Browne sent out after the attack on
The World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
My comments are in red, All italics are inserted
by me also.
F r e e d o m
W i r e
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When Will We Learn? - Part II
by Harry Browne
My article last Tuesday "When Will We Learn?"
provoked more controversy than anything I've ever
written. In case there was any misunderstanding,
here is what I believe:
1. The terrorist attack was a horrible tragedy
and I feel enormous sympathy for those who were
personally affected by it. I wrote my article
hoping that, however unlikely, it might be
possible to prevent such a thing from ever
happening again. By kowtowing to the terrorists?
2. I hope anyone responsible for the attack who
didn't die in it will be found, tried, and
punished appropriately. Well, *Duh*!!
3. Terrorism by definition is the killing of
innocent people in order to bring about some
political or social change.
4. Terrorism may cause some changes in the short
term, but it never leads to a conclusive victory,
because it provokes a never-ending cycle of
escalating violence on both sides.
5. The U.S. government has engaged in acts of
terrorism over the past few decades -- bombing and
starving innocent people in foreign countries,
supposedly to force their leaders to make changes
the U.S. government desires. Terrorism doesn't
become "policing" or "justice" merely because it
is our government doing it. The United States of America
is not a terrorist state, no matter
how many times YOU say it.
Your stating this is tantamount to
treason.
6. All Iraqis are not Saddam Hussein; all Serbs
aren't Slobodan Milosevic; all Afghanis (or
Saudis) are not Osama Bin Laden. But we shall
make no distinction between the
animals who have
committed these heinous acts, and
the monsters who fund
them, or the governments who harbor
and protect them.
7. Killing
innocent people in retaliation for the
sins of other people isn't justice; it is
terrorism. The terrorists were wrong to kill
Americans to satisfy their grievances against
American foreign policy. And to react to them by
killing innocent foreigners would also be
terrorism. Although the possibility of collateral damage is
always present, we shall take every
step possible to limit any
loss of innocent lives. However, the best way to limit any
loss of innocent lives would be for
the Taliban to hand over
Osama bin Laden and his entire
terrorist network immediately.
8. You can't make productive decisions at a time
when your mind is clouded by anger, resentment, or
thoughts of revenge.
The reactions I've received have been roughly
50-50 regarding my article.
Here are some of the objections people have made
against my position . . .
Timing
"This was a bad time for you to say, 'I told you
so' in such a poor fashion."
I'm not saying, "I told you so." I'm trying to
stop future madness -- against Americans and
against foreigners. Should I wait until after our
military invades Afghanistan before speaking out?
If you want to “speak out” against the United
States of America,
then maybe it is high time you
left. You are either for us or against
us.
It is your choice.
"Now, of all times, is the time when we must
support one another for the best."
That doesn't mean supporting the ill-conceived
policies that led to this event. As if our policies caused
this tragic event. You are practically blaming the attack on us
instead of the barbarians (that is
putting it mildly) who
committed them. Your condemnation of our nation’s leaders
during
this time is tantamount to treason.
"It is time for our people to pull together
against these sick terrorists. We could use your
help too."
To do what? Encourage our politicians to continue
doing the very things that led to this?
Here again, you are
blaming the actions of those
terrorists on our leaders. Personal
responsibility is something we lack
in this day and age. You seem to
have fallen into the trap of “blame
these actions on someone else
instead of the ones who commit
them”.
You're demonstrating why I had to write the
article. If we stand behind our leaders now,
letting them speak for us "as one voice," nothing
will change. We will continue to see more acts by
our government that will lead to more terrorist
attacks on the U.S. You are blaming our leaders again. The blame
should fall squarely on the
perpetrators of this attack. Like I
said before,
“You are either with us or you are against
us.” Plain and simple.
"Don't tell me to 'stop the hysteria'. This
event merits hysteria, anger, sadness, and fear. I
will be hysterical because it is the only thing I
can do to show my countrymen that I mourn them."
