Greg Burch wrote,
> <> Consider the confused but dangerous yammering of the "anti-globalists."
> Where do they stand? Their program of cultural balkanaziation
> provides the
> perfect breeding ground for bin Laden's vermin. They are without doubt an
> unwitting fifth column for his brand of international "cultural
> terrorists,"
> because in the deeply divided world they seek to create, Islamic
> fundamentalism will thrive as a powerful and motivated universalist
> ideology. Bush defined at least the beginnings of an internationalist
> mentality that can be premised on values strong enough to
> withstand both the
> calls of the critics to step back from progress and the jihad of the armed
> mullahs. Again, if Bush has begun the process of recasting the West's
> identity in terms of vigorous self-confidence, then we have indeed seen a
> "pivotal moment in history".
This is the most important thing. I am proud of the way Bush handled this.
His speech and planning is the best I have seen from a U.S. president in a
long time.
However... My fear is that his support is based on the immediate emotional
reaction to recent events. There are many fundamentalist factions within
our own country and around the world that don't want to be part of the
global community. There are religious leaders in this country that do not
want to protect what they consider to be false religions. There are
isolationists who do not want to mingle or cooperate with other people. I
fear that much of the fervor is being driven not just by patriots and those
fighting for good, but also by those who want to use this as an excuse to
become more isolationist.
As the years pass, and our targets become more and more diverse, I expect to
see support waning. After the WTC and Pentagon attackers are dealt with,
how many people want to risk American lives to stop terrorism in the Middle
East? How many people want the U.S. to be part of a global task force
instead of a single military leader? How many people want to increase
international cooperation, commerce, immigration and trade? There is a lot
of support now due to selfish U.S. interests. I commend Bush for taking the
larger and more long-term view of this crisis. However when the immediate
threat is gone, and it comes time to risk American lives to protect foreign
cultures from foreign terrorism, I am not sure how strong the American
resolve will be maintained.
Although this crisis has united Americans and all civilized countries in the
short term, I am predicting that we will see more desperate retaliation from
racists, isolationists, nationalist, religionists, and luddites from within
our own ranks. The attack of religionists against gays, liberals and the
ACL has already occurred. The battle over privacy and encryption has
already begun. Battles over due process, search and seizure, and homeland
security restrictions will be next. This crisis has strengthened the
resolve various subcultures, but it has also intensified the contrast
between differing agendas.
-- Harvey Newstrom <www.HarveyNewstrom.com> Principal Security Consultant, Newstaff Inc. <www.Newstaff.com> Board of Directors, Extropy Institute <www.Extropy.org> Early Supporter, Pro-Act <www.ProgressAction.org>
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