language criticizing Israel but not the Palestinians for hostile relations in Israel, ongoing evidence that the leadership in the rest of the world condones anti-Semitism and is pressuring the U.S. into withdrawing its support for Israel.
Standing up for Israel is much more difficult done all alone. The U.S. no longer enjoys a position of moral leadership in the world, as evidenced by its removal from the U.N. Human Rights Commission earlier this year. Instead, known human rights violators Libya, Syria, and the Sudan have been given seats on the Commission within the past two years. This strengthens the argument of moral relativists that the U.S.' position supporting Israel and stamping out terrorism is not necessarily any more morally defensible than the terrorists' position towards the U.S. and Israel.
Are the moral relativists right? Is the U.S.' democratic government, with its selfish security interest in Israel, no more morally correct than a terrorist? One obvious way to analyze the moral righteousness of a nation's government is to look at how it treats its own ethnic citizens. The U.S. is home to more nationalities than any other nation, yet its citizens live in peace alongside each other, unlike in many ethnically diverse nations. Arabs live next door to Jews. Arabs vote and campaign for Jewish candidates, and vice versa. A former Arab roommate of mine nonchalantly explained when we first met that she was Palestinian Christian, not Jewish, "but we're all pretty much the same thing." Ironically, since the U.S. is home to so many different nationalities, including many refugees who moved here to avoid ethnic strife in their own, undemocratic homelands, the terrorists not only killed "Americans" but killed Americans of Arab descent.
Eliminating support for Israel will be tempting to Congress. It will save taxpayers money (critics of U.S. aid to Israel generally fail to point out that the U.S. also sends large amounts of aid to Arab countries, particularly Egypt, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority). It will allow Congress to appear, in a morally relative way, as being "fair" to both Jews and Arabs. After all, superficially, it appears as if Israel and the Palestinians are both equally to blame for initiating bombing and terrorism in Israel. The U.S. media does a good job of presenting it this way. But which religion's holy book encourages killing by teaching that young men who are killed in the name of Allah are rewarded in paradise with 72 virgins to be their sex slaves, and are then allowed to invite 72 of their friends to join them in paradise and receive their own 72 virgins? Not to mention 28 pre-pubescent boys for their pleasures also. With values like these, it is understandable why the parents of terrorist suicide bombers celebrate their sons' deaths.
Last week's terrorist attacks have forever changed the geopolitical balance of power, but not in the way naïve U.S. conservatives hope for. Sadly, the world is not going to rally around the U.S. as the U.S. stamps out terrorism. Over the last decade, ever since the global threat of communism was eliminated with the fall of communism in the U.S.S.R. and Eastern Europe, the U.S.' reputation as a unilateral superpower has all but disappeared. This is no doubt thanks to former President Clinton, whose foreign policy in the 1990's consisted of smiling and shaking hands with all types of world leaders at numerous accords, conferences, meetings, etc., desperately attempting to create a legacy, while accomplishing nothing but meaningless words on paper.
Under Clinton's leadership, America's response to terrorism has been weak. Afraid of another Vietnam, America under Clinton has been too afraid to commit its troops, afraid of the sight on TV of American troops being killed. When Bin Laden's al Qaeda bombed the World Trade Center in 1993, the U.S. retaliated with a paltry, unsuccessful attack on Iraq. When the al Qaeda killed American troops in Somalia in October of 1993, Clinton hurriedly pulled our troops out, sending a signal to the world that the U.S. would rather flee from terrorism than risk any American lives. In 1996, Bin Laden's organization bombed a U.S. housing complex in Saudi Arabia, with little ramification. Later that year, according to the State Department, Bin Laden issued a fatwa, or religious order that said, "it was the duty of all Muslims to kill U.S. citizens civilian or military and their allies everywhere." When Bin Laden bombed U.S. embassies in Africa in 1998, the U.S. responded with a paltry missile assault on Bin Laden's training camp in Afghanistan and on a suspected chemical weapons plant in Sudan. Bin Laden's followers have been tied in the past to plots to assassinate former President Clinton and blow up American 747 airliners over the Pacific Ocean. His organization is considered responsible for the bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen last year. Yet there has been no serious effort by the U.S. to eradicate him or his followers, and U.S. retaliation has been no more than a slap on the hand.
The world watched as Clinton and the Democrats greatly reduced our military defense, smugly confident of our peacekeeping abilities. Just weeks ago, the liberal Reverend Al Sharpton, who is currently running for President, stated on Fox News for all the world to hear, "In a time that we no longer have a Cold War, there is no real threat to American security." The message the U.S. has sent the world in the last decade is that we are weak. The U.S. government is afraid of committing troops in another ghastly Vietnam quagmire, aware that hunting down Bin Laden and his numerous followers may end up as guerilla warfare in Afghanistan. Although most Americans are presently in favor of sending our troops to Afghanistan, as time goes by and Americans realize they will be sending their own sons and daughters, their fervor for retaliation will diminish. They will question why it is important to retaliate, and whether the U.S. should even be present in the Middle East. Inevitably, they will question U.S. aid to Israel.
