Mr Gassama,
                    I do not agree with the overall thrust of your argument
which in a very cursory way you professes condemnation of the wanton murder
of thousands of people while in effect painting the United States as a
deserving victim. I also find your rhetorical questions to be convenient
conduits for your preconceived notions of what the U. S should do viz-a-viz
the world. Let' s begin with your take on the events of September 11. You
took issue with Bush declaring war before proffering what you term credible
evidence establishing culpability and not taking up the Taliban's offer to
hand over Osama and his Al Qeada network to a third country for trial. Even
if you quibble with the extent and quality of the evidence the U. S was
willing to put in the public domain, don't you think the Taliban had a
responsibility to hand over Bin Laden to any willing third country
unconditionally since he was being accused of masterminding the murder of
thousands of people whose government has a responsibility to protect them?
Infact the Taliban was given time to do just that. The only three countries
that recognized them as a government in the entire world all tried in vain to
essentially dissuade them from being unwitting accomplishes to what an
aggrieved party rightly believes to be a grave offense against it's people.
Refusing to surrender a man and a network that was under previous indictment
for blowing up the U. S embassies in east Africa was not actions of a gov't
remotely interested in upholding natural justice. The Taliban were an evil
regime that respected only their agenda and in the process inflicted
monumental hardship on it's own people. As bad as that may be it did not was
not going to prompt the United States into wagging war to get rid of the
Taliban. In a similar vein it is true that thousands of people get killed the
world over in all kinds of circumstances some of which the U. S could be more
helpful in preventing. But it is quite a stretch to equate their lack of
intervention in the numerous places in the world with hypocrisy simply
because they have acted swiftly after they were attacked in their own country.
       You also dueled on the predicament of the poor Iraqis who continue to
die in their thousands from sanction induced problems. I believe more effort
is needed in ameliorating the plight of innocent Iraqi's especially in the
basic areas of health, food and other necessities. I would however put most
of the blame squarely on President Saddam Husseine who has been more of a
terrorist to his people than a responsible leader. He is much more interested
in the instruments of power than the predicament of his people and that is
why he is more than willing to sacrifice the weak and vulnerable of his
people on the altar of power politics. He builds himself and his cronies
palaces and lavishes resources on his security goons and scurries away even
more of Iraq's wealth. On the issue of the Palestinians, we are not in
disagreement. I believe U. S policy in that area borders on atrocious because
they finance and support the Israeli gov't that is a racist,savage colonial
occupier.
      I would also add that there is much that is wrong in America especially
in their pursuit of foreign policy which is driven primarily by their
interests. Even amongst Americans there are divergent views on various
issues. But this time around, America is right in going after Al qeada and
the Taliban who cavort and shelter them. It is a legitimate right of every
state to defend it itself when attacked. It is the perpetrators of terror who
are doing their darnest to wrap themselves in the cloak of this great
religion of ours. It is they who would like to make it appear as a war on
Islam , when their real motivations are political and their methods criminal.
As for your views on world leaders and their reaction, well I'll just say we
can see people in all shades. I will agree that some of them are rather
unsavory and there is also an element of posturing. But none of that changes
the fact that a country was attacked by terrorists and they are defending
themselves. I think your attempt to latch on a series of grievances against
the U. S has the unfortunate effect of seeming to rationalize an act you
ordinarily would abhore.While the grievances you outline may in their own
rites have merit, using them as whip is something I find disagreeable.
Karamba

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