[Gllug] Terrorists (was Greenhouse emissions (was Geforce2))

[Jonathan Harker]

On Thursday 24 January 2002 14:47, Bruce Richardson wrote:
> President Bush has stated (and according to polls most Americans agree 
> with him) that the US was attacked by people who envy US freedoms and 
> ideals (as enshrined in their constitution).

Hang on though! Try and see it from their point of view.

They don't envy US freedoms or ideals at all, in fact it is these very ideals 
they are fighting against. I believe they resent the imposition of trade 
embargos, sanctions and trade tarriffs on the rest of the world by the US and 
the WTO. Why do you think they hit the World Trade Centre? What gets my goat 
is that everyone seems to be missing this particular point.

"Free trade" as eschewed by the WTO (and the US hand up its puppet-arse) is 
largely a moniker by which huge Western companies can move into poorer 
countries and exploit cheap (even slave) labour without contributing to the 
local economy. Examples include Nike in China and Indonesia; British Tobacco 
in the Phillipenes; McDonalds in Brazil and Mexico; Shell in Nigeria; 
Cadburys and Nestle in west Africa and Latin America (anyone want to try 
following the money in the recent Argentina collapse...); AOL in the UK(!); 
even Hollywood productions now being made in NZ and Australia, where they are 
being largely subsidised by the local tax payers. Let's face it, the WTO is 
all about keeping the Third World nicely supressed so that we can all afford 
go about and

> watch television have a nice dinner, live in a two up two down
> house with gas central heating and milk delivered to your door. 

If we actually paid a "fair" price for our trainers, coffee, cigarettes (govt 
tax aside!), chocolate, petrol, plastics or fast food, we wouldn't be quite 
such an "affluent and overfed" west.

I don't think there's much envy at all, only fundamentalist, religiously 
intensified revolt. Only ABC-brainwashed banjo players would buy Bush's 
explanation. The fundamental inability of the US govt to see the consequences 
of its foreign policy is, I suspect, rather similar to the inability of some 
here to see the consequences of their abuse... although I have a rebellious 
streak, insulting a 7 foot solidly built Irishman with experience in Her 
Majesty's Army is perhaps a little too provocative for me  :-)

Of course, nothing at all in any way justifies the killings of four and a 
half thousand people (even if they _were_ mostly lawyers and accountants ;-). 
Although we'd all like those responsible to be, in Billy Connolly's immortal 
words, "f**ked and burned", that is not the answer. I have a fundamental 
problem with capital punishment and torture, even if they are evil MFs. 

Am most interested to see where this goes...
Cheers!

-- 
Jonathan Harker
Web: www.jonathanharker.co.uk
ICQ: 30647378
MSN Messenger: jonathanischoice at hotmail.com
Yahoo & AIM chat: jonathanischoice

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