Dear XMCA-ers,
We are all appalled and shocked. I am deeply sorry for the lives of so many
thousands of people who perished in this mad act of destruction.
But I could not have put my feelings and thoughts
in better words than these by Noam Chomsky:
Today's attacks were major atrocities. In terms of number of victims
they do not reach the level of many others, for example, Clinton's
bombing of the Sudan with no credible pretext, destroying half its
pharmaceutical supplies and probably killing tens of thousands of people
(no one knows, because the US blocked an inquiry at the UN and no one
cares to pursue it). Not to speak of much worse cases, which easily come
to mind. But that this was a horrendous crime is not in doubt. The
primary victims, as usual, were working people: janitors, secretaries,
firemen, etc. It is likely to prove to be a crushing blow to
Palestinians and other poor and oppressed people. It is also likely to
lead to harsh security controls, with many possible ramifications for
undermining civil liberties and internal freedom.
The events reveal, dramatically, the foolishness of ideas about "missile
defense." As has been obvious all along, and pointed out repeatedly by
strategic analysts, if anyone wants to cause immense damage in the US,
including weapons of mass destruction, they are highly unlikely to
launch a missile attack, thus guaranteeing their immediate destruction.
There are innumerable easier ways that are basically unstoppable.
But today's events will, nonetheless, be used to increase the pressure
to develop these systems and put them into place. "Defense" is a thin
cover for plans for militarization of space, and with good PR, even the
flimsiest arguments will carry some weight among a frightened public.
In short, the crime is a gift to the hard jingoist right, those
who hope to use force to control their domains. That is even putting aside
the likely US actions, and what they will trigger -- possibly more
attacks like this one, or worse. The prospects ahead are even more ominous
than they appeared to be before the latest atrocities.
Noam Chomsky
I am sending you all my greetings and love
Ana
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Wed Oct 10 2001 - 15:49:13 PDT