Hitch Losing It?

[Ken Hanly]

As I recall Muslim fundamentalists usually establish their own systems of
social services and are often the only groups working within
the poorest and worst off in society. They gain the support of the masses in
some countries.. This is shown in Algeria where Islamic fundametalists  won
an election only to have the military throw out the president who was
defeated and take power themselves. Another election was cancelled in the
clear knowledge the fundamentalists would win.No one in the west seemed to
get excited. Western values of course are all for democracy and against
military rule. The result has been a civil war in which the fundamentalists
and the military seem to compete to see who can kill the most. And of course
the west is not about to support democracy in Saudi Arabia or the United
Arab Emirates. There are lmits to democracy too as in electing Allende in
Chile. I get sick when Bush talks of this as an attack against democracy.
There are many vicious features of Islamic fundamentalism but equally there
are many vicious features of a secular US superpower fighting for Infinite
Justice. According to Bush I am either with one or the other. No thanks.

      As a citizen concerned about the safety of my fellows I see the
necessity of increasing security, apprehending suspected terrorists and
trying them, but the only real security is to be had by changing the
conditions that contribute to terrorism. There seems a ludicrous idea that
terrorists can not be negotiated with or change, that they are forever
wedded to terrorism. Even former Israeli terrorists claim this while they
are at the same time proof that terrorists can become part of the
establishment. Arafat is another example.

Cheers, Ken Hanly

----- Original Message -----
From: Carrol Cox <cbcox at ilstu.edu>
To: <lbo-talk at lists.panix.com>
Sent: Friday, September 21, 2001 5:33 PM
Subject: Re: Hitch Losing It?


>
>
> "M.Blackmore" wrote:
> >
> >
> > We've got a war on two fronts: "progressives" vs fundamentalist islam
AND
> > US global corporatism.
> >
>
> The peoples in the Muslim world will have to fight this out among
> themselves, just as the British did in the 17th century, the French in
> the 18th, and the U.S. in the mid-nineteenth. "We" (leftists) can help
> only by trying our best to hamstring u.s. foreign and military policy.
>
> Carrol