A friend, Leonard J. Hansen, had some thoughts about a piece I wrote for the online journal Swans.com: I had said, in part:
It's long past time that we stopped referring to our wars against
Iraq and Afghanistan, and now Israel's war against Lebanon, in
dispassionate terms involving differing views of geopolitics,
strategic interests, mistaken foreign policy, rights of self defense, etc.
We are talking about crimes against decency, crimes against humanity.
We are talking about war crimes.
And we are talking about evil.
Len had the following observations (abridged slightly). I’ll respond in the next day or two.
I do not argue with your position, but I must offer a bit more information that is worthy of consideration.
Muslims, according to their religion are peaceable people, but they have, over the years, killed millions of their own people, innocent men, women and children wherever and whenever they thought that they were in their way or should be disposed of. Iran, in its own drive for power, is funding the Hezbollah for the specific purpose of killing people whenever and wherever they are.
Some Muslim interests are funding Al Queda to wreak havoc anywhere and everywhere in the world, including innocent civilians as they have done so on airplanes, hostage takings, Embassy raids, 9-11 and more. Will peaceable Muslims stand up and protest? Not when they know that any opposition is a death sentence. ...
It is a failing in this country that virtually no one knows history. And, particularly those in Washington, the Administration and Congress, don’t know the depth of history to really understand the problem and challenges of position and even maintaining peace in the world.
I read recently that Hitler actually killed more Christians (and he was one of them) than Jews in the era before and during World War II. Same with the Muslims.
I do not condone Israel when they have blown away innocent civilians. At the same time I can’t condone the Muslims for executing millions of their own people before they launched their attack on non-Muslim nations and populations.
Muslims outnumber Jews ten to one. And their warlike position is based more on religion than reason.
If we go back in history we find that most wars were actually driven by religion than any other reason or justification. The Crusades went to war to wipe out “the infidels” (read that as non-believers) while, at the same time, the infidels were mowing down innocent Christians everywhere they could. Deja vu?
I do not argue a position here. I do not agree with what this nation is doing (on many fronts and issues) while I also cannot agree with those identified as the opposition.
The United States has been assaulted by Muslim assaults and suicide bombers for years, even long before 9-11 and during the Administrations of several presidents of both parties.
This is the most frustrating time I, for one, have ever experienced in this nation.
I believe, though, that the solution is bigger than a peace march because both sides are killing the innocent for their own gains or mission.
Unfortunately, I, for one, don’t see any one, any leader in the United States or in the rest of the world really working on an effective solution.
Leonard J. Hansen
Journalist and Author
[[[ rest of my original piece can be found at:
http://www.swans.com/library/art12/rdeck067.html ]]]