That the world criticizes us in many voices is right and a freedom to be defended.

But please scrtutinize the list of remarks above for unspecified generalizations, making fine phrases with minimal substance. The "world of capitalism" is not an entity capable of bowing to anything. The statement about "everything that cannot adapt...." is sheer cloud-talk. If the once-world famous reaosning powers of the French have degenerated to this sort of posturing, we have lost an ally without even noticing it! "Security lies with justice and fair play" is a fine high-flown principle but opens no door to the immediate situation.

The effort to reduce the September attack to criminal terms is, in my opinion, misguided. If any recognized government had sent its agents to our chief city with explosive devices of that magnitude, and wiped out 4 to 5 thousand lives in an hour, that government would have been declared hostile under war conditions instantly. Instead an unacknowledged government did it -- carefully over many months of preparation, since they had to borrow the weapons from the victims. To seek to bring such an act to justice while the perpetrators were being sheltered by a government that had no justice, and perhaps several government, would have been naive beyond believe.

It is perfectly true that the Afghan people were not committing an act of war, just as the majority of Japanese knew nothing about Pearl, and the Germans would never have decided to launch blitzkreigs across Austria's lines by popular consent. We are obliged to keep as many of them as possible out of harm's way. And we are obliged to complete the military struggle as fast as we can. But someone launching attacks of this magnitude are not "bad boys", they are declaring war. If that is not obvious, I can't say it any plainer. Lethal menace launched. If anyone expected the military response of the US and the semi-coalition to win popular acclaim, through some bizarre inversion ofhuman nature, they are naive as well. No-one likes wars, not even those fighting them. They are terrifying, harmful, overwhelming experiences.

All the above voices seem to agree that the right management of diplomacy, public relationships, justice and kindness could and would prevent war, and it would be nice to believe that, and it may be true. It is also what I have been yammering about for the last two months, if you care to check. But you can't advertise or administer justice procedures to a rabid animal. anymore than you can teach a pig to sing.

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