RE: The terrorism meme

From: joedees@bellsouth.net
Date: Tue 05 Nov 2002 - 05:42:59 GMT

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    > >Subject: RE: The terrorism meme
    > >Date: Mon, 4 Nov 2002 22:51:36 -0500
    > >
    > >I can't disagree with you, Grant. The question, then is, What
    > >tactics/strategies should each group now try? Scott has suggested
    > >for the Palestinians non-violence. (Personally, I think this has much
    > >to recommend it; might a reciprocal Israeli new tactic be? I do note
    > >that the Druse tried non-violent resistance to Israeli occupation,
    > >and did have some modest success, though ultimately it failed.)
    > >
    > >Would the new tactics of one group have to be met with new tactics by
    > >the other? Is there a way of starting both groups on the first steps
    > >toward new (and less destructive) tactics?
    > >
    > >What are your own thoughts?
    > >
    > >Lawry
    > >
    > I think the people who want violence are one group and they hold most
    > of the weapons and the people who want peace are a separate group and
    > they are the ones who would use non-violence. The non-violent group
    > might win in a police state where there were only two sides, but where
    > there are three sides or four sides, I don't think the method would
    > work. While one group of palestinians was being non-violent, Hamas
    > would be committing atrocities.
    > While one group of Israelies was being non-violent, Arial Sharon
    > would be
    > sending tanks into Gaza. All you would get would be conflicting
    > messages that included both violence and non-violence from both sides.
    >
    > Someone has to spread the message that the only solution is one in
    > which both sides win. They have to see that by cooperating with each
    > other they can build a garden of Eden. By fighting, all they will end
    > up doing is destroying each other. War is a zero-sum game. Only it
    > uses up so many people and resources the winner ends up winning in
    > name only. How you get to people to realize that non-zero is the only
    > game that makes sense, I don't know. Right now the people in power
    > only know how to play the zero-sum game. They are all ex-generals and
    > guerillas. They think they can win the game they are playing and they
    > are willing to expend as many lives as it takes to achieve that goal.
    >
    > When they run out of people willing to sacrifice themselves and others
    > to "win" the war, the war will stop. I don't really see any short cut
    > to accomplish that. Maybe a second coming of Christ would do the job.
    > His was the only philosophy that holds out any hope. But even if he
    > came back, Sharon would find a way to become Pope and Arafat would
    > become a second Mohamad and the wars to control the Holy Land would
    > start all over again.
    >
    > You've got to remember, this war has been going on for about 2,000
    > years. First it was the Romans, then it was the Muslims, and then the
    > crusades sent the Christians. These same groups are still at it.
    > Christians are just Romans in clerical garb. The same groups are
    > still fighting over the same spit of land and they all still think
    > they can control it with violence. In 2.000 years, they've learned
    > nothing. I don't see them changing their spots anytime soon.
    >
    That is indeed the challenge; how to infiltrate inclusivist memes past exclusivist filters.
    >
    > Grant
    >
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