vision2020
RE: this applies to Iran and Iraq as well!
Dearest friends,
Lets keep partisan politics out of it because it just muddies the water. I
am not sure where the idea of me suggesting that we just negotiate comes
from. Evidently Tom has not been reading my posts much. Not only am I for
punishing the people responsible for this... I insist upon it. I just do not
appreciate the idea of Rambo diplomacy. The fact is that if we get into a
war against Afghanistan not only will we not eliminate terrorism we actually
will strengthen it. You both are military men as I was... you have, however,
no idea what you are about to get into. If this country gets in a war with
Afghanistan... we will spend a lot of money... we will loose a lot of our
young... we will increase terrorism... we will kill a lot of innocent
people... we will loose our allies... we will be isolated... we will become
the demons that the fanatics say we are... and we will loose the war. Make
no mistake... you are not fighting USSR... you are fighting people who have
nothing to loose. You are fighting people who see death as an end to their
miserable life and a passport to heaven. As Americans it is very hard for us
to think this way. We have a hard time understanding these people because we
have so much and cannot imagine the absolute hopelessness that exists there.
Our homeless are like millionaires compared to the people in Afghanistan.
They have endured difficulty that would turn your blood to silly putty!
Believe me... I have seen this place before the Russians tore it apart and
it was in horrible condition then. Now... after years of destruction, civil
war, drought, and everything else you might think of these people are
functioning at the very lowest human existence levels possible. By striking
them we will prove the fanatics right.
As I have said before... there is only one way to eliminate terrorism. Once
you eliminate the cause... you will eliminate the symptoms. As long as we
are content to ignore the needs of the rest of the world... as long as we
fail to act in a way that benefits everyone... as long as we look at the
earth through the lens of fanaticism... whether religious or
nationalistic... we will not have peace. If you think that we can make a
bubble of security around us and ignore everyone else you are sadly
mistaken. What happens on the other side of the world will affect you here.
It may take a while... but for every action there is an equal and opposite
reaction. We can spend all of our wealth and resources on this if we like.
All we have done is to play the part that they want us to play. We need to
act cleverly and intelligently not like a bull in a china shop. This is a
game of strategy... this is more like rally racing and less like drag
racing! The moment we act irrationally... the moment we act unjustly we have
lost not only the battle but also the very thing that makes us the greatest
country in the world... our souls!
"Your brother in arms"
Shahab...
-----Original Message-----
From: P C [mailto:PhilCooper@webtv.net]
Sent: Thursday, September 20, 2001 6:03 PM
To: Tom Hansen; vision2020@moscow.com; goodallj@earthlink.net
Subject: RE: this applies to Iran and Iraq as well!
Outstanding. As for memorials, I lost two friends in the embassy
attacks, worked the crisis action center at HQ USCENTCOM immediately
following those attacks, and found myself on an aircraft with others
headed to the Middle East 72-hours later. This is a tough situation
that calls for a tough response. There are no easy answers to this one.
Also, there have been some that have stated the present adminstration
was caught with its head in the sand. Let's remember the previous
administration spent the past 8-years gutting the military and our
intelligence capabilities. They left quite a mess for President Bush to
clean up. I have confidence that he will -- the alternative is too
terrible to consider.
Just another airman,
Phil Cooper
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