"Cause" vs. "Justified" (was: Re: Hitchens responds to critics)

[Chris Kromm]

Again: to ignore the fact that there is a great chasm between saying that
the attacks had a "cause" -- which most things in the world do -- versus
saying they were "justified" is a dreadful bit of obscurantism. Most
sensible left commenators I have seen are writing sensibly towards the
"cause" side. Why are you ignoring them?

Date: Tue, 25 Sep 2001 07:10:59 -0400
From: "Nathan Newman" <nathan at newman.org>
Subject: Re: Hitchens responds to critics

Ah yes, "garbage" and "cracked"- stirring analysis.  Don't agree with every
word of Hitch but the basic point is sound -- to the extent that any action
issued from the Taliban-based world of oppression, the discussions of  US
crimes "causing"  the mass murder of Sept 11 is ridiculous.  Hitch clearly
notes the tragedy of blowback from the US's own crimes in supportin the
Taliban in the first place, but to give any moral status or even link of
mass murder as connected to legitimate struggles against injustice is an
obscenity.

The Germans suffered serious injustice following World War I; so should be
just "explain" the Holocaust as a misguided overreaction to justified
grievances?

Nathan
nathan at newman.org
http://www.nathannewman.org