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| Public Discussion |
| (The following excerpts are taken from a 9/12/2001 - 9/16/2001 archive file) |
| Initiated 09/12/2001 (08:06 US PST) |
| Boundaries |
| R.W.Park: Trying to destroy a terrorist group with an air strike is
like trying to swat a mosquito with a steam shovel, with one
important difference. The mosquitoes do not multiply in response to
the senseless destruction caused by the steam shovel. Our actions should be bounded by the realization that the use of lethal violence against unarmed noncombatants can never be justified. The way we respond to terrorism can either inspire admiration or increase hatered of the U.S. in the 3rd World. We need to try to see ourselves through their eyes. As Dr. Martin Luther King so well put it, "The ends are preexistent in the means".
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| National Defense |
R.W.Park: The terrorist organizations we must confront do not
operate within the confines of any national boundaries, but they
use national boundaries and the differences in political
philosophies between nations to tie the hands of their opponents. I
believe we must move beyond the narrow thinking of defense along
national lines to a truly international effort to end acts of
terror against any group of civilians, whether carried out by a
terrorist group or by military forces acting in the name of any
particular nation.
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| Relationships |
R.W.Park: A key question which we Americans must ask ourselves is,
why are we so hated by some fellow humans on other parts of our
planet? Until now most of us have been relatively unscathed by the
infectious language of hate which has fueled a rising tide of
terrorism in other countries. Now, among some Americans there we
are hearing the same sort of hate language which has been used to
whip up anti-American fervor in other parts of the world. If we are
to avoid more innocent victims, voices of compassion and common
sense must not be drowned out.
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Ian: A
disturbing thought occured to me while discussing these events in
an English class recently. America is obviously thought of by many
people as "the enemy" if children dance in the streets at the
thought of our injury. If we respond to these attacks in a way that
supports such an idea, the hardships that we face now will be faced
again. These children think of our "enemies" as thier "heros", and
when a hero is killed, he or she becomes a martyr. I don't presume
to know how to solve such problems, but as long as things are as
simple as "us vs. them", nothing will ever be accomplished in the
"war again terrorism".
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R.W.Park: Good thoughts. We need to try to unite people
around the world, across all national boundaries, against the
hatred which fuels acts of terror aimed at any of our fellow
humans, and not let flag waving nationalism get in our way.
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| Warfare |
R.W.Park: It is always easier to destroy than to protect. However,
there are some obvious steps that can be taken to make it harder
for large passenger jets to be hijacked. The cockpit can be kept
locked whenever the plane is in motion, and guarded by a trained
security person in a compartment which separates the cockpit from
the passenger area. If the normal transponder is shut off, that
could activate an emergency system with no interior off switch
which broadcasts audio and video from the cockpit and passenger
compartment.
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