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Welcome to the musings and notes of a Cadillac, Michigan based writer named Micah Holmquist, who is bothered by his own sarcasm. Please send him email at micahth@chartermi.net. Holmquist's full archives are listed here.
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Sites Holmquist trys, and often fails, to go no more than a couple of days without visiting (some of which Holmquist regularly swipes links from without attribution) Aljazeera.Net English Blogs that for one reason or another Holmquist would like to read on at least something of a regular basis (always in development) Thivai Abhor |
Thursday, September 12, 2002
The “President's Remarks to the Nation” last night were better than I expected but still anything but good. Most of the speech consisted of warm fuzzies that are neither comforting to me nor something that can be disagreed with. A few of the “Remarks” do deserve attention, however: We resolved a year ago to honor every last person lost. We owe them remembrance and we owe them more. We owe them, and their children, and our own, the most enduring monument we can build: a world of liberty and security made possible by the way America leads, and by the way Americans lead our lives.I can understand how installing puppet governments can fit into this but is Bush really saying that he wants the “children” to inherit a country, and presumably a world, where many of the trappings of a police state are in place and the only debate is when authoritarian quality will turn to authoritarian quality, if it hasn’t already. The attack on our nation was also attack on the ideals that make us a nation.For just a minute could we act like people who understand causal links and recognize that what Osama bin Laden and company are most angry at the U.S. about is the presence of U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia. You don’t have to say that the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 were justified or even that this complaint has any merits. But we should be able to recognize that evidence points to this as being the main point of conflict. Our deepest national conviction is that every life is precious, because every life is the gift of a Creator who intended us to live in liberty and equality. More than anything else, this separates us from the enemy we fight. We value every life; our enemies value none -- not even the innocent, not even their own. And we seek the freedom and opportunity that give meaning and value to life.Unless of course you live in Afghanistan, Iraq or any other country the U.S. had decided in the past and/or will decide in the future to sanction and/or bomb the hell out of. Of if you are a Palestinian and die as a result of the Apache helicopters or other military equipment that Israel gets from the U.S. Or if you are deemed to be a terrorist or "against us." Or if you wind up on death row in the U.S. Or if you are a black man whose wallet doesn’t read, “this is not a gun.” Or if the U.S. comes up with some other exception. But other than that he’s right. There is a line in our time, and in every time, between those who believe all men are created equal, and those who believe that some men and women and children are expendable in the pursuit of power. There is a line in our time, and in every time, between the defenders of human liberty and those who seek to master the minds and souls of others. Our generation has now heard history's call, and we will answer it.Who is in the side of “human liberty"? I seem to have missed sign up sheet for that team. America has entered a great struggle that tests our strength, and even more our resolve. Our nation is patient and steadfast. We continue to pursue the terrorists in cities and camps and caves across the earth. We are joined by a great coalition of nations to rid the world of terror. And we will not allow any terrorist or tyrant to threaten civilization with weapons of mass murder.Can somebody point me towards list of all who are classified as a “terrorist or tyrant” so I can check that against the list of countries that have weapons of mass destruction? |