War on Terror
By: Guy in War on Terror on December 15, 2004 - 10:55 am
Some thoughts and a question for you the reader: This morning my wife and I were discussing the glogal war on terror and some of the more unpleasant aspects of the war. Spefically, how should we react to the alleged mistreatment of prisoners; and, to what extent should we go to obtain information that would prevent death or harm to American fighting men and American civilians?
My believe is that, short of physical torture, anything goes when it comes to obtaining information that would save American lives. You can bet your last dollar that the vermin we are currently at war with would have no compunction about killing every last American man, woman, and child. Yes, the events at Abu Ghraib were disturbing and certainly humiliating to those prisoners involved. However, if that humiliation was inflicted in order to obtain information, I have no problem with what occurred. It doesn’t hold a candle to the senseless beheadings inflicted upon innocent non-combatants.
Your thoughts?
Salim,
Thank you so much for your thoughtful,sincere comments. In a great many respects I agree with what you have said. Although, I must take issue with the use of the term “cycle of violence”. The United States suffered an unprovoked attack on 9/11. Our response in Afghanistan and Iraq has been defensive in nature (necessary in order to prevent further attacks). Unlike many Americans I believe that the ongoing conflicts in those two nations are actually battles in the overall global war on terror. Just as Normandy, Tarawa, and Iwo Jima were battles in WWII. Our response in no way represents an element of the “cycle of violence”. Like you, I find war repulsive and pray daily for the safety of our servicemen and women, as well as for the safety of innocent non-combatants.
Once again, thank you for your sincere comments. I firmly believe that meaningful dialogue is one way to lasting peace in Southwest Asia and the Middle East.
December 17, 2004 - 6:52 amYour agreement with Mr. Ahmed seems to be in contrast to what you’re saying in your post. I find your thoughts to be very far from the teachings of Jesus Christ.
December 18, 2004 - 6:00 amDiane,
Thanks so much for your comments.
Perhaps I should clarify my remarks. When I stated that meaningful dialogue must occur to bring about peace in the Mid East, I was referring to dialogue between two or more parties that truly want to see peace in that region. The people that attacked us on 9/11 have no desire to dialogue with anyone. Their sole purpose is to bring about the destruction of America as we know it; and, in the process, destroy as many of our fellow citizens as possible.
Additionally, my reading of the Bible does not find any injunction against personal or national self defence.The “love thy neighbor as thyself” and “turn the other cheek” quotes that the anti-war crowd uses, are, more often than not, taken out of context. As a matter of fact, there have been many discussions by individuals far more learned than myself, regarding the “just war” issue. If you were to research this issue, I believe that you would find many Christians among those that support the “just war”.
Finally, because I support the global war on terror, does not take away the fact that I grieve over the loss of innocent lives. Any man’s death, be he friend, foe, or innocent bystander, diminishes us all.
December 18, 2004 - 6:27 amso your argument for torture is, “hey, it’s better than beheading?” MOST things are better than beheading. that gives us a lot of ethical leeway. i’m going to go shoot kittens with a paintball gun.
a life is a life is a life. i’d be fine with everyone mourning american soldiers if they were also mourning the dead iraqi civilians whose numbers dwarf the dead soldiers by a certain order of magnitude. or are they less than human because they live in the same country as some people labeled terrorists? if that’s the case, everyone who lived near tim mcveigh must be forfeit, right?
December 19, 2004 - 10:21 pmThe prisoners were more than humiliated at Abu Ghraib; at least one was sodomized with a light stick, and the military police forced groups of men to masturbate while being filmed or photographed. You condone this sort of behavior?
December 20, 2004 - 3:25 pmYou know, I grew up in the church, and I left it largely because of ignorant conservatives such as yourself. Exactly to whom are you referring as “vermin” in this post? Operational Al Qaeda agents? Okay, fair enough. But you mention this in the context of Abu Graib, which was filled with *insurgents*, not terrorists; the media has been very clear on the fact that no worthwhile information came out of Abu Graib because these were just young men who where fighting as insurgents. You and your fellow conservatives *must* make this distinction, as the lack of such a distinction makes possible such atrocities. The Geneva Convention is just–just for them, and just for us. When Al Qaeda does not follow it, they demean themselves; when we do it, we demean ourselves and sap our ability to make any moral demands on the geopolitical stage.
December 23, 2004 - 12:43 amDear Guy,
December 27, 2004 - 12:39 amI am a Muslim, as you may have guessed from my earlier posting, and am writing from Malaysia, a country that is a 24 hours flight from the USA. I have visited the USA four times and have a brother-in-law in Arizona. I have also travelled quite extensively, and have seen people of various races and religions. One thing that I learned from all these travel is that there is a lot more commonality between the various people in the world than I thought. Even physical places seem to be the same. Funny that the sights of a Dallas ranch or a Japanese farm look very much like the padi fields of my own village. The sun and air looks and feel the same too. These similarities evoke in me a feeling of kinship that transcends the racial, cultural and geographical diversities. I am sharing this with you so that jointly we can explore this world and learn the lesson that it holds for the brotherhood of man. I believe the teachings of Jesus is universal, as is Islam. Christianity is not “made in the USA”. The cherished core values, especially love, are our collective birthrights…not confined to any artificial boundaries of country, or race or religion.