Terror Inc.

Dennis Perrin dperrin at comcast.net
Sat May 4 10:31:18 PDT 2002



> I reiterate that there is no ground for believing that the US war on
> Afghanistan and other interventions make things better for the Arab
> masses, whatever arguments US leftists (especially given the size of
> the Left today, even if one defines the Left in the broadest possible
> sense) make. The Arab masses don't share your fantasy, as it should
> be obvious to you.
> --
> Yoshie

Oh, now you speak for the "Arab masses"? And I'm having the fantasy?

(My wife and I are having dinner tonight with an ex-Muslim Indian co-worker of hers. You should hear what he says about the Muslims of Central Asia -- not flattering, I assure you.)

Perhaps you missed the Oxfam report in January that showed that with the overthrow of the Taliban, a major famine had been averted (though there are still low-nutrition rates and hunger in isolated areas). That didn't improve life for the Afghans?

I believe in a single standard across the line, and yes this stretches to Israel and Palestine, to Sharon and Hamas. I insist that a real "left" that took the same stand would be in a better position than it is right now, not to mention in better moral shape. Instead, it ignores reality and recycles clichés from an earlier era. But hey, it swings on campus I'm sure, where the "Arab masses" are no doubt teeming . . .

DP



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