A statistically improbable polymath's views on politics and culture.

 
Two years ago, America was brutally attacked at both military and civilian targets. Three thousand people were murdered--by collision, burning, implosion, or falling down one hundred stories to meet certain death as quickly as possible--for the sin of living in America and working at symbolic, supposedly imperialist places. Your race, religion, sex, age, citizenship, thoughts on American foreign policy--the men (for they were, like Gollum in Lord of the Rings, not so different from us once but now horribly changed) who did this didn't care about these; even the most devout Muslim working at 1 World Trade Center was the infidel to them.

So, as any nation with a sense of self-preservation would do, we attacked their main base of operation, sent their fellow murderers-in-waiting into the hills, and installed a new government in the capital. But then--what happened? Why did George Bush drop the ball on Afghanistan? The remnants of the Taliban are still running the rural parts; Al-Qaeda is still on the loose, and our main haul in the "War on Terror" so far has been brother thugocrats from a regime with no clear connection to Al-Qaeda. There is a government with Al-Qaeda ties, but we're addicted to their sweet, sweet oil (because while we're ready to give up judicial oversight over terror-related searches, we CANNOT be expected to give up our precious SUV's!)

I want the head of Osama bin Laden--preferably alive, so he can be publicly disgraced instead of martyred. I want vengeance--not distraction. I want results, and I'm not getting them.
posted by Maureen at 1:06 PM