A tough question: To Kill or not to Kill? This is a very tough question because there can be so many variables, so many views, so many things to consider, so many circumstances, so many beliefs. Any of these can seriously conflict with others, and create a dilemma. There appears to be no single answer, no absolute standard. The frame of reference can often dictate what is done.
Life is Precious: Regardless of who we are, our race, ethnicity, religion or lack thereof, or species, I am of the opinion that all life is valuable. No species wants to die, and all will seek to survive, whether they fight, or run in flight.
Revenge or Justice: When we as individuals or as a group are attacked, what course do we take? What actions do we deem as merely revenge? What acts are truly acts of justice? Where is the standard? Who sets the rules? What and how many rules do we have?
Conflict of Beliefs: It appears that those we label as terrorists are angry for crimes they accuse our leaders of, and by association hold us individually responsible -- at least judging from their attack on innocent people who have nothing to do with their plight. Our beliefs and theirs seem to be in serious conflict, and it appears that there is no way out of this tension -- as though we will always be at war until one or the other culture is gone -- extinct.
What are the charges against us?: The terrorists cells and organizations claim that we have stolen their oil, willfully kept them in poverty, caused them great suffering, invade their culture with what they see as decadence, violated their holy land by bringing in our construction workers and military, our CIA overthrows their governments to keep them unstable, and we give aid and support to their enemy, Israel. Are these charges true? And more importantly, are these charges, if true, deserving of them killing our people as they did on Sept. 11th?
What are the facts?: I am honestly not sure. But as I recall that these Arabian states invited us in to build their oil wells and production capability. I recall that our oil companies paid them for their oil, at whatever price OPEC chooses to set. As a result, in many Arabian nations there is little or no poverty, as all have good homes, travel, go to college in the west, and live in relative luxury. Some pay no taxes as the oil revenue is enough to run their governments.
When we visit as workers we are confined to special camps so that we cannot infect and invade their culture. We are forbidden alcohol, tobacco, and pork products. Our women must were total coverings out in public and walk behind their husbands. And our children are ordered to leave when they reach their teen years so as not to influence their children. Our culture is severely contained as they wish.
We build their cities and infrastructure such as airports, hospitals, sanitary, electrical, and water systems. We teach and train and educate them so they can eventually take care of these without our help.
When they are invaded by their own people from an adjacent country, we are invited in to help because of our powerful military. We do nothing without their permission. Our children fight and die to save their lands and their oil for their benefit. Yet we are accused of violating their holy land by such terrorists.
Our CIA has affected their government, but not for instability, but for stability because it affect the oil we buy. But, I suppose this is one area where we may need to strongly evaluate our national conduct.
We have always supported Israel, not to subjugate Palestine, but because we were caught up in helping the Jews in their plight during and after WWII when they were homeless floating around on ships without a country, a home, a land. But in our effort to help the Jews, have we contributed to the harm of these people? Maybe we have. A Palestinian book called the Diaspora shows that Palestinians have long endured injustice as the Jews have taken over the land that they were once welcome to share with Palestinians. Is it that our leaders have not listened well enough, and in helping Israel inadvertently or carelessly harmed Palestinians? I don't the answers to these issues.
All in all, are we collectively or individually guilty of harming them? Are we now deserving of this consequence? Is this what they really want? The Arab world seems split, but more of them seem to side with us than with the minority who hates us. Islamic leaders in America are spending a great amount of time to help us understand that these radicals do not represent Islam, a name which means Peace.
What of our beliefs and culture: When these people come to America, we do not make them wear our clothing, or eat our food. Nor do we confine them to camps to avoid them infecting us with their culture. No, we embrace them, help them obtain land to build Mosques, and invite them to share their culture.
Are we so decadent, satanic, degraded, selfish, and bad that we deserve to be destroyed by those engaged in Holy Jihad?
What do we do? Do we Kill in return or not: Is any action to fight back just revenge? Are we violating the Commandment not to Kill? Are we engaged in self-defense, or fueling the flames of war by retaliating? Do we keep trying to talk? Or do we accept the support of most other nations and find some way to bring these terrorists to justice and if necessary, kill them?
Finally ...
What scares me Most is ... These terrorists hate us so much that they are actively working to obtain nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons along with delivery systems so they can destroy us. There is evidence already from those reporting back from some of these nations of dead livestock where they have experimented with these weapons in their testing programs.
How will we feel if we do nothing, and the next attack is a nuclear bomb detonated in Chicago causing the mass killing of millions? Or a biological weapon released in Los Angeles that wipes out millions more? Or a chemical weapon released in our drinking water? How will any of us feel if we awaken to the choking sound of our children as they drank poison water?
What of their plight? Many of these people do not live in wealth, especially in Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan. the terrorists and the governments there keep whatever money to build weapons and maintain their military. Their people are mistreated by the hands of their own leaders, often whom they have no choice in electing. Do we liberate them from the Taliban and the Hussein dictators as we hunt down the terrorists? Do we kill as we do any of this?
What are the answers? How can we ever know? And what if the best answers are ones we do not like, answers that require that we die? What of our way of life and culture? Can we co-exist with those so very different? Can our clashing values ever find balance? What if the only answer is for one or the other culture to destroy and make the other extinct? How can we reconcile any of this? How do we as individual citizens do what is right? How do we collectively build the right leadership that will do the right things?
To Kill or not to Kill? Such a hard question to answer. Such a difficult question to settle on a course of action. All this is filled with so many bad possibilities, and so few good results. Dear God, if you hear us, what are the answers? - Amazing