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Mamie and Papi,
I wanted to pass this on to you and to hear your comments. We'll talk soon I'm sure..... Love, Robs ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bob Knight" <bobknight@cfl.rr.com< To: "Tosha Knight" <tmknight2@yahoo.com<; "Todd Cluxton" <tcluxton@cfl.rr.com<; "Joe Knight" <JoeKnight@yanceybros.com<; "Pat Knight" <knighpcfl@aol.com<; "Debbie Knight" <DWK1216@aol.com< Sent: Monday, September 17, 2001 3:42 PM Subject: Fw: article is by an Afghan-American < < ----- Original Message ----- < From: <NSchaaf@ResourceDynamics.com< < To: "Kurt W Altergott" <KALTERGOTT@prodigy.net<; <jamidio@crosscountry.com<; < <Christine_Brouder@voltek.com<; "Colleen Cronin" <cac@bloombuell.com<; < "Norman Dahl" <selectcon@mindspring.com<; <EMSKeys@aol.com<; "angela fain" < <apftn@netscape.net<; "John Fernandes" <John_Fernandes@epicdata.com<; < <BFriedfla@aol.com<; <bethg9101@aol.com<; <mindy.gates@ctunitedway.org<; < <judyj@dellepro.com<; <kristi.kerrigan@home.com<; "Bob Knight" < <Bobknight@cfl.rr.com<; "Commander, Julie" <Julie.Commander@CAT.com<; < <lil-mac-430@excite.com<; <mischamut@aol.com<; <pmeyer6366@aol.com<; < <Mark.Nickel@mcmail.vanderbilt.edu<; <Leslie.Reid@ey.com<; < <ratmogers@juno.com<; <lsant62120@aol.com<; <AnnetteSchaaf@aol.com<; < <apei@bellsouth.net<; <kimberlys@fbcs.fujitsu.com<; <Skoldie@aol.com<; < <nyev@hotmail.com<; <zedlerm@cs.com<; <jwwoodshop@earthlink.net< < Sent: Monday, September 17, 2001 9:34 AM < Subject: article is by an Afghan-American < < < < FYI, this article is by an Afghan-American who has lived in the < < San Francisco Bay area for 35 years. It's something to think about < < deeply as we determine how to deal with the horrific provocations of last < < week, < < which may well have been designed to get up our collective blood lust < < such that we play right into the perpetrators' hands. We must ask, < < what are their broader aims, beyond showing us the depth of their hatred? < < How can they best be thwarted? < < < < Edmund Burke said "the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil < < is for good people to do nothing". As we figure out what is to be done, < < we must show not only that we are stronger, but also wiser, < < than these monsters who would destroy civilization as we know it. < < < < < < An Afghan-American speaks. < < < < You can't bomb us back into the Stone < < Age. We're already there. But you can < < start a new world war, and that's < < exactly what Osama bin Laden wants. < < < < - - - - - - - - - - - - < < < < By Tamim Ansary < < Sept. 14, 2001 < < < < I've been hearing a lot of talk < < about "bombing Afghanistan back < < to the Stone Age." Ronn Owens, < < on San Francisco's KGO Talk Radio, < < conceded today that this < < would mean killing innocent people, < < people who had nothing to do with < < this atrocity, but "we're at war, < < we have to accept collateral damage. < < What else can we do?" < < Minutes later I heard some TV pundit < < discussing whether we "have the belly < < to do what must be done." < < < < And I thought about the issues being < < raised especially hard because I am < < from Afghanistan, and even though < < I've lived in the United States for < < 35 years I've never lost track of < < what's going on there. So I want to < < tell anyone who will listen how it < < all looks from where I'm standing. < < < < I speak as one who hates the < < Taliban and Osama bin Laden. < < There is no doubt in my mind that < < these people were responsible for the < < atrocity in New York. I agree that < < something must be done about those < < monsters. < < < < But the Taliban and bin Laden are not < < Afghanistan. They're not even the < < government of Afghanistan. The < < Taliban are a cult of ignorant < < psychotics who took over Afghanistan < < in 1997. Bin Laden is a political < < criminal with a plan. When you think < < Taliban, think Nazis. When you think < < bin Laden, think Hitler. And when you < < think "the people of Afghanistan" < < think "the Jews in the concentration < < camps." It's not only that the Afghan < < people had nothing to do with this < < atrocity. They were the first victims < < of the perpetrators. They would exult < < if someone would come in there, take < < out the Taliban and clear out the < < rats' nest of international thugs < < holed up in their country. < < < < Some say, why [____] don't the Afghans < < rise up and overthrow the Taliban? < < < < The answer is, they're starved, exhausted, < < hurt, incapacitated,suffering. A few years < < ago,the United Nations estimated that < < there are 500,000 disabled orphans in < < Afghanistan -- a country with no economy, < < no food. There are millions of widows. < < And the Taliban has been burying < < these widows alive in mass graves. < < The soil is littered with land mines, < < the farms were all destroyed by the Soviets. < < These are a few of the reasons why < < the Afghan people have not overthrown < < the Taliban. < < < < We come now to the question of bombing < < Afghanistan back to the Stone Age. < < Trouble is, that's been done. The Soviets < < took care of it already. Make the Afghans < < suffer? They're already suffering. < < Level their houses? Done. Turn their schools < < into piles of rubble? Done. Eradicate < < their hospitals? Done. Destroy their < < infrastructure? Cut them off from < < medicine and healthcare? Too late. < < Someone already did all that. New bombs < < would only stir the rubble of earlier bombs. < < Would they at least get the Taliban? < < Not likely. In today's Afghanistan, < < only the Taliban eat, only they have < < the means to move around. They'd slip away < < and hide. Maybe the bombs would get some of < < those disabled orphans; they don't < < move too fast, they don't even have < < wheelchairs. But flying over Kabul < < and dropping bombs wouldn't really be < < a strike against the criminals who < < did this horrific thing. Actually it < < would only be making common cause < < with the Taliban -- by raping once < < again the people they've been raping < < all this time. < < < < So what else is there? What can be < < done, then? Let me now speak with < < true fear and trembling. The only way < < to get Bin Laden is to go in there < < with ground troops. When people speak < < of "having the belly to do what needs < < to be done" they're thinking in terms < < of having the belly to kill as many < < as needed. Having the belly to < < overcome any moral qualms about < < killing innocent people. Let's pull < < our heads out of the sand. What's < < actually on the table is Americans dying. < < And not just because some Americans < < would die fighting their way through < < Afghanistan to Bin Laden's hideout. < < It's much bigger than that. < < Because to get any troops to Afghanistan, < < we'd have to go through Pakistan. < < Would they let us? Not likely. < < The conquest of Pakistan would < < have to be first. Will other Muslim < < nations just stand by? < < You see where I'm going. We're < < flirting with a world war between < < Islam and the West. < < < < And guess what: That's bin Laden's < < program. That's exactly what he < < wants. That's why he did this. Read < < his speeches and statements. It's all < < right there. He really believes Islam < < would beat the West. It might seem < < ridiculous, but he figures if he can < < polarize the world into Islam and the < < West, he's got a billion soldiers. If < < the West wreaks a holocaust in those < < lands, that's a billion people with < < nothing left to lose; that's even < < better from Bin Laden's point of < < view. He's probably wrong -- in the < < end the West would win, whatever that < < would mean -- but the war would last < < for years and millions would die, not < < just theirs but ours. < < < < Who has the belly for that? Bin Laden < < does. Anyone else? < < < < - - - - - - - - - - - - < < < < About the writer: < < Tamim Ansary is a writer in San Francisco, < < and the son of a former Afghani politician. < < < < < < < < Thank You, < < < < Norm Schaaf < < Resource Dynamics International < < 203.315.3279 < < nschaaf@resourcedynamics.com < < < < < <
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