It is hard to pick a starting point in time for these discussions Allan. What if the borders in the middle east were not drawn by foreigners including our imperialist predecessor and most fervent ally? What if we did not occupy Palestine with the invention and aid of Israel? What if the Russians were less threatened by the U.S. British coalition stepping into the vacuum you mention? What if we had been less afraid of them?
What if the Islamic Fundamentalists had not been afraid of our attempt to threaten their way of life or our Dogma that freedom to follow our individual impulses should trump religious ethics? What if their economic elites knew that Bush’s use of Freedom is a Euphemism for perpetuating foreign corporate rule of politics and economic policy? What if maintaining “our way of life” didn’t have economic warfare(and everytype of warfare know to man) as a fundamental prerequisite or that we were willing to let our way of life adapt a bit? what if maintaining our way of life didn’t mean having two SUV’S parked in front of a overpriced piece of shit McMansion? Could these American Materialism Fundamentalists ever change their crazy ways? Substituting a Telsa automobile for a Hummer isn’t quite going to do it.
What if California seceded from the U.S. with Chinese aid, after all the farmers were told it was a great idea and then ultimately the economic benefit primarily went to the Chinese and Arnold a d the Chinese dumped the unproductive or other- wise disdainable parts parts of the state on the mother land or left them to their own devices?
As for Daniel Pearl, Yes that was awful, I think you are imagining his distress. Imagine the distress of going to a wedding party and not knowing if yours would be the one in which the bride groom and the rest of the party would become collateral damage for previously described attributes of Freedom.
