Everyone into the Tent
Not to miss a chance to wallow in the mud, the local fishwrap this morning bannered 'Dead or Alive' across the top of the front page. Quite predictable...a wonderfully warful quote from the commander-in-chief against The Enemy of the United States. Referring to Osama Bin Laden, of course, the presumed "master-mind" behind the terrorism last week. I don't know why they had the quote in single instead of double quotes.
And to keep the testosterone pumping, I also received two e-copies of Bush's already-infamous line, "When I take action, I'm not going to fire a $2 million missile at a $10 empty tent and hit a camel in the butt. It's going to be decisive." Inspire to perspire. I wonder which truth would be worse: that Bush-Lite just delivered the line, or that he thought of it as well.
The Honorable Barbara Lee (D--Oakland/Berkeley) took a much more appropriate tone on Friday when she cast the sole vote against 420 colleagues who signed a blank military check for the White House. She asked that we think before we act. I passed along her remarks to a number of friends. The response was universally supportive of the courageous Congresswoman; except from one blood-fanged friend who sent me the Bush quote.
Ms. Lee closed by quoting a member of the clergy at the prayer service at the National Cathedral earlier that day: "As we act, let us not become the evil that we deplore." Indeed, please, for all of our pain and outrage — justified to the depths of our human souls — let us do the right thing. To honor those who have fallen. We must arrange a resolution that cannot be contended by any rational being.
Of course, that wouldn't have included the people who committed the September 11th horror. And their followers and supporters who no doubt blame the United States for their deaths.
For all of the presidential fomenting and flags a-flying, let us consider a critical problem we face if our demand is met. What if the Taliban does what they are threatening to do -- to hand over Bin Laden -- if we provide anything that they can construe as proof? I mean, they'd like to live through this, too, and they'd just be tossing us a hot coal. How safe will any of us be anywhere if he is in jail and then on trial?
I don't know what the answers are, but I think we should look at the questions they will generate before we choose a particular action. I would be cautious about trusting military intelligence — that $30-billion maw which was clueless about this substantial terrorist action against our country — or the military themselves, who would be called upon to implement the popgun president's plan. The day the plane hit the Pentagon, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Hugh Shelton came out and stated, "Make no mistake about it, you're armed forces are ready." Now they're ready.
In truth, the only way to respond to the mindless slaughter is to make sure that these people didn't die in vain. What greater memorial could they ask for but that they shall be the last victims of such terror? That the world shall come together to make itself inhospitable to those who would cause such unnecessary grief. Let's start there.
And that's SetonnoteS...I'm Tony Seton.