Sunday, July 17, 2011

Abbottabad

There's much criticizing of the modum operandi of anti-fundamentalist terrorist tactics that governmental agencies are using.I always thought it sloppy to state that an agency is an enemy of civil liberties because of a case's problematics, and I found it admirable that analyses through magazines and journals would alert us to possible irregularities that were operational in an agency. We are not a perfect society, but we are a society whether we like it or not, and our enemies are much more so aware of this than us. I don't see the advantage in trying to find utopia elsewhere: you'll still be part of us, for good and for bad. And there are bad historical periods which we survive by the skin of our teeth, or serene ones in which we progress toward justice and equality for all. My first impact in dealing with Bin Laden and Abbottabad was the increased traffic in women children and senior Muslims wearing traditional garb on public transportation, on lines they were not known for taking, with attitudes ranging from insulting New Yorkers to an older man spitting on a bus. The women were too passively serene, almost waiting for a reaction. And this in support of someone who encouraged the cold blooded murder of thousands on 9/11 and was responsible for the deaths on many more in the war that ensued and more terrorist attacks. And this in New York City. Think of how those in charge of defending us are to react. Think of how those defending civil liberties or who claim to do so should react to defend us as well. Moreso, think of what having an enemy means, or what the human spirit is capable of in good or evil. Not to do so would be a serious injustice to those who rely on your capacity of leadership or judgment. How is Bradley Manning being served by an organization that sees the United States military as an imperialist tool? There was talk that Manning, who allegedly released confidential material to wikileaks, wanted reform. What did he see in the branch of the military he was in? Was corruption, private interest, a divergence in our sustaining values of equality and justice present? And after the leak had been made reporting that a courier had been spotted in Abbottabad, how wise was it of Obama to endanger the life of Navy Seals in a potentially dangerous situation. One doesn't die for one's country, one lives for one's country, and those responsible for the lives of millions should know precisely that their responsibility is to keep life breathing. And better to print about the courier and Abbottabad: once a leak of these dimensions is out, it better be out so that those involved prima facie know what they are facing and don't risk their lives. Maybe that's why Panetta was chatting about someone being spotted somewhere, or at least I hope so.

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