The Llano Ledger
Special Edition Newsletter Text V113
Hell On Earth
**************September 12, 2001***************
Tuesday, September 11, 2001, a day never to be forgotten. Simply, can't
put into words the feeling engendered watching that jet striking the
Tower as NBC and other networks repeatedly ran the video. Indeed,
horrendous images of terrible acts of barbarism are surreal, indelibly
burned into the American psyche. Who can ever forget the results?
People jumping from windows. Mangled bodies. Seriously injured treated
in triage. Incredibly courageous firefighters desperately trying to
save people, only to tragically lose their own. -- At the latest
estimate, some 300 of them.
As first one Tower, then the other, collapsed into piles of rubble
several stories high, couldn't help but reflect on man's terrible
inhumanity to his fellow man. As horrendous as all this is, it comes as
no surprise. Sadly, it's been in the making for at least the last 35
years, if not longer. What is surprising is that it did not occur
sooner. There is NO excuse for terror, however. None. There are,
indeed, reasons. Always reasons. Whether valid or not. Reasons, we as
Americans, have ignored. Ignored at our peril. ... Ignorance that has
been deliberate and ongoing for decades.
Western thought is radically different from that in the Middle East.
Approach to life, death, and religious beliefs is remarkably alien to
ours. Fighting has gone on since biblical times and will undoubtedly
continue. Pointedly, the United States has not been even-handed in its
approach and has outrageously ignored lopsided casualties and
bulldozing of Arab homes for years. Worse yet, land taken in the 1967
war has not been returned and Palestinians have been denied sovereignty
and a homeland. Should this continue, so will terrorism. In no way does
it excuse or justify the cowardly taking of innocent life. The terror,
however, will only intensify as Israel and the U.S. remain recalcitrant
and indifferent to Palestinian rights.
Palestinians are indeed outraged American supplied F-16's and Apache
attack helicopters have been used to kill them. Foreign aid to them
dwarfs that provided to Israel. Worse yet, their leaders have been
targeted by Israel for assassination. Yet, the United States tolerates
and supports abusive Israeli tactics for domestic political reasons.
Think Arabs are stupid and don't fully understand the status quo? Time
for the U.S. and Europeans to broker a true lasting peace. Now.
While President Clinton struggled for eight years to reach a
settlement, he had to deal with a strong Israeli lobby, severely
limiting and effectively tying his hands. Mr. Bush, conversely after
being installed in office, had a hands-off approach to the Middle East.
-- Until quite recently, as things began to heat up. Now, he'll have no
choice. Hopefully, Mr. Bush will be well-served by staff and wisely
accept counsel from both his own party and that of the opposition. He
has strongly suggested the terror is an attack on freedom. It's far
more than that. It is an attack launched in revenge for American
support of Israeli abuse of Arabs.
Sadly, the attack apparently will surpass Pearl Harbor in number of
casualties. For the first time in history, the American mainland has
been devastated by an enemy, elusive and quite difficult to find and
attack. Be interesting to see how Mr. Bush proceeds in the days and
weeks to come. Quite chilling, in fact, to see American jets flying
fighter cover over our nation's capital as well as New York City. Who
would have thought it could ever happen, no?
Important to remember, however, not all Islam supports the radical
extreme apparently represented by the terrorists involved in the most
recent attack. Most believers are non-violent and do not condone
murderous behavior by the lunatic fringe. It's important bigots not
bash the Arab-American community. Blame must be reserved for those
truly responsible for the carnage. The United States government must
also be held accountable for policy deliberately and decidedly not
even-handed in the region.
Of even greater importance, it is critical the Fascist Right not be
allowed to use terrorism as an excuse to further eviscerate liberty and
rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights and rest of the Constitution.
Should that happen, the terrorists will have won. As the Founders of
this great nation truly believed, anyone willing to trade liberty for
security deserves and winds up with neither.
Tim Chorney, Publisher
The Llano Ledger
Tim Chorney, Publisher
P.O. Box 997
Buchanan Dam Tx. 78609
llanoledger@mailcity.com
Page Updated Wed Sep 12, 2001 12:03pm EDT