by

John Wright

When I completed writing the book, Destiny, the world was about three years away from the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack in New York. So well I recall my comments about terrorism in Chapter 14, Part VIII, its causes and how we could "look forward" to more violent attacks. I suppose many people could reasonably claim that kind of foresight, absent detail for lack of specific knowledge but loaded with dire warnings about the roles of major western governments in assuring that we would be attacked.

Basically, our news media has done a fine job in trying to convince us that religious extremism is the foundation for the vicious behaviors of the attackers. The reality is that religious extremism was simply a necessary support mechanism to underpin military behaviors for national goals that would accomplish a dangerous, indeed fatal mission. Osama Bin Laden was simply a willing spiritual and financial leader of the operatives who accomplished the attack. The Taliban provided unofficial support in the absurd belief that they would prevail in Afghanistan after the fact.

Lets be candid, the Taliban did not run Afghanistan respectably in terms of human rights, though I admit that their cultural practices are abhorrent to me because of my cultural and educational background. Thus, my opinion is founded in my beliefs and not on an unarguable scale of right and wrong. They did as they saw fit in their country. So do our "leaders" in our country.

It is, of course, the fact that the terrorists exported their hatred for us to us, and that action demanded a defensive response on our part. I don’t actually know any total pacifists, so I must claim that everyone I know will defend their life if directly attacked. I am nonplussed wondering how the Taliban could make such an inferior decision. Does anyone in the world actually believe that we are a "paper tiger?" Would any national government knowingly sacrifice itself instead of only its minor operatives? If so, why? Could it be that their lives are so miserable anyway that high risk is irrelevant? Do you remember the words in an old popular song "nothin’ to win and nothin’ to lose?"

My fear is that other nations do not realize the danger to their national sovereignty and future financial wellbeing because the USA is and has been on an obvious mission to force our economic way of life on everyone. Translated, that means the currently wealthy take over everything and the weak continue to be exploited ad infinitum. At one time we called that colonialism. Today we expound the virtues of "democracy and capitalism" because they "work" better than other economic systems!

Don’t think that I am picking on the USA alone. It doesn’t matter what period of world history you study, by location or government, the fundamental reality is that the "intelligent" achieve dominance and enslave those less capable, at home and abroad. Form of government and efficiency of economic operation are secondary considerations to the reality of dominance. We simply see operations on a larger order of magnitude today, and with more than a hint that the Western nations will soon attempt to complete the economic control of the rest of the world. Even China.

The USA developed the oil resources in the Middle East in the 1940’s and 1950’s and proceeded to rob the inhabitants of that wealth until the Arab oil embargo of 1974. I recall that we paid them about 3 to 4 cents per barrel in the 1970’s! It is only since that time that the oil producing nations of that region have had any meaningful economic development from oil production. Have we helped industrialize those countries? What have we done to help them advance? What have we done to assure that they are forever weak and at our beck and call? Do their best minds stay at home or emigrate? Have you visited the emergency ward of your local hospital recently? Better yet, take a good look at the national/ethnic composition of your HMO doctors! Yes, they will work cheap.

I won’t bother to get into the reality of Israel that the Western nations created after World War II. That alone is fuel to keep hatred alive in the Middle East. Force two historically categorical enemies to exist side by side and what can you expect? I abhor the terrorist attacks by the Palestinians, but in full knowledge that Israel will crush them into permanent slavery if allowed. Who are we kidding?

We muddied the waters of the foundation reasons for the September 11 attack and, as is so often the case, we demeaned the enemy as monsters, thus assuring that our wholesale killing of them was justified. So it is in any real war, i.e. hot instead of cold. Whatever real grievances the attacking party may have, they are quickly suppressed and dissembled by their opposition to support a response from moral "high ground."

Who can argue that killing 3000 people in New York City was justified? I am appalled that anyone would even attempt to justify mass killing of strangers, and my fellow Americans overwhelmingly agree. I do wonder how many people we have killed in Afghanistan since September 11? Perhaps ten times that number? Is our need for revenge satisfied now, or are we on a roll that will underpin further military action to crush Saddam in Iraq and other "evil doers?"

Ah yes, what about the origin of that awful white powder in our mail containing Anthrax? Are all you good folks out there wondering how we still haven’t identified the source? Perhaps it is a matter of picking the most opportune time to assign responsibility for that stuff? Or perhaps it is a foil for severe reductions in personal freedoms based on "national security" on a "temporary" basis? Is not the anthrax threat simply a convenient means to keep the pot boiling here politically while we wreak havoc in Afghanistan? What a simple way to maintain popular support for suppression of civil rights. What a lubricant for subjecting ordinary citizens to absurd security measures at airports.

Let me ask you a very simple question … when in the course of human events has any government willingly expanded the freedoms of its citizens? How about the freedoms and opportunities for those citizens of countries that are economically dominated externally? Is not revolution of all instances the direct result of local or foreign governments reducing the freedoms and wealth of "common citizens" to the point where anger simply explodes? Do you remember 1776? Are you beginning to understand our role in the Middle East?

The historical practices of all governments have been to usurp citizen rights gradually and thoroughly, sometimes under the mantle of respectability when they provide apparent but superficial opportunities for change through elections. Those processes have the structure of fairness but the execution of reality, which means wealth rules and changes rules and laws to dominate. Political party means nothing in the larger role of government. Well, enough of that.

So now we have a nation of paranoid people in which a simple activity like airline travel is both miserable and a cause for real concern. In our heart of hearts we know that control of Afghanistan will not impact that problem. Airline business and tourism are suffering in the wake of our stupidity, indeed long-term egotistical dominating behaviors of our Western leaders. Have you any confidence that the airport security measures will stop further successful attacks? Or have you considered the reality that people like Richard Reid can still board airplanes with explosives? It is a small miracle that he was too ignorant to detonate his explosive in the privacy of a privy, near the, uh, tail section. Hmm…

I know most of you are not educated in the science of chemistry, so you should know that any knowledgeable chemist can defeat airline security devices and can cause any commercial airliner to explode in flight from seemingly harmless contents in checked baggage. I will not under any circumstances write about precise methods, for there are those who would use that information to our detriment. But you simply must realize that your safety is not the result of inferior airline security measures, old or new. You will live during air travel because those who can kill choose not to kill.

Finally then, we see that valuing humans and human life are the basis for security and a sense of wellbeing. What excuse do our governments and businesses have for failing to promote the golden rule, globally? When will we citizens use our votes to demand opportunity for all peoples of the world? I fear we won’t.