[lit-ideas] Re: Ground Zero Mosque's Saudi Patron
- From: Mike Geary <jejunejesuit.geary2@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 08:49:15 -0500
Good post, Phil. I wish I could be so logical.
Mike Geary
On Sat, Aug 28, 2010 at 8:25 PM, Phil Enns <phil.enns@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> I had written:
>
> "Groups like al Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood are dangerous, and
> people who support these groups must be challenged. However, these
> groups are not existential threats to countries like the U.S. or even
> Israel."
>
>
> to which Eric replied:
>
> "Scenario: al-Qaeda style attack. Five small nuclear weapons detonated
> simultaneously in five major US cities. Decapitation of government.
> Assistant Secretary of Agriculture put in charge. He orders
> retaliatory nuclear strikes against Mecca, Tehran, Damascus,
> Pyongyang, and in his madness, Islamabad.
>
> China reacts by launching first strike of one hundred nukes at US. US
> reacts by sending 500 nukes at China. Russia reacts, and either in
> preemption or response, the US sends 700 nukes at Russia as it sends
> 100 nukes at what's left of the US. India sees a chance to attack
> what's left of Pakistan but not before Pakistan lobs a few nukes at
> India.
>
> The rest is described in _The Road_."
>
>
>
> If we follow Eric's scenario, the existential threat is not an al
> Qaeda style attack, which may have devastating effects but would not
> mean the end of the U.S. Rather, the existential threat would lie in
> how the U.S. responds to such an attack and the blowback that would
> necessarily follow. This is similar to what happened on 9/11. The
> attacks on New York City and the Pentagon were not even remotely a
> threat to the country and its existence. However, the U.S. response
> has proved far more costly, in terms of human beings and resources,
> and more devastating to the politics of the U.S.
>
> Al Qaeda and similar groups are very dangerous, but the threat they
> pose to countries like the U.S. is quite limited. And, to quote from
> a movie, 'Every search for a hero must begin with something which
> every hero requires, a villain.' For those who need a villain, and
> such a need is not limited to individuals of a particular political
> stripe, these groups are not sufficient. But Islam could easily be
> portrayed as a monster worthy of Bellerophon.
>
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Phil Enns
> Indonesia
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