> [Original Message] > From: Phil Enns <phil.enns@xxxxxxxxxxx> > To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> > Date: 11/10/2005 12:17:06 PM > Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: Willie Pete > > Andy Amago wrote: > > "She said unleashed, not created." > > > Tell that to the Shiites slaughtered by Saddam after the first Gulf war. Or > the Kurds who died by Saddam's poison gas during the war with Iran. The > violence was already present, and been present for centuries before, so it > is nonsense to suggest that anything was unleashed. > > When I was in Iran, I asked an Iranian, the majority of whom are Persian, of > their hatred of Arabs. He replied by telling me how an Arab ruler had > conquered what is now Iran centuries earlier and had been a brutal tyrant. > This region has a long history of violence. > > They do have a long history of violence, and a long memory. Again referring to HC shows on The Crusades (a good 2-part overview), Muslims today retell the story in cafes and other gatherings of the bloody, indiscriminate Christian barbarism against them in the 11th and 12th centuries. It may as well have happened last year. Paraphrasing an expert on the HC, a shiver went down the collective spine of all in the Muslim world when they heard the word crusade. The Americans should have known about that history, even of the collective memory, before unleashing their own violence. Instead, convinced of their superiority while fabricating excuses for aggression, the Americans attacked a culture they knew nothing of (for strategic advantage) simply because they wanted oil and rebuilding money. And failed miserably at it, like in the second and third Crusades. Regarding intention of the insurgents compared to the soldiers, certainly you're right. The soldiers are not seeking out civilians, although in the heat of battle, with adrenaline flowing, I would doubt if there is too much discrimination among towel heads, if for no other reason than there is no way for soldiers to distinguish between civilians and insurgents. Even children can be insurgents. The whole thing is a tragedy with no way out except to cut and run and hope for the best. Andy Amago > Sincerely, > > Phil Enns > Toronto, ON > > ------------------------------------------------------------------ > To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, > digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html ------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html