Hysteria creates lynch mobs and more killing of
innocent people. Grief, anger, and resentment are
all natural reactions to what happened. But
letting your emotions make bad decisions is not a
productive reaction. Wanting justice meted out in full measure is not
an emotional response, it is what
civilized society demands of us.
"What's done is done and now we're in the middle
of this terrible mess. Maybe you're right, maybe
we should not be surprised that something was
bound to happen. But, now what? We don't need
people criticizing our past mistakes at this
moment. Save that for later. Right now we need
immediate action."
If we don't understand the past mistakes, the
"immediate action" taken will simply repeat those
mistakes. Is that what you want? I want justice for those who
perpetrated these heinous crimes,
and for those who choose to
protect them and for those who have
chosen to fund them.
My Motives
"You have lost my support by your political
posturing in a time of crisis."
Political posturing? Do you really think I
expected to receive adulation for writing an
article that goes so sharply against current
public opinion? Public opinion has never stopped you in the
past. Neither has the lack of public adulation. I actually cannot
imagine why you would make such
treasonous accusations upon our
nations leaders in this time of
national tragedy.
"It sickens me that you would use this tragedy
this way."
In what way? To try to stop it from happening
again? To try to stop our politicians from running
off and bombing more innocent people?
As a normally public voice, should I sit quietly
by and not point out that our politicians are
continually putting innocent Americans in harm's
way by terrorizing innocent foreigners? (???)
I understand your outrage and emotional reaction,
but we must hold our own politicians accountable
for the anger they are causing around the world
with their careless, dangerous, show-off tactics.
You have got to be kidding. You are a traitor, plain and simple.
"Please leave the United States. You do not
deserve to remain here with this type of
un-American diatribe which only serves to support
the voices of moderation." Or supportive of our enemies.
I thought this supposed to be a free country in
which everyone was allowed to speak his mind. I
guess I misunderstood. I didn't realize it was a
crime to try to stop a lynching. It IS a crime (namely TREASON)
to provide aid and comfort to our
enemies. You should be tried for the
high crime of treason against the
United States of America.
The Libertarian Party
"Using this event as a means to bolster the
Libertarian party is despicable and it is
disgusting."
It appears that standing up for what one believes
isn't a way to bolster the popularity of the
Libertarian Party. But that's what Libertarians
often do -- especially when no one else will.
"You have forever ended any chance of my
supporting the Libertarian party, unless you
resign from any and all leadership positions
immediately."
You'll be pleased to know I don't hold any
leadership position in the Libertarian Party. I am
a private citizen who grieves for what the
politicians have done to my country and to the
innocents who die in America and abroad.
Many Libertarians disagree with my position, so
you shouldn't judge the Libertarian Party by me.
Amen.
Retaliation
"We must deter the next attack with the fiery
sword of vengeance, not some limp, liberal,
why-can't-we-be-let-alone weak response."
We have done that already -- bombing Libya,
invading Panama, bombing a perfume factory (actually
it
was a chemical weapons plant) in the Sudan, bombing
Afghanistan.
Did those "fiery sword[s] of vengeance"
deter the
next attack? Your distortion of the truth is
not surprising for such a traitor as
yourself.
"Bomb Kabul into oblivion."
As I recall, Kabul is the capital of Afghanistan,
which is run by the same "Freedom Fighters" to
whom our government gave so much money and
military hardware in the 1980s. Before we run off
bombing innocent people If the Taliban continues
to aid and abet
Osama bin Laden, then they are not
innocent. (or is every
Afghani
guilty of the World Trade Center bombing?), (Not
every Afghani,
just the ones who support the
Taliban and bin Laden.)
shouldn't we
question the American foreign policy
that put those people in power in Afghanistan? Or
is it bad timing to bring that up now?
"Once you know the face of your enemy, destroy
him completely and you will never need fight him
again. America is at _war_. To win a war it must
be fought in totality."
A war against whom? Against people like the one
million Iraqis who have died of starvation or
disease because of the American blockade? It is
easy
to have the sanctions lifted. All that has to happen is for Saddam
Hussein to resign his post and
install a democratically elected
government. It is that easy. Against
people like the innocents (?) who died in the bombings
of the Sudan and Afghanistan? Anyone who died in those
bombing attacks were at either the
chemical weapons plant in
Sudan (owned by bin Laden), or at
bin Laden’s terrorist training
camp in Afghanistan, which would
mean that they were not
‘innocent’, like you would want us
to believe.
