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]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]] DEALING WITH TERRORISTS [[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[
Two opinions
(8/24 & 27/1989)
August 22, 1989
Dear Dr Beckmann:
Your suggestion that an appropriate response to Col. Higgins' kid-
napping would be a gift of a bomber to Israel coincides with sugges-
tions I have been making without response to the President and my
Senator. If, every day a US citizen was held hostage, a C5A full of
arms was delivered to Israel, the price of twisting our tail would go
up immensely. Such a response, to reward the enemy of your enemy when
you cannot directly punish your enemy, is so obvious that I cannot see
why it has not, except for your mention, made it to any forum of which
I am aware.
It might even make an interesting special issue to barnstorm all
the various non-military options available to render terrorism unpro-
fitable and to deny veto power over our foreign policy (whatever it
is) to other countries. I was ashamed when we let Red China dictate
our policy toward Nationalist China, and mortified when it became
obvious that OPEC has veto power over our Middle East policy.
If we can mount our heaviest economic cannon for a Principal in
South Africa, why not when we are directly attacked?
Sincerely,
WALTER E.WALLIS, P.E.
4074 Fabian Street
Palo Alto, CA 94303
(415) 855-9124
--------------------
27 August 1989
Dear Dr Beckmann:
In the September AtE's editorial you suggest that
``Bush could have replied to the criminals' blackmail by
demanding Higgins' immediate release on pain of the US
donating a bomber to Israel inscribed with Higgins' name''.
(Editorial, p. 1:1).
To me this looks too much like us paying Israel to do our dirty
work for us. What did Israel do in 1976 when ninety-one of its
nationals were held hostage aboard a hijacked plane in Entebbe,
Uganda? Did it ask the United States to rescue its people? (As a
country as small as Israel could have done without any reason for
shame.) No, Israel rolled up her sleeves and sent a team of
airborne commandos to the rescue. Why can't the greatest power
on Earth show a fraction of the manly courage and resolve that
this small country showed?
You may argue that by its actions the United States has shown
itself to be a dwarf and that Israel has shown itself to be a
giant; that Israel can at least do what it sets out to do (as
compared to America's failure to rescue its hostages in Iran).
But a fundamental purpose of government is the protection of its
people. Government which cannot protect its citizens is one
thing; Government which WILL NOT protect its citizens has lost
its legitimacy. Lastly, a great power which buys other's courage
will only purchase other's contempt.
The `liberals' in Congress and the Press are effeminate,
spineless cowards who fervently wallow in filth before anything
that calls itself `progressive' and call themselves brave for
doing so. So long as Israel does the coward's hard work they can
claim that they are heroes.
Regards,
OP (Freeman 10602PANC)
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Sysop's reply:
No, I do NOT want Israel or any other country to do the US' dirty
work; I want to use a REAL deterrent. Retaliation, even in the rare
cases when it hits the guilty and not the innocent ones, only makes
martyrs. The ridicule of having cooperated in strengthening your
deadliest enemy is what really deters.
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