THEY JUST WON'T GET IT

New York Post ^ | 9/10/02 | DAVID GELERNTER

[kattracks]

September 10, 2002 -- THE towers fell; a chasm opened in Manhattan - and another chasm revealed itself in the moral make-up of the nation. The philosophical divide is so deep, it is hard to explain in words. On the other hand, not all the news is bad. Much is profoundly good.

[Monty22]

You know we got hit bad if uberliberal NY Times is even being pro-American.

[Quix]

I agree with much said.

HOWEVER, UNDERSTANDING IS FAR BETTER THAN IGNORANCE OR LACK OF UNDERSTANDING.

IT MAY COST pride, or sensibilities or comfort or a lot of things but understanding is still better than lack of understanding.

Even if sister was murdered--understanding could afford more peace and quasi-closure than lack of understanding gnawing endlessly at one's heart, mind and soul.

[Quix]

UNDERSTANDING

IS

*******NOT*******

EQUAL

TO

JUSTIFICATION OR EXCUSING SOMETHING.

[f.Christian]

The professor directly across the hall (a world-famous mathematician) responded by printing a flag on a departmental printer, posting it in the center of a bulletin boards and then, when some unknown person unposted it, printing and posting it again - and this time it stayed.

when some unknown person unposted it, ...hmmmm!

[Calico Cat]

It's not The New York Times, Monty22--it's the Post (owned by conservative Rupert Murdoch.) The Times wouldn't touch this one with a ten-foot pole.

[Texasforever]

The very thought that an 8th century culture can live in peace with a 21st century culture is to put a lie to any claim of "intellectualism" on the left. Navel gazing is no substitute for rational risk assessment.

[kattracks]

You're right. Understanding is a good thing. So let's all go nuts trying to understand a group of people who defy understanding. Then let's grind them into the ground.

[nopardons]

CODSWALLOP !

This isn't a " turn the other cheek " kind of thing. It's a life and death ( as well as death to the Chritian and Jewish faths ) kinda thing. Those who took the tome, to " understand " the mentality behind 9/11 know this. WHY DON'T YOU ?

" CLOSURE " ? Oh yes, those of us, who actually lost people we knew, and real patriots, want " closure" ; just NOT, evidently, what you appear to mean by that word and your example.

[Monty22]

Heh, sorry about that and thanks for the correction.

[earonthief]

Understanding is great... we've spent one whole year in undrestanding. Now it's "Their" turn to do some "understanding".

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

We understand very well, we understand that we have been attacked by a large to very large group, known as Islamists, who are determined to do many evil things for evil reasons. Seeing that we have a complete understanding of them, it is now time for us to make absolutely certain that none of these evil people are in a position to do any more harm. Unfortunately it is likely to require that we kill them all.

[Quix]

I'm greived by those facts but can readily concur. . . in principle. I might quibble about "all" but certainly all those with any hint of such stridency would be far safer to us dead than alive.

I hate death and violence, and for sure war.

But usually, death dealers only understand death--and quit dealing out death only upon their . . . DEATH.

[MadIvan]

Understanding in this instance is merely following the advice of Sun Tsu:

Know thy enemy, know thyself, in a thousand battles, a thousand victories.

We should acquire knowledge of the Islamists and about their culture for the purposes of assessing their weaknesses and destroying them.

Regards, Ivan

[nopardons]

Spot on; as always. :-)

[MadIvan]

Spot on; as always. :-)

I would hasten to add that one of their key weaknesses is their lack of appreciation for genuine ladies. ;)

Not a malady, I am happy to say, that I suffer from. ;)

Regards, Ivan

[I still care]

He was a professor in the humanities (although not at Yale, where I teach); he said, The right approach to the events of 9/11 is to try to understand just why those people hate us so much, or words to the effect

If someone even DARED to talk like that to me, I think I would turn around and seriously say, "You know, you are right. I am glad you agree with me. I have always thought we needed to understand Hitler better. He was SO misunderstood. What Nazi Germany REALLY needed was compassion. We just didn't understand the German Nazi culture at that time. Do you know how repressed they were by the superpowers?"

I could go on and on. I bet that would shut them up in a hurry.

[Redleg Duke]

Couldn't have been that bad...This was the New York Post.

[.45MAN]

Words don't escape you here!!! I just love your statement.. I might have to use it a few times today, hope you don't mind.....

[DB]

That "understanding" is brutally simple. The want to kill you because of what you believe and effects of what you believe on the surrounding world.

It is good to be able to identify those who want to kill you and to be able to predict their behavior if at all possible. Beyond that it soon becomes a waste of resources.

Did we need to understand Nazism or Japanese kamikazes to defeat them? I hope to never be able to fully "understand" either of these in my lifetime.

If you want to get down to it, is it possible to understand why someone killed your daughter? Is it possible to "understand" insanity and/or evil?

This isn't a trade dispute…

Just my opinion...