Everytime our leaders say, "We must make sure this
will never happen again," they do something to
assure that it _will_ happen again. I wrote my
article in the vain hope it might help people to
think twice before demanding the wrong action.
"Do you think these terrorists can really be
reasoned with?"
I didn't say they could. I said we shouldn't give
them legitimate reasons to direct their misguided
zeal at the U.S. Legitimate reasons?
Are you kidding???
You are saying that they had a
legitimate reason for destroying
the WTC??? You are trying to tell me that these monsters had
a legitimate reason for killing over
5,000 people???
You are a sick puppy.
"Don't you think a soft response would just
encourage more terrorism?" Damn
Straight!!!
I hope the people who were involved are found,
tried, and punished. (According to you, that would
be President Bush) I don't consider that a soft
response. But I don't want any more innocent
people hurt -- Americans or foreigners.
"This is _not_ the time to run and bury our
heads in the sand. Someone has to stand up to
BULLIES wherever they are! Like the Nazis; the
only good Religious Fundamentalist is one that is
in HEAVEN! Not only IS it a time for the U.S. to
take action but to OCCUPY ALL ARAB LANDS, since
their Religious leaders 'preach' the Jihad."
Did I mention that there's a lot of hysteria and a
lynch-mob sentiment right now?
I am not promoting racial profiling
or hate crimes. You
included the above selection to try
to prove that anyone
who disagrees with you is a
racist. How pitiful.
"You
totally lost your credibility with me when
you suggest that any military response will
basically serve no purpose."
The U.S. went to Vietnam to stop the Communist
dominos from falling, and the entire region fell
to the Communists. The U.S. invaded Panama,
supposedly to end drug-dealing there, (Actually
to arrest
a drug dealing dictator, which we
did.) and today
Panama is more overrun with the drug trade than
ever. After years of arming Saddam Hussein, the
U.S. invaded Iraq to get rid of him,(another one
of
your damnable lies. It was not to get rid of him, but to kick
him out of Kuwait, which he invaded
first.) but he is
still held up as a terrible threat to the world.
As he truly is. The
U.S. bombed Libya to teach
terrorists a
lesson; so the terrorists hijacked the
Pan American
plane over Scotland. (It wasn’t hijacked,
it was blown up.)
Perhaps you could give me an example of where U.S.
military response in the past several decades has
achieved any purpose. Try Germany and Japan in
World War II. Or how about the Gulf War, which we did
accomplish our stated goals, no
matter what you might say
or think.
Obviously, the individuals involved in the attacks
should be found, prosecuted, and punished. But
going to war against another country or some vague
conspiracy will solve no more than the examples I
just gave. If said country or “vague conspiracy”
is providing
aid or comfort or protection to
those individuals, then they are
guilty of the same crimes as those
individuals.
"At this time, past wrongful deeds committed by
Americans should not play a role in our reaction
to this horrible event. We have to retaliate once
we confirm who is responsible. Otherwise, even
more horrific events are sure to occur in the
future." Amen.
We _have_ retaliated in the past, and still
horrific events followed. What I'm hoping for is a
different kind of reaction this time -- one that
will actually change American policy so that we
never again suffer what happened this week.
As if
our policy has caused those
crimes. You fail to blame those
who are truly responsible, those who
actually committed these
vile acts.
Corrections & Caution
"I would like to point out that the airliner
destroyed over Scotland was a PanAm plane, not
TWA."
You are right. In my haste to get the article
finished, I was careless in relying on my
imperfect memory and not looking it up.
"I put my Harry Browne for President stickers
back up in my dorm room yesterday."
Please -- take them down before you get lynched.
…or charged with complicity to
commit mass murder.
More to come . . .
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Go Back to the First Newsletter from Harry Browne.
Go to the Third Newsletter from Harry Browne.