Recently, conservatives and Christians in the U.S. have emerged as the strongest supporters of Israel, probably because of the recent leadership in Israel of hawkish, conservative former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This association of Christianity with Israel is an irritation to the current fad of enlightened, moral relativists in the U.S., who dislike Christianity because it has moral absolutes. The Bible commands, “Thou shalt not kill.” Since Christianity, as well as Judaism, teach that killing is wrong, their adherents are accused of being "intolerant" of other religions such as Islam, which is interpreted (probably incorrectly) by radical Muslims that killing in the name of Allah is a virtue. In our newly enlightened era of moral relativism, which pervades the halls of Congress as well as public opinion and the media, every viewpoint is equally valid as any another. This attitude is reflected in the response of the U.S. critics, who cannot discern that the terrorist attack was clearly wrong nor that it is imperative to punish and stop the terrorists, because they have elevated “tolerance” over teaching that killing is wrong. The U.S. critics conclude that the cost of the terrorists taking more lives is not as important as appearing tolerant and not stepping on anyone’s toes, and so they will bog the U.S. down in petty discussions over what might possibly, remotely happen. Any forceful retaliation is labeled by them as initiating violence – conveniently forgetting that the terrorists started it. Meanwhile, the terrorists will continue to kill and maim, wholly unconcerned with "tolerance" for non-Muslims.
Consequently, it is just a matter of time before U.S. leaders take the easy way out and desert Israel, hoping by demonstrating their “tolerance” they will escape the wrath of the equally morally correct terrorists.
The author can be reached at ralexand@krl.org
(if you want to talk about rights violations, let's talk about the government interference in the business and practice of medicine)
This crisis has not created any new violations of our rights and we should make sure that it doesn't, but there's no need to be pessimistic. I could go around moaning that the current crisis will result in nationalized health, but that's an old cause of the left, not a new reaction.
I prefer to see that we have a re-awakening of interest in the US and what she stands for and a conservative, strict Constitutionalist President in office.
Have you given your land back to the American Indians, yet?
What a bunch of phooey. It was the Arabs who invented modern medicine, the numbers on your keyboard, and higher mathematics, and this was all before the US even existed, in Europe you were still in the dark ages.
The Palestinian Authority has been teaching their people for years, that the PA sees the Palestinian conflict with Israel and the United States as two branches in the general total global war of Islam against the West and all other religions. An 11th grade PA textbook describes the inevitable victory of Islam over the West with words that become ever so chilling following the World Trade Center horror: "… We do not claim that the collapse of Western civilization, and the transfer of the center of civilization to us [Islam] will happen in the next decade. Nevertheless [Western civilization] has begun to collapse and to become a pile of rubble."
In Palestinian Authority schoolbooks, Western society and values, especially those of the United States, are portrayed as corrupt, that will inevitably lead to their demise. At times this Western demise is seen as a natural process arising from the innate Western corruption. In other texts, the children are taught that the Jihad Muslim fighters will be victorious over the West through Jihad (Holy War for Allah).
So it is about Western Culture. We could dump Israel tomorrow, close our borders, and all curl up in a fetal postition under our beds, and they still wouldn't leave us alone.
The British owned it and it was filled with Jewish residents. That is hardly "arab land."
The Zionists did not all move in after 1948, they were there to begin with, many for forty or fifty years.
The Zionists were attacked immediately after Israel was declared a state--they did not have time to move masses of "settlers" in at that point.
Anyway, we supported the Arabs and the Jews sharing the land of Israel, the Arabs demanded it all and then called for the extermination of the Jews there. They're angry because they're angry. That's just how they are, they've got a barbaric culture--Just look at the Iran-Iraq War.
The Arabist apologists blame America for the Iran-Iraq War because we gave weapons to both sides--but if Saddam claimed he trusted the United States even for a second he'd be laughed out of an Arab League meeting.
We are not talking George Will or someone else who IS REAL, after all.
Exactly. Theirs is an ideology fueled by envy and feelings of inadequacy.
It is such an irony that "American Firsters" who are so adamant about defending Western Civilization and values, are the first to argue that these "ideologues" are "right". The only explanation in my view, is that they have another agenda (hidden) thats even stronger.
I have a better idea. Increase aid to Israel. Cut aid to any scum that cheered the terrorist attack. Hunt down and destroy the terrorists themselves.
Following that same logic since you support Israel that means that you supported the bombings and terrorist actions of the Stern and Irgun gangs before the creation of Israel. You approved of the actions of the Israeli allies in Lebanon murdering hundreds of Palestinian women and children in the refugee camps, you approved of Jonathan Pollard, the traitor, spying on America, most of all you approved of the Israeli action in killing American sailors, purposefully, on the USS Liberty. Is that how your logic works?
Criticism of Israel does not equate with wanting the State of Israel to cease existence. Israel needs to deal more justly with its Arab minorities and it needs to declare Jerusalem an international city. America needs to follow the wisdom of George Washington in his Farewell Address; however, we do not want to discuss him, especially, when we want blood.
So, on your list of priorities, this is where? Let me guess.... First?
Why? Will the world change? will the Moslems quit blowing up our aircraft? Will the Aabs treat each other with more respect? Will the Syrians quit killing their own bretheren? Will the Iranians quit killing the Taliban and the Paskistanis , the Indians, And the Tamil suicide bombers.., and Phillipinos and so on?
Atrocities everywhere, people dying horrible deaths,in the thousands...murder, torture , mysogyny and so on.
And still you little obsessives are overwhelmed with Israel!
Pretend youre my patient , and Im your doctor. Now tell me,little Hammy.. Why are you so obsessed with THE JEWS ?
Victory or death can be the only choice of any who can not stomach a world where bullies reign. If True Muslims are genuinely people of peace and love, let them prove it by standing with us against these terriorists who claim to be and have convinced the world, that it is they who really represent Islam. We would be fools to believe what we are told, while ignoring what world history and events have shown us. Those who do not oppose terrorism must surely support it.
Thank you and all for the for taking a moment for the thoughtful responses to my questions. That's why I love FreeRepublic!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.