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Posted November 15, 2001
How Many?
How
many Americans to date have been killed or wounded
fighting in Afghanistan?
Eric Garris replies:
According to Pakistani sources, 26 Americans have been killed. According to the Taliban 75-100. According to the US, a total of five, all in accidents. I have not heard any figures on wounded, other than Seymour Hersh's figure of 12 injured in one raid.
Peace, Commerce and Honest Friendship
John T.: The essence of the antiwar movement in this context, America defending itself, is a hatred for all that which is good: life, liberty, property and the pursuit of happiness.
Sam Koritz: There are numerous reasons why people who love goodness, life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness oppose this bombing campaign. Many people believe that:
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The war is unconstitutional, since Congress has not declared war and the Constitution states: "Congress shall declare war."
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The bombing has killed an unacceptable number of civilians.
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Afghanistan should not be expected to arrest bin Laden unless the US Government provides evidence of his guilt.
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This war violates contracts (such as the UN Charter) between the United States Government and foreign governments.
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The war will cause a humanitarian disaster that will dwarf any good that's likely to come of it.
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The war will cause an increase in the power of terrorist organizations.
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The outcome of war is unpredictable, and, in this case, the risks outweigh the rewards.
And, of course, strict pacifists oppose all violence, without necessarily hating "all that which is good."
JT: The reason that America has to annihilate these terrorists and terrorist states is because they are thugs. Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, et. al. are thuggish states. They have no legitimacy. They murder and torture their own populace with relish and regularity. The Taliban are as evil a regime as one can imagine, and Iran is in the same basic boat (see their stoning of women for the most minor of "crimes"). These countries are fundamentally evil, for all of the reasons I cite. Anyone want to argue otherwise? Despite America's flaws, in comparison to those countries, we are sweet, beautiful and awesomely good, whether recognized as such or not. Thank you, Jefferson, for that legacy.
SK: Your view of foreign policy is the opposite of Jefferson's; he advocated "peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations...."
The American Zone
[Regarding Alan Bock's column of November 7, "Defending Peacetime":]
Alan Bock said: "Note how the Greatest Generation never tires of reliving the Good War, and the war envy generated among boomers."
And I said:
" ...They lived through every bit of it, the Great Depression, World War Two, Korea, the Cold War, and never understood a single goddamned minute! Back in the 1930s they all got together and decided to carve themselves a great big, thick, quivering, juicy slice of us to feed on in their old age! They sold their liberty -- and ours right along with it -- at garage-sale prices, for the illusion of security!"
That's an excerpt from my forthcoming (due out today, actually) The American Zone; this little piece written about seven years before September 11. This war, in my view, is that generation's parting "gift" to us, their ungrateful offspring. It's more George H.W.'s war than George W.'s, and the latter is a far greater wimp than the former for going along with it. The publisher is Tor and the theme, believe it or not, is what hay statists can make from a disaster like September 11.
Thank you very much for giving great exposure to our press release. As you can imagine, things are not easy for us. Once again, "feminists" are remarkably quiet.
...We love your site, which has been linked to ours since the beginning.
~ M.J., Dulles NOW
The Megalomaniacal Types
[Regarding Alan Bock's column of November 7, "Defending Peacetime":]
We most assuredly do have an empire, but refuse to accept that empires must be built, maintained and preserved, wasting blood and treasure in the process to assure the "health of the state," which empire maintenance and defense require.
We, as a nation, yearn for peace and prosperity, yet refuse to reign in those megalomaniacal types among us who always lead us away from our desired goals. We continue to give them what essentially amounts to carte blanche internationally, most not even bothering to become knowledgeable about the actions of those in whom so much misplaced faith is gladly given. When those actions produce a counter-reaction, we are aghast. Ignorance and arrogance then sweep the land, playing into the hands of the megalomaniacal types, furthering our downward spiral. In the end, we will be "neither free, nor secure."
When the dust settles on the "war on terror," the only terrorist organization left will be the U.S. Government, and its citizens will then learn exactly what terror is, too late I am afraid.
~ Kirk H.