Following the September 11th disasters a militant Islamic group in Pakistan held up a sign for all the world to see. It said: AMERICANS, THINK! WHY YOU ARE HATED ALL OVER THE WORLD. We abhor the messenger, but we should not ignore the message.Here at home we are told that the only reason for the suicidal mass killing we experienced on September 11th is that we are hated because we are free and prosperous. If these two conflicting views are not reconciled we cannot wisely fight nor win the war in which we now find ourselves. We must understand why the hatred is directed toward Americans and not other western countries.
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...bin Laden learned to practice terror; tragically, with money from the US taxpayers. But it wasn't until 1991 during what we refer to as the Persian Gulf War that he turned fully against the United States. It was this war, said to protect our oil that brought out the worst in him.
Of course, it isn't our oil. The oil in fact belongs to the Arabs and other Muslim nations of the Persian Gulf. Our military presence in Saudi Arabia is what most Muslims believe to be a sacred violation of holy land. The continuous bombing and embargo of Iraq, has intensified the hatred and contributed to more than over 1,000,000 deaths in Iraq. It is clear that protecting certain oil interests and our presence in the Persian Gulf help drive the holy war.
Muslims see this as an invasion and domination by a foreign enemy which inspires radicalism. This is not new. This war, from their viewpoint, has been going on since the Crusades 1000 year ago. We ignore this history at our own peril.
The fact is, we do ignore history at our own peril and we would be MUCH better off reducing and even eliminating our dependency on Mid East Oil, or anyone else's oil for that matter. So, I can go that far down the road with Paul on this issue.
I disagree with him that this is the principle reason the radical Islamics have it in for us. They DO hate our liberty and the freedom it gives particularly to women and children. They are afraid of it, they disdain the potential for choosing vice's that free will necessarily brings along with it. They would like to destroy it from the earth so it cannot influence them.
I too dislike the vice ... but not to the point of eliminating free choice. The Islamic extremist medicine is far worse than the ill. The correct way to fight vice is through laws that protect rights so that when someone infringes those rights they are punished ... and then to have society persuade and teach better behavior and scorn/reject the vice.
So ... while I disagree with part of Paul's statements, that does not make him a leftist or a "commie" or someone against America. Any more than it makes me think you are for disagreeing with him.
As to the Federal Reserve, which this thread is about, I believe it is a good thing to propose ways to get back to what I consider much more constitutional means of dealing with our money and economics. And then to allow debate on the issue. I appluad Paul for seeking a way to do that, just as I applaud him for seeking a direct way to get us out of the UN.
In my estimation, we would be much better off as a nation if e had a lot more like him in Congress. Since we don't, he is indeed like a lone voice crying in the wilderness on these issues and unfortunately, they will probably not be debated or changed. I believe he is gathering momentum on the UN issue though.
FRegards.
Return to the 2001 Congressional Record directory
Project FREEDOM
Opening Page
September 12, 2001
Yesterday, Americans were awakened to find ourselves in a war, attacked by barbarians who targeted innocent civilians. This despicable act reveals how deep-seated is the hatred that has driven this war.
Though many Americans have just become aware of how deeply we are involved in this war, it has been going on for decades. We are obviously seen by the terrorists as an enemy.
In war there is no more reprehensible act than for combatants to slaughter innocent civilian bystanders. This is what happened yesterday.
If there is such a thing, a moral war is one that is only pursued in self-defense. Those who initiate aggression against others for the purpose of occupation or merely to invoke death and destruction are unforgivable and serve only to spread wanton killing.
In our grief, we must remember our responsibilities. The Congress' foremost obligation in a constitutional republic is to preserve freedom and provide for national security. Yesterday our efforts to protect our homeland came up short. Our policies that led to that shortcoming must be reevaluated and changed if found to be deficient.
When we retaliate for this horror we have suffered, we must be certain that only the guilty be punished. More killing of innocent civilians will only serve to flame the fires of war and further jeopardize our security. Congress should consider its constitutional authority to grant letters of marque and reprisal to meet our responsibility.
Demanding domestic security in times of war invites carelessness in preserving civil liberties and the right of privacy. Frequently the people are only too anxious for their freedoms to be sacrificed on the altar of authoritarianism thought to be necessary to remain safe and secure. Nothing would please the terrorists more than if we willingly give up some of our cherished liberties while defending ourselves from their threat.
It is our job to wisely choose our policies and work hard to understand the root causes of the war in which we find ourselves.
We must all pray for peace and ask for God's guidance for our President, our congressional leaders, and all America- and for the wisdom and determination required to resolve this devastating crisis.