The War of Terrorism
Shocked but not surprised.
I read this a half dozen times as reporters scramble to speak to Londoners about today's attack.
World leaders rise up to denounce the attacks using the harshest language as they also raise the terror alerts and consider their next moves.
We (the US and British) are not engaged in a war on terrorism, but a war of terrorism. They strike, we strike 100 times harder. They wait and strike again.
How will this end?
The day before the US presidential election, Osama Bin Laden gave a speech in which he outlined the steps that led him to the Sept 11 attacks. Bush, Kerry and the media immediately pronounced the speech another threat to our national security.
In that speech, Bin Laden said,
No one except a dumb thief plays with the security of others and then makes himself believe he will be secure. Whereas thinking people, when disaster strikes, make it their priority to look for its causes, in order to prevent it happening again.World leaders correctly denounce today's attacks in London. When some group does something this awful, words like wicked, evil and senseless leap to our lips.
These attacks are wrong, but are they senseless?
You push me; I push you harder; you push me back, and it goes on and on and on.
I don't pretend to believe that resolving the current terror stand-off will be easy, but blowing each other up does not end conflict, be it in Mosul, Kabul, Madrid or London.
It's time our leaders devise a peace strategy, because no one will ever win this war of terrorism.
posted by Peterson Toscano @ 2:27 PM
5 Comments:
Hi Peterson,
I'm trying to collect posts on Quaker responses to the bombings. It's somehow comforting to know that Friends House has been turned into a relief center. It feels like one good way for Quakers to respond. Your thoughts are another. Thanks for sharing them with us.
Your Friend, Martin
Martin, thanks for collecting these thoughts on your blog. Your blog is so rich with many great pieces.
A bit of irony that Charlie reminded me of in his "I'm OK post" on gcn --
Tavistock Square (where the bus was blown up) is a peace garden with a statue of Gandhi, a tree planted as a memorial to the victims at Hiroshima and a Holocaust memorial.
*sigh*
Totally agree with you. I have a British friend who today told me what The War Against Terrorism really means...TWAT Makes sense, doesn't it? I thought so.
Well said Peterson.
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