On more than one occasion, I’ve read that one of the bedrock beliefs in the United States is our assumption that we treat captured enemies humanely, and any deviations represent a lack of fidelity to American ideals. In other words, there is a faulted assumption a policy of “zero tolerance” exists when it comes to physical pressure. The concept that the USA has to fight the war against Islamic extremists without the ability to use pysical pressure under the most pressing circumstances is the same as tying our hands behind our backs. This moral arrogance is totally absurd.
The gratuitous use of physical pressure of the Abu Garib prison variety should (and is) be against regulations and punishable to the full extent of the law. Obviously, this was a perverted abuse of Iraqi detainees by US soldiers who were not formally trained to work in this type of environment. If one were to contrast the video tapes of Saddam’s henchmen throwing people off of 10 story buildings (just for laughs), agaisnt the Abu Garib scanadal, it’s like comparing apples and oranges. Saddam committed political torture as part of a long term strategy. That is torture with a capital “T”.
They say that more atheists are converted in foxholes than in Churches, and that saying probably would be true if critics of physical pressure were responsible for handling a “ticking bomb” scenario. What would critics of physical torture suggest if their son/daughter was kidnapped by the likes of Al Quida’s Al-Zarqawi, who has a messy habit of decapitating his prisoners on video? What would critics of physical torture suggest the police do if they knew that a live dirty nuclear bomb was in Manhattan, and had captured someone that was in a position to help - but they refused? Would they put them in time out?
The Geneva Conventions are still relevant, in so far as they outline our virtues - how we wish we could act under a perfect situation, but coventional explosive devices, as well as weapons of mass destruction in the hands of Islamic extremists are an insane combination. The enemy we face today may be crude in his methods, but his faith makes him extremely lethal, hard to contain, and he has no “rules of war” to constrain him. This enemy perceives us as weak minded and without resolve, and part of their strategy is to exploit our democracy to promote their cause. Those who propose a “zero tolerence” to physical pressure are projecting their virtues and morals in a hyothetical world, leaving those who deal in reality to pick up the body parts. Our enemies speak our language and they understand us too well. They know our Achilles heel – it’s our innocence.
No one in their right mind would support “torture”, but under a “ticking bomb” scenario, I would expect our governemt to use whatever physical pressure needed to produce results. We just have to make sure that when we ski down this slippery slope, we are very, very carefull.
Friday, November 11, 2005
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Muslim Terrorism: Those who live by the bomb, die by the bomb
For longer than I wish to remember, Israel has repeatedly been the victim of Palestinian suicide bombers, while the world reacted with condescending condolence calls. The bombers knew that their final act wasn’t going to “defeat” Israel. The goal was to undermine the Israeli public’s sense of security, with the hope that over time, the Israeli people would just give up and move to other places where they felt safe. True to the Israeli national motto – Never Again - the Israelis weren’t gong to stand idly by and play the victim to Arab aggression. They built security walls, resumed targeted killings of known terrorists, perfected unmanned defensive technologies and developed surveillance technologies – while at the same time the whole world condemned them for basically defending themselves. Never, at any time, did ANY Arab governments condemn Palestinian suicide bombers. To the contrary, the Arab press consistently explained away these bombings as justified expressions of an oppressed Palestinian people.
Fast forward to today: Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the al-Qaeda linked leader of the Iraqi insurgents, has killed thousands of innocent civilian Arabs through suicide bombings and gruesome beheadings, as well as having claimed responsibility for the November 9th, 2005 bombings of 3 hotels in Amman Jordan that killed 56 Arabs (many of them Palestinian).
The Arab world always said that at the center of their anger is the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. If only Israel would pull back to the indefensible 1967 borders, or better yet just disappear, then peace and goodwill would descend on the Mideast and the world. Al-Zarqawi’s Iraqi atrocities have nothing to do with Israel. The bombings in Amman, Jordan have nothing to do with Israel.
Now, the Arab world is a victim of it’s own inventions. Various groups, like the secular ex-Saddam fascist Baath Party or extremist Islamists like al-Qaeda have led the way for any group in the Arab world with any kind of grievance – no matter how minor – to make their point by blowing up someone or something. Even the French, who championed the Palestinians cause as a way to pacify Arab anger, are learning that their complacency has a price.
The sickness that is afflicting the Muslim world is not about Israel, and it’s not about something the West has done to deserve their anger. What we are seeing are a people who have lived in relative ignorance for the past 200 years, while the rest of the world became “enlightened” and “civilized”. Missing that boat is hard to take, and the Muslim world is coping with it by trying to bring the West back in time to the medieval era, rather than acknowledging their need to play catch up. If they can’t blow us up, then evidently they are content to blow themselves up.
If that’s the case, then so be it.
Fast forward to today: Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the al-Qaeda linked leader of the Iraqi insurgents, has killed thousands of innocent civilian Arabs through suicide bombings and gruesome beheadings, as well as having claimed responsibility for the November 9th, 2005 bombings of 3 hotels in Amman Jordan that killed 56 Arabs (many of them Palestinian).
The Arab world always said that at the center of their anger is the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. If only Israel would pull back to the indefensible 1967 borders, or better yet just disappear, then peace and goodwill would descend on the Mideast and the world. Al-Zarqawi’s Iraqi atrocities have nothing to do with Israel. The bombings in Amman, Jordan have nothing to do with Israel.
Now, the Arab world is a victim of it’s own inventions. Various groups, like the secular ex-Saddam fascist Baath Party or extremist Islamists like al-Qaeda have led the way for any group in the Arab world with any kind of grievance – no matter how minor – to make their point by blowing up someone or something. Even the French, who championed the Palestinians cause as a way to pacify Arab anger, are learning that their complacency has a price.
The sickness that is afflicting the Muslim world is not about Israel, and it’s not about something the West has done to deserve their anger. What we are seeing are a people who have lived in relative ignorance for the past 200 years, while the rest of the world became “enlightened” and “civilized”. Missing that boat is hard to take, and the Muslim world is coping with it by trying to bring the West back in time to the medieval era, rather than acknowledging their need to play catch up. If they can’t blow us up, then evidently they are content to blow themselves up.
If that’s the case, then so be it.
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
What parents should teach (but don’t) their kids about car repair/maintenance
I remember the day that I said to myself that I had to learn the basics of car repair. It was at the tender age of 17, and my best friend and I were heading back to Memphis after a wild weekend in New Orleans. John’s 1966 Pontiac GTO began overheating on Interstate 55N. We pulled off the road at the next exit in an effort to find a gas station that could fix the problem. As we pulled off the road, we realized that there was nothing at the exit. Meanwhile, the car was so overheated that it looked like we were on fire. As the car limped deeper into the countryside, we realized that we had to stop. We saw a trailer on a hill about a mile away, and figured that we could get some water there. We walked up and knocked on the trailer door, and it slowly opened. We were in total shock. A toothless unshaven guy in dirty overalls (no –shirt) opened the door with a shotgun. He could have been in the movie “Deliverance”. As it turned out, he was a nice guy. He looked at our car and determined that it was only a burst radiator hose. I wouldn’t want my daughter to be in that situation, much less my son.
As crazy as parents have become about keeping their kids active with school, sports, and cultural activities like ballet, etc. – we somehow have not had the common sense to teach them the basics of car repair and car maintenance. While I don’t particularly want my child to grow up to change oil at the local gas station, I also don’t want him/her stuck on the side of a lonely stretch of highway at night in the middle of winter – because they ran out of gas. Basic car repair /maintenance isn’t brain surgery. There are some things that can be done easily, some things that are more difficult, and some things that can only be done at a qualified service station. I want to focus on the things that EVERYONE can do.
For starters, one must understand that a car is like a living human being. We need food, exercise, water, clean air, and good shoes. The most basic of car requirements that we have control over are fuel, oil, water, tires, battery, various hoses and various belts. If any of these seven items are not working or not present – then you will end up sitting by the side of the road. If you don’t know how to fix them, then you are stuck.
Make sure that the tires are in good shape, make sure that you have a good spare, make sure that you have a complete tire jack – and that you know how to change a tire. Know how to check you fluids – the water level in the radiator, and the engine oil and transmission oil. Check your hoses and belts for wear, and keep spares in your trunk – along with the necessary tools – just in case you need to do a repair on the side of the road. Keep a couple of gallons of water and a flashlight in the trunk too. If a radiator hose breaks and you fix it, you will have to replace the water BEFORE you can continue on your journey. The flashlight is because this kind of thing does happen at night.
Lastly, keep your AAA card up-to-date and hope your cell phone can pick up a signal. There are some car problems that you just can’t fix on the side of the road.
As crazy as parents have become about keeping their kids active with school, sports, and cultural activities like ballet, etc. – we somehow have not had the common sense to teach them the basics of car repair and car maintenance. While I don’t particularly want my child to grow up to change oil at the local gas station, I also don’t want him/her stuck on the side of a lonely stretch of highway at night in the middle of winter – because they ran out of gas. Basic car repair /maintenance isn’t brain surgery. There are some things that can be done easily, some things that are more difficult, and some things that can only be done at a qualified service station. I want to focus on the things that EVERYONE can do.
