Well I can’t speak for other ‘third rate lefty wannabes’ but I never said, “America deserved this” that is, the attacks of September 11. Only an insane person would say such a thing, and though I make no claims for my sanity I certainly never wrote such a thing.

I’m not sure I understand Chodes’ remarks about the death penalty. Perhaps he is referring to the assertions of other ‘third rate lefty wannabes’? If he means that it is inconsistent for someone to be opposed to the death penalty, say for moral reasons, and at the same time claim that the “horrific violence” of the attacks was a “natural response” (response to what- Chodes doesn’t say) then he is just plain wrong. The two positions are not inconsistent.

For Chodes’ sake, I’ll repeat the gist of what I said. I claimed that, given certain conditions in the world, conditions that we have deliberately brought about and maintain and so are responsible for-then we ought not to be surprised at the attacks. This is hardly controversial given an acquaintance with the facts of our history and of recent US attacks on the Islamic and third world. I gave Chodes one source where he can look up such facts.

Perhaps Chodes is in agreement with Madeline Albright, who thought half a million dead Iraqi children was ‘worth it’ a statement that most would agree puts her among a distinguished list of mass murderers and psychopaths, Hitler not the least of them. Perhaps Chodes is comfortable to find himself in such company but I think most of us find such remarks as Albright’s chilling, to say the least. So what do we do about it?

As for the motives of the attackers. We are not responsible for their hatred of the US, unless we consider it in some way justified, I’ll leave that to others to ponder. But we are responsible for what we do in the world. It’s a very simple moral principle: You are responsible for the predictable consequences of your actions, not for anyone else’s.

I think our primary response to the attacks ought to include the following, this list is obviously not exhaustive:

* Immediate cessation of all hostilities towards Iraq, including the lifting of sanctions.

* Provision of immediate aid to the Iraqi people.

* An insistence that Israel stop all hostilities towards the Palestinians and its Arab neighbors and act in accordance with UN accords and declarations, (going back forty years now). Including serious good faith meetings aimed at the creation of a Palestinian state.

I believe that only by seriously addressing these issues can we bring about a lasting peace between ourselves and those who feel that terrorism against the US is justified.

Madeline Albright thought half a million dead was worth it. If we think we are on a higher moral level than the Nazis, then we will probably want to disagree. The choice is ours.

Adam Rossi

CAS 03