Terrorism is a product of choices and perceptions. Politicians use fear for political purposes and spend vast sums of money on dubious security measