Terror, terror, who’s got the terror?

Have you noticed that terror is the new catch phrase being used to justify all means of inhumanity, (censorship and invasion of privacy)?

How is the US defining terror? How is the US defining its policy towards terror?

Are suicide bombings against civilians terror? Hasn’t President Bush’s doctrine on global terror stated, ‘that any nation or group that harbors a terrorist will be regarded as a terrorist and potentially subject to U.S. reprisals?’

And yet…

From Major Garrett – CNN Washington Bureau – April 1, 2002:

“When asked why Arafat, whom he has repeatedly said could do more to stop terror against Israel, does not qualify as a terrorist under the Bush Doctrine, the president said:

“Chairman Arafat has agreed to a peace process. He’s agreed to the Tenet [security] plan. He’s agreed to the Mitchell plan. He has negotiated with parties as to how to achieve peace.”

Fleischer added further context, rejecting the Israeli contention that Arafat is no different from the Taliban or al Qaeda.

The situation in the Middle East is indeed different,” Fleischer said. “What makes it different is the fact that you have parties who themselves have agreed together to the Tenet accords, to the Mitchell [peace] accords, which all follows the Oslo peace process.”

Hmmm… So, if a “state” (or leader) is willing to talk about Peace (for 35 years) than they are allowed to use suicide bombings?

We have hypocrisy and Orwellian spin all around…

In an informal (and unscientific) online CNN news poll, 60% of the people didn’t think that the US should be involved in resolving the conflict in the middle east.

Like it or not my fellow Americans, we are VERY much involved in the conflict and we choose not to help in its resolution than we will reap an evil reward.

The Israelis are doing evil things, the Palestinians are doing evil things, the US is enabling both groups but particularly the Israelis. Israel would not exist if it wasn’t for US backing. I’d read years ago (in National Geographic) that Israel derives something like 70% of its economy from its relationship with the US. -Not to mention the discounted weapons we provide Israel.

Now both the Israelis and the Palestinians are using the words “terror” and “terrorism” to define the actions of the other. The Palestinians sacrifice their young because they have little recourse to the Israelis’ (American purchased) tanks. The Palestinians justify this murder with religious zeal and the imagined hope of a paradise and 72 virgins for their Martyrs.

The Israelis treat the Palestinians as little less than human in a manner that should remind even the densest of us of the way Jews were treated by Germans pre World War 2. Ghettos and torture are Israeli state policy. And by many accounts the Israelis also murder civilians (and not just as “unfortunate collateral damage”).- Irony knows no bounds.

The US is involved because of a magic, three letter word: O-i-l. If America wasn’t concerned with oil it would let Israel flatten the Palestinians. But we are concerned about reprisals from other Arab nations – all of which are playing their own games as well.

So again, if a “state” (or leader) is willing to talk about Peace (for 35 years) than they are allowed to use suicide bombings?

-We (the US) review and change our policy regarding terrorism if it will impact our access to oil.

I’m not under the illusion that this ancient hatred will easily be abolished but we must wake up to the realization that as long as we continue to back Israel that we are already involved. If we don’t want the conflict to land on our front door someday we must strive to see it resolved. Americans aren’t mustache twirling villains, but we often stomp around in foreign policy with all of the subtlety of a large Monster Truck show. Of course to be fair, other nations point fingers at our attempts at foreign policy while making no serious efforts themselves. But alas, we are accountable for our own nation’s actions.

Lastly, we need to start thinking of defense as more than just bullets and missiles. We spent hundreds of billions of dollars during the gulf war. We are already gearing up to spend hundreds of billions more in the middle east. And yet we chaff at investing in alternate energy resources. We should approach establishing alternate, renewable energy resources as the equivalent of a war effort.

We will reap what we sow.