Some Thoughts About Terrorists
Thinking about 9/11 and later. Terrorists fight for many reasons.
Terrorism did not begin with the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center.
In that incident, armed men slit the throats of unarmed women, stole their unarmed civilian aircrafts and slammed them into unarmed civilian high-rise buildings, all filled with more unarmed civilians, plus a few security guards, most of them unarmed. While the terrorists also hit the Pentagon, most of those killed were unarmed civilians.
All of this followed the arrival of the terrorists in America using the pretense of doing something useful—learning to safely fly humans and cargo to and from destinations.
When the Trade Center towers fell, supporters of terrorism worldwide celebrated the military achievements of—achievements beginning with lying and ending with the murders of unarmed men, women and children.
While terrorists against America obviously hold grievances, they have chosen less than constructive ways to redress their complaints. Plus, they missed their targets by randomly aiming their stolen weapons. In so doing, they anger the American public. Bad idea.
Americans understand freedom. Those with historical context understand our beginnings fighting oppressive authorities. Britain saw itself as constructive, not oppressive. They viewed the rebellious colonials as rebels worthy of hanging. British military leaders viewed as especially obnoxious and unfair the Pennsylvania Long Rifle.
Although some Britons sympathized with the American colonies, others believed the king and his men could treat the colonists as they wished. After all, the king’s army fought to protect British interests and the British way of life. Living in an empire gets somewhat complicated.
Yet, terrorism itself is complex. Some terrorists work only for criminal gain. Some suffer from misguidance and delusion. Others fight for freedom. Many Americans understand the latter. Convince us you want freedom. Do something constructive to earn it. We may be able to help. With a few exceptions, America is not a colonial power. We prefer freedom and international commerce to war and oppression.