For starters, one must understand that a car is like a living human being. We need food, exercise, water, clean air, and good shoes. The most basic of car requirements that we have control over are fuel, oil, water, tires, battery, various hoses and various belts. If any of these seven items are not working or not present – then you will end up sitting by the side of the road. If you don’t know how to fix them, then you are stuck.
Make sure that the tires are in good shape, make sure that you have a good spare, make sure that you have a complete tire jack – and that you know how to change a tire. Know how to check you fluids – the water level in the radiator, and the engine oil and transmission oil. Check your hoses and belts for wear, and keep spares in your trunk – along with the necessary tools – just in case you need to do a repair on the side of the road. Keep a couple of gallons of water and a flashlight in the trunk too. If a radiator hose breaks and you fix it, you will have to replace the water BEFORE you can continue on your journey. The flashlight is because this kind of thing does happen at night.
Lastly, keep your AAA card up-to-date and hope your cell phone can pick up a signal. There are some car problems that you just can’t fix on the side of the road.
Cell Phone Etiquette
When the issue of “cell phone etiquette” is brought up, the first impulse is to quote the obvious, like “don’t drive and talk on your phone”, or obvious breaches of decorum like “put your phone on vibrate when in Church” etc. I have a problem with when, where – and how much cell phones are used. In my world, cell phones are irritating nuisances rather than conveniences.
Theoretically, one would assume that the proliferation of cell phones would bring increase the level of communication between family members, but the flip side to that “convenience” is that it also has the potential to decrease inter-family communications. In today’s fast paced world, families just don’t spend enough time together. It is the exception, not the rule that the average American family sits down around the family dinner table ala “Leave it to Beaver”. Face to face talk time between family members is rare, and consequentially, one would think that when they are sitting down together – either at the dinner table or in the car, family members would agree to use the cell phone judiciously.
Judiciously? Sensibly, thoughtfully, prudently, wisely – get the picture? When a cell phone rings, it is the equivalent of someone knocking on a door. Would ANYONE answer a door without knowing who was on the other side? Even if you knew who was on the other side of the door, just because they are there – uninvited – are you obligated to let them in without taking into consideration the other person in the room (or car)? Keeping it in perspective, the person actually with you made an effort to be with you, while the person on the cell phone just lifted and depressed their finger seven times. That is some Herculean effort.
How many times have you waited in line at a cash register, and after 20 minutes you finally arrive at the front of the line - just in time for the phone next to the register to ring - and the store clerk answers the phone and say “may I help you”? Of course, you are saying to yourself that the clerk should have not answered the phone, or answered it and immediately put the caller indefinitely on hold.
A cell phone can be used to convey an important message, or it can be used for innocent chitchat. In my world, you can keep your chitchat with someone else - to yourself. When using a cell phone, be considerate to those around you and use your cell phone thoughtfully – your friends, family and/coworkers will appreciate it.
(To my 16 year old daughter, Molly - this was written with you in mind)
(PS - I love you!)
Theoretically, one would assume that the proliferation of cell phones would bring increase the level of communication between family members, but the flip side to that “convenience” is that it also has the potential to decrease inter-family communications. In today’s fast paced world, families just don’t spend enough time together. It is the exception, not the rule that the average American family sits down around the family dinner table ala “Leave it to Beaver”. Face to face talk time between family members is rare, and consequentially, one would think that when they are sitting down together – either at the dinner table or in the car, family members would agree to use the cell phone judiciously.
Judiciously? Sensibly, thoughtfully, prudently, wisely – get the picture? When a cell phone rings, it is the equivalent of someone knocking on a door. Would ANYONE answer a door without knowing who was on the other side? Even if you knew who was on the other side of the door, just because they are there – uninvited – are you obligated to let them in without taking into consideration the other person in the room (or car)? Keeping it in perspective, the person actually with you made an effort to be with you, while the person on the cell phone just lifted and depressed their finger seven times. That is some Herculean effort.
How many times have you waited in line at a cash register, and after 20 minutes you finally arrive at the front of the line - just in time for the phone next to the register to ring - and the store clerk answers the phone and say “may I help you”? Of course, you are saying to yourself that the clerk should have not answered the phone, or answered it and immediately put the caller indefinitely on hold.
A cell phone can be used to convey an important message, or it can be used for innocent chitchat. In my world, you can keep your chitchat with someone else - to yourself. When using a cell phone, be considerate to those around you and use your cell phone thoughtfully – your friends, family and/coworkers will appreciate it.
(To my 16 year old daughter, Molly - this was written with you in mind)
(PS - I love you!)
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