At 04:50 PM 09/20/2001 -0400, David wrote:
>I don't think there's a relation. I think of the hijackers' madness as
>something separate than the rage of the average Palestinian. In fact,
>we have all made a point of differentiating the two groups.
On the one hand it's separate because the average Palestinian can barely feed himself and his family...never mind emigrate to the U.S., learn to fly planes, etc.
But taking the allegation that OBL or someone like him could have orchestrated such a thing, it is not separate inasmuch as someone trained in terror (possibly by the CIA) and having access to sufficient funds could find enough rage in the general population to provide the human materiel for a terrorist operation. And even if that rage is not sufficient to furnish OBL with a pilot or ten, perhaps it is sufficient to give him a place to hide.
Perhaps it is more comforting for you to think that these people are insane because then there's nothing that needs to be changed in response. Also, you do not mention how you would characterize U.S. policy in the Middle East. Is that also insane? Or ignorant? Or indifferent? Or what?
Joanna Bujes