the unwinnable war may be worse than the WTC disaster

[Don Laird]

As collateral damage accelerates, I'm reminded of the collateral damage done
by Tim McVeigh, and in turn, the collateral damage done by the FBI in Waco.

"Collateral damage" is the term of the 20th century, for that is when
wartime casualties shifted from 95% military to 95% civilian.  Almost no one
is speaking about collateral damage.  Instead they speak of revenge or
defense or dead terrorized Americans or the threat of terrorism.  Another
topic almost no one is speaking of is the joy of killing, as described in
Joanna Burke's >An intimate history of killing.<   As our Texas Monthly's
William Broyles said, killing had a spiritual resonance and an aesthetic
poignancy.  Slaughter was an "affair of great and seductive beauty."

When I hear how important or necessary or great this war in Afghanistan is,
I think first of the casualties.  That makes it easy to find arguments
opposing the war.  In fact, most arguments for it seem laughable - only
they're not.

Don


----- Original Message -----
From: Wayne Johnson <cadaobh2@brgnet.com>
To: <austin-ghetto-list@pairlist.net>
Sent: Saturday, October 27, 2001 4:55 PM
Subject: RE: the unwinnable war may be worse than the WTC disaster


> One must assume that our "new Holy War" is against Bin Laden/Al Queda/et
al
> and not just against anyone who can conveniently labeled a
> "terrorist"...example "eco-terrorist".
>
> W
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: austin-ghetto-list-admin@pairlist.net
> [mailto:austin-ghetto-list-admin@pairlist.net]On Behalf Of Michael
> Eisenstadt
> Sent: Saturday, October 27, 2001 11:33 AM
> To: austin-ghetto-list@pairlist.net
> Subject: the unwinnable war may be worse than the WTC disaster
>
>
> As we all know, Eisenhower said no in the 50s
> to the French who asked to be bailed out in
> VietNam.
>
> gulled by the military Kennedy and then
> Johnson signed off on an unwinnable war
> in Viet Nam.
>
> this may be happening again, Bush having
> signed off for the military to conduct an
> unwinnable war.
>
> Part 2:
>
> 5-6000 Pakastani Pashtuns are crossing
> into Afghanistan to join the Taliban.
>
> Will not US military have to bomb them
> on both sides of the Afghanistan and
> Pakistan border? Right now today
>
> Part 3:
>
> I feel like Im having my leg pulled when
> I read that the US military are surprised
> that the Taliban havent folded yet.
>
>