The Way of the Warrior

[icalarry]

We are not in a time of clean response but gray areas to deepen the
conversation and open the space to all perspectives is perhaps the clearest
hope.

I am not saying by any means that the terrorist attacks were justified or
forgivable however terror has often been the response of the powerless to
the powerful.  The case of the American Revolution in its early days being a
clear example.  As Americans we justify our terror because the British were
so powerful and oppressive.  The Islamic Fundamentalist Movement has set the
US in exactly the same frame and not simply as economically repressive but
in a religious and cultural context.

We can not erase the social-cultural-political past that has created an
environment in which a significant percentage of the world perceives the US
as self-centered and arrogant in its responses.  Nor does the rest of the
world look particularly caring when what they often express as appropriate
responses are also self-serving to their interest.

The opportunity is to move into a response on behalf of the future not the
past.  The danger of acknowledging mistakes is in liability.  The danger in
not acknowledging them is in creating disbelief and cynicism.  The US wants
to attack terrorists endangering the US while protecting terrorists that are
aligned with the US or allies it hopes to gain in its "War on Terrorism."
Thus immediately creating a gap that feeds cynicism.

It seems to me the US and its allies should do 3 things immediately:
1) Disavow the use of terrorism directly or indirectly by the US in the
future and remove immediately support from groups that currently use
terrorism unless they are willing to disavow its use in the future.  Which
would have to include Israel which uses what is in affect responsive
terrorism to combat the Palestinian problem.  Otherwise the current war is
open to cynicism both from enemies and friends and the "with us or against
us" has a very demonic tone.
2) Provide humanitarian support immediately and without strings to all
communities in the world who are in need of assistance.  Starting with the
middle east.  This would probably mean utilizing NGO's.
3) Introduce programs of education in the US to communicate the teachings of
the Koran and the accomplishments of the people of Islam.  This should
include television shows based on middle eastern Americans and their social
reality similar to African American and other shows which raise awareness of
normal life of our multi-racial democracy.  Currently Americans have few
images available to them of the middle east that do not relate to Islamic
Terror or limitation of Christians and Jews in the Holy Lands.  The face of
Middle Eastern peoples as diverse, complex and human needs to be
communicated so that the human face of who we are relating too can become
real.


  -----Original Message-----
  From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU]On Behalf Of (David
Koehler)
  Sent: Wednesday, September 26, 2001 10:21 AM
  To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
  Subject: Re: The Way of the Warrior


  Joe:

  I am not sure I fit into the pacifist category or not.  Each situation
demands its own strategy.  To reiterate a theme I wrote about before, there
is a "time for peace and a time for war" as it is written in Ecclesiastes.
What I am concerned about is that we know which time is which.  War seems to
me to be the ultimate politics.  In our current situation, we need to weigh
the need to politically (and morally) bring the terrorists to justice (but
not through vengeance) for the American people first, but also for the our
world allies.

  Another front, however, is not only our allies, but our adversaries (not
to include the terrorists).  If we are to retain a leadership role in the
world, it would be nice to have it be because we do the right things in a
just way.  Not just because we have military capability or economic ability.
So whether or not a  Healer, Visionary, Teacher or Warrior is preferred
seems to me to depend on what's needed.  Viet Nam was a mistake because it
was wrong.  What we were told were our interests were not in fact our true
interests.  (I have also been told that the recent US interest in Columbia
is not to rid the world of drugs, but because there are large oil reserves
are being discovered.)

  Thanks,
  David Koehler
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