Archival Footage: Speech by Zbigniew Brzezinski, U.S. national security adviser.
“We know of their deep belief in God and we are confident that their struggle will succeed. That land over there is yours. You will go back to it one day, because your fight will prevail and you’ll have your homes and your mosques back again, because your cause is right and God is on your side.” (Download file).
I stumbled across this clip doing a search for Not in My Name, a documentary that can be “rented” here. I’ve been keen on docs lately, viewed Shake Hands with the Devil today. My heart feels broken beyond repair.
Rep. Ray LaHood on C-Span this morning defended the Patriot Act as the reason the U.S. hasn’t been attacked since 9/11 but said it should come as no surprise when America is attacked again. “They hate our system” LaHood closed the segment by affirming his interest in becoming Illinois’ next governor, likely why he was the only Republican on the House Judiciary Committee to “voice support” for an amendment “that would have let 10 different intelligence powers expire in four years, unless renewed by Congress, such as roving wiretaps”. The panel rejected it. (via Jurist)
Most C-Span callers dismissed his political act. I expect Illinois voters will reject it as well.
London, another casualty of the War on Terror
In the period leading up to the US invasion of Iraq, from many quarters came the warnings of the great chaos and violence this would lead to in various parts of the world, the many new anti-Americans — terrorists and otherwise — who would be produced. But I think it can be said now that the consequences have been even worse than predicted. Indonesia, for example, more than once. Turkey more than once. Pakistan repeatedly. Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Madrid. And now the people of London have just experienced what the people of Baghdad, Fallujah and many other Iraqi cities have been experiencing almost daily for more than two years. This is but to name some of the most serious attacks amongst the thousands of terrorist acts against American targets and Washington’s allies since the United States imposed its so-called War on Terror upon the world. Contrary to the lie machine, the world has not been made safer.
Do we need any more evidence that there’s no security solution to terrorism? No military solution? How can you stop subway and bus bombs? Check every passenger throughout the day, every day, forever? X-ray all bags and backpacks at Times Square during the rush hour? Whether we like it or not, we must admit that Terror is a message and we better learn to listen to it with as unindoctrinated a mind as we can summon from our depths. There are the violent messages and there are the verbal messages. A group calling itself the Organisation of Al-Qaeda Jihad in Europe claimed credit for the attacks in London in an Internet posting. The group said the attacks were “in response to the massacres carried out by Britain in Iraq and Afghanistan. … We continue to warn the governments of Denmark, Italy and all the Crusaders that they will meet the same punishment if they do not withdraw their troops from Iraq and Afghanistan.” Notice that, as usual, there was no reference to Western values, wealth, freedom, democracy, or any of the other things George W. never tires of telling us the terrorists hate and are the reasons they attack the West.{1}
It doesn’t particularly matter if this statement is or is not an official statement from the official al-Qaeda group (if such a group still exists or ever existed), or if the group had any direct connection to the four men from Leeds named as the perpetrators. The offsprings and the sympathizers of “al-Qaeda” are out there and are increasing in number and anger with each passing day that the United States and its allies remain in Iraq and Afghanistan. If cricket-playing British-born Muslims can be inspired to become suicide bombers, then the United States and the United Kingdom have only two options to choose from: Remove the source of the inspiration by changing their foreign policy, or continue in politically convenient denial.