Eric,
I will be brief. The transcendence of the kind of acts of total war (war
against civilians) presupposes that all nations agree to submit to a common
global system of justice. A world court where those who commit heirnous
crimes against humanity (either quick ones like 9-11 or more prolonged ones
like Chile and Argentina) will be brought to justice according to an
international system of law (parallel if you will to our international
economy). For such a court to work, an independent force, must be empowered
to enter ANY country to apprehend any person(s) who have conspired, aided,
abbetted, or committed these acts. Henry Kissinger, General Pinochet, Osama
bin Laden , and others should be brought before this court. a Hague where
Americans can also be charged and put on trial. This international system
of law must also be empowered to stop rogue nations, etc.
The United States, while insistis on all these prerogatives in its own
right. It makes "alliances" but makes if quite clear that it will not be
restrained from acting as it sees necessary by any conditions. We will act
with or without YOU and, by the way, you're either with US or against US.
While insisting on the right to go around the world imposing its will as it
sees fit and possible (pragmatic americans), the U.S. refuses to submit to
and be bound by an independent international body that could also bring U.S.
citizens, government officials, and organizations before it.. As such, at
least in the eyes of the rest of the world whom we now recognize as
'necessary' , it does make a great deal of difference whether our own
terrorist aiders and abetters are brought to justice or if its just theirs,
just the ones with dark skin, just the ones who pray differently, just the
ones who resist the tentacles of global capitalism (anti-WTO organizers are
already classified as a type of terrorist by the U.S. government).
If the U.S. were to participate in and submit to such a court I think the
consequences would be profoundly positive for everyone in the world.
Unfortunately, this isn't the scenario I see as most probable and sometimes
I can't help but think about Edgar Allen Poe's "The Fall of the House of
Usher" in this context.
We've had it quite easy being the world's bully but as Buffy Sainte Marie
wrote, one pities
' the blindness that you've (we've) never seen
that the eagles of war whose wings lent you (us) glory
were never no more than carrion crow
pushed the wren from her nest, stole the eggs, changed the story.'
Our country 'tis of thy people . . .
pace to all who are jumping on some band wagon called UNITY driven by the
yellow thief himself -- you'll have to excuse me because
My Grief is Not a Call for War
if there's anything that must be done, it must be done equitably, in other
words, no talk about draining swamps until we ourselves stop pumping the
water in there to stagnate.
Paul H. Dillon
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