Heating and Hating

The Presidential campaigns heats up. With a smoke and mirrors and a singular lack of shame, Mr. Bush is selling the American public his heroic image as “the war time president”. However, his former Counter-terrorism Coordinator Richard A. Clarke has thrown his own political “bombshell”, accusing Bush of doing "a terrible job on the war against terrorism.”

It does sound remarkable-- even though Bush's national security leadership met nearly 100 times before the Sept. 11 attacks, terrorism was the topic during only two of those sessions. With all due respect, what were these right wing pseudo-intellectual idiots doing? And who must be held responsible?

“I'm sure I'll be criticized for lots of things, and I'm sure they'll launch their dogs on me," Clarke said. "But frankly I find it outrageous that the president is running for re-election on the grounds that he's done such great things about terrorism. He ignored it. He ignored terrorism for months, when maybe we could have done something."

Mr. Clarke also stated that he was under great pressure from his boss Bush to come up with a link between Iraq and the September 11th attacks. This confusion of a fight against terror and a war may be an effective way to prolong war indefinitely. Perhaps it will also prove a way to win votes through fear. Our fearless leader rattles his sword so well. After the recent elections in Spain brought a new government to power, President Bush warned last Friday against any country seeking a "separate peace with the terrorist enemy."

However, Spanish prime minister-elect José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero replied that war was not the best way to defeat terrorists, and recommended instead improved intelligence and efforts to address terror's origins. And European Commission President Romano Prodi called the war in Iraq "a mistake." He added that the fight against terrorism was not going better because of the war on Iraq.

Double standards rule. Let’s not even mention Israel and its undeclared nuclear arsenal. US officials (such as Richard Perle) have been supporting declared terrorist organization Muj; Congessman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) is supporting a declared terror organization CFF that has killed hundreds of people in Cambodia, and 90 per cent of FBI is focusing attention on “Islamist terror groups” while the threat from home-grown groups is growing.

While Rupert Murdoch’s media empire sounds the alarms regarding Al Qaeda’s interest in obtaining nuclear weapons, 'The radical right is going to seek ever more deadly and extreme forms of weapons,' according to Daniel Levitas, author of “The Terrorist Next Door”. Is the media just as bad as the current government or worse?

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has identified 708 extremist hate groups in this country. And since Oklahoma City, more than 30 plots by US terrorists have been uncovered, including attacks on oil refineries, politicians and army bases. One of the most recent cases, the ingredients of cyanide bombs were found in two states, Texas and “ that were capable of killing just as many people as died on September 11” according to the Center. There were also 500,000 rounds of ammunition, more than 60 pipe bombs, other remote-controlled bombs disguised as brief cases, and dozens of machineguns, silencers, pistols, mines and explosives, according to the Guardian Observer (March 20, 2004). The plot was only discovered because of a letter the plotters sent to the wrong address in Staten Island.

Therefore it is disappointing that Bob Kerry (the well-connected President of the New School and a member of the 911 Commission, not the Presidential Contender Kerry) continues to believe that a war approach is valid against such an enemy as al Qaeda. Speaking about the lack of response to previous terror attacks he stated (New York Times 3/20/04, page one article) "The Cole is even worse, because that was an attack on a military target, it was military against military. It was an Islamic army against our Navy. Just because you don't have a nation-state as your adversary doesn't mean you should not consider a declaration of war." And what declaration of war is that, Bob?

Unfortunately the leaders in the Islamic world are not much smarter, more informed or more mature. For example, Saudi Arabia has just jailed 13 intellectuals who complained about the quality of the newly formed Human Rights Association. Yes, jail, that will teach them about human rights! The Interior Ministry said the men were "arrested for interrogation about issuing statements that do not serve the unity of the homeland or the integrity of the society." Sure, let us all work towards unity, but not support blind conformity to power. May God keep us safe, and secure from homeland security!