the War on Terrorism

I have a pretty radical view on this issue, and I get lots of heat for it, but at least listen to what I have to say...

U.S. violence only perpetuates the violence of our enemies. The only peaceful resolution to this conflict lies in disarmament... and as long as we attack them, in defense of our way of life, they will continue to attack us to defend their way of life. Our War on Terrorism is a war against cultural ideological belief, and it is not limited to the boundaries of any political nation. If this cycle of violence continues, our war on terrorism will become an act of holocaust, as tens thousands of Muslims (combatitive AND innocent)are killed. I certainly don't want this blood on American hands in the name of peace.

Christ instructed us to turn the other cheek. This is not to be understood as a sign of weakness. Instead, it is an acknowledgment of the human condition. It dares any attacker to "see" the mere humanity of those that are under attack. It ends the cycle of violence. Does this mean that the attacker won't strike? No, but it is a first step towards true peace.

We are "under attack" by Muslim fundamentalists because of our own actions as a country. Doubt this? Do more research... capitalism, or, the religion of wealth, requires oil for sustainment. The preservation of the American way of life, driven by capitalism, forces us to politically control the world's oil resources. The "terrorists" understand this as imperialism, whether we like it or not, and our propaganda pertaining to "spreading freedom and democracy" only encourages this perspective. The British Empire professed a world of good deeds in it's colonial expansion... education and literacy, medicine, freedom, national stability, etc. It took control of much of the Arab world, only to loose it slowly after world war one. This is the history of Iraq, specifically, which was unified under the British Empire. To argue that America isn't perceived as an Imperialist power to the "terrorists" is an argument that defies both history AND cultural relativism.

Americans must change. We must move beyond our addiction to oil. We must denounce the actions of Israel against the Palestinians, and work to help build a Palestinian nation. These will do much to end the cycle of violence.

Any animal can use violence to achieve an end. Humans are successful within the environment because we use our brains to solve problems. When we use violence, and the weapons of our imagination to supress those that "disagree" with us, we are only revealing our primitive animal instinct. We fail to realize our own humanity, as well as those we oppose.

We must be smarter... we must use our brains to communicate more effectively... we must end the cycle of violence. If we don't do it, who will?

It's time to admit our faults, and turn the other cheek.