AMERICAN ATTACKS**Part 9,one week later

Subject: RE: AMERICAN ATTACKS**Part 9,one week later
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 19 Sep 01 - 12:12 AM

Yesterday there was a very moving interfaith memorial service for the victims, held in San Francisco's Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, the city's version of Madison Square Garden. Thousands attended. The 2-hour service began with a procession into the auditorium of over 100 clergy from many religions. A Muslim cleric, followed by a cantor, sung opening prayers. The pols were represented by California's governor, two Senators, SF's congressional rep, Mayor, and former Secretary of State George Schultz, who lives in SF. Religious leaders - an Archbishop, a Rabbi, Muslim cleric, Presbyterian, Unitarian, Bahaii and Baptist ministers, a Priest from Hawaii, a Buddhist, and a Sikh all spoke and gave prayers. The partner of Mark Bingham, one of the three who alledgedly rushed the hijackers in the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania, gave a personal portrait of him, and was given an award on behalf of Mark Bingham. The message and mood was one of national purpose, patriotism, solidarity with American Arabs who are experiencing harassment, and a call for national unity in the struggle against terrorism. It was a mighty show of unity. After the closing benediction, Lou Rawls sang "God Bless America" as everyone filed out. Everyone was then welcome to take roses that were handed out, and bring them to a memorial for the police and firefighters who died, and for all the victims, that was set up in the civic center plaza. The only blight was a very inapropriate speech by a minister who took the occasion to make a political speech about America's foibles, decrying our walkout of the U.N. conference on racism, among others. No matter who agrees with him or not, it was pretty tasteless for him to go off like that in the midst of a memorial. He was rebuked by Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who spoke soon after him. All told, it was San Francisco at its finest - unified, compassionate, patriotic, and firm. Shame it takes a national tragedy to bring that out, but it's good to know people can respond in that way, and that those feelings are there.

-chanteyranger

Subject: RE: AMERICAN ATTACKS**Part 9,one week later
From: Amos
Date: 19 Sep 01 - 12:00 AM

This is a war -- if you can even call it that -- that involves identifying people who ar ehidden, in groups that are not a nation, have no capitals, move in shadows, who can ruin the morale of a giant nation with a boxcutter, for Christ's sake, and who communicate by word of mouth.

To even identify them, let alone act effectively against them, requires an extent of intelligence we haven't begun to master. Intelligence comes from over-fly photos and sensors (ELECINT), or it comes from human beings (HUMINT). And there is no way we will ever penetrate this distributed networks of well- but loosely-organized criminals with sat recces and electronic sensors.

We need, therefore to make a LOT of friends in the world of Islam, very fast, and we need to deploy them in every corner of the Middle East gathering opinions, bits and pieces, learning who is friends with whom, who buys what where, whose son has just been tapped to join the Network, who suddenly seems to be spending oney like a drunken sailor, whether in the market places of Kabul or those of Tel Aviv.

This kind of networking has not been deployed by Western operatives since the heyday of Wild Bill Donovan, or the French Resistance. But this is the only way to permeate a network of people who are not identifiable by their big capitols or their five-star command HQs or their tanks and battalions moving across the plains for any bird to see.

Once their trails are found we can take action against them -- cutting off funds, spiking their cellphones or even sending small squads in to bring a few of them at a time off for summary justice somewhere.

I don't see any other effective path, and it is a long drawn out path. Breaking out the B52s and the smart missiles isn't going to hit them in an effective point because, unless I am seriously misinformed (which has been known to happen) they have no crossroads to bomb.

They are organized in cells, like the hidden Reds of Joe McCarthy's nightmares. But unlike the CP's cells these guys are capable of tight, fast coordination. They are similar in many ways to the cells of the early Bolsheviks, except accelerated by technology.

It CERTAINLY will never help to alienate and terrify any Muslim you see in the U.S. as a "probable sympathizer"/

A

Subject: RE: AMERICAN ATTACKS**Part 9,one week later
From: CarolC
Date: 18 Sep 01 - 07:57 PM

DougR, in answer to your question...

I guess it would depend on what you are trying to accomplish. If you are trying to make the US and the world safer from terrorism, my opinion is that we need the help of the Arab world and the Muslim world. So if they find Bin Laden innocent, but at the same time, help us to root out and eliminate the massive webs of terrorist organizations, and also help us to render people like Bin Laden unable to cause harm, then I would endorse their actions.

If what we are trying to accomplish is to try to maintain this illusion we as a nation seem to have, that we are superior to the rest of the world, that we are invincible, that we don't need anyone's help, and that we will, by golly, show those bastards that they can't mess with us, then I'm afraid nothing will help us. Whether Bin Laden is brought to justice or not.

So, I am in favor of whatever will help promote the goal of making the world safer for all of us. Whether that includes the elimination of Bin Laden, or not.

Subject: RE: AMERICAN ATTACKS**Part 9,one week later
From: Amos
Date: 18 Sep 01 - 07:35 PM

Let the powers of your heart speed your healing, and move with the flow of time onto better things.

It is for the living to roll up their sleeves and git down to it.

A

Subject: RE: AMERICAN ATTACKS**Part 9,one week later
From: sophocleese
Date: 18 Sep 01 - 06:12 PM

This is a petition that was started on Sept 14. Some mudcatters might want to sign it.

Subject: RE: AMERICAN ATTACKS**Part 9,one week later
From: catspaw49
Date: 18 Sep 01 - 06:08 PM

Could not agree more!

Spaw

Subject: RE: AMERICAN ATTACKS**Part 9,one week later
From: Kim C
Date: 18 Sep 01 - 05:41 PM

I have had so many thoughts running rampant through my head, and so many maverick emotions, it has been nice to have a place to get them out. There are a few more in there, too. :-)

Subject: RE: AMERICAN ATTACKS**Part 9,one week later
From: catspaw49
Date: 18 Sep 01 - 05:00 PM

BTW.....Thread # 8 is here.....just to keep things linked.

Spaw

Subject: RE: AMERICAN ATTACKS**Part 9,one week later
From: GUEST,just a nobody
Date: 18 Sep 01 - 04:59 PM

I'm glad there are others that agree that we can disagree. I think mudcat is a great place to see different points of view on such an emotional topic. While irritating at times, it does allow me to stop and look at different sides of what is going on. No one is forced to agree with each other, and who knows, maybe people will start to understand the opposing point of view.

Subject: AMERICAN ATTACKS**Part 9,one week later
From: catspaw49
Date: 18 Sep 01 - 04:54 PM

Hard to believe isn't it? I looked back at my very first post to this series and realized that I posted it just as I watched the second plane hit.......Can't say we're not topical here. It's been a long week and we've seen the best of ourselves and others and also the worst.

Thanks to all of you who have made my week better for your astute and well thought postings. We have not always agreed, but I have gained a heightened respect if that were possible for the fine folks who have been my neighbors here at the 'Cat over the years.

Spaw