From: Orlando Moltisanti (xipirho@runbox.com)
Date: Thu Jan 10 2002 - 17:28:43 MST
Bill Roh wrote:
"I must have missed it - but I do not think it weird that people take joy
from
the death and destruction of Osama and the Taliban. I certainly smile at the
thought of their demise - bloody or not - and if I could, would cheerfully
participate. I'm sorry, but I do not see a value in hiding behind the guise
of "higher morals" to hide fear or an over zealous love of human life in all
cases. Some people need to be killed for the betterment of the rest just as
some need to be helped."
I respond by a quote from Arthur Miller's "A View From The Bridge", Alfieri
(a lawyer) is trying to explain to Marco (an Italian illegal immigrant) why
he shouldn't resort to physical violence against the man who informed on
him:
"MARCO IS STARING AWAY. ALFIERI TAKES ONE OF HIS HANDS.
Alfieri:This is not God, Marco. You hear? Only God makes justice."
As I hope is illustrated by the point, how do people have the right to
decide who lives or dies? Maybe Mr. BinLaden and his comrades should have
understood this, but just because THEY didn't, doesn't mean the US
shouldn't. We should be able to see "above" Mr. BinLaden's religion crazed
form of "justice" and calmly try to capture him and his followers ALIVE!
They must be tried by a fair court and sentenced to a certain period of
punishment. They must NOT be executed because how can the West possibly
condemn Osama if they, when provoked are willing to jump do exactly the same
as he. I repeat, who are we to judge whether he should live or die? Also,
execution would be by no means a harsh punishment for Mr. BinLaden; if he
truly believes in Allah and his teachings, then he must believe that if
killed he will go straight to paradise and become a martyr to the cause. Mr.
BinLaden would be a danger to society if not imprisoned and that is why I
feel that imprisonment is perfectly valid, but EXECUTION (!?) - no way. When
some Greek philosopher in a roman epic I saw (I think it was called the fall
of the r. empire or summut - with Sophia Lauren <sorry if that's not how you
spell it>) won over the respect of some "barbarians" and got them to follow
the law of Rome, he did so by enduring a burning torch that was pressed
against his hand, not by yelling out and getting the guards to beat them -
we can only be "right", as it were, (which in fact nothing can be,
obviously) by showing that we have a "better" way, not by doing to them as
they do to us. I know it's a phrase coined by a Judean preacher, but "turn
the other cheek" pretty much applies here. I'm sure Osama had a right old
laugh looking at the newspaper articles on the twin towers because he felt
that the US was getting what it deserved for all it's "evil" deeds, and that
is precisely why we must not do the same.
Elen síla lúmenn' omentielvo. Roly/Orly/Vinyacálë.
Elen síla lúmenn' omentielvo. Roly/Orly/Vinyacálë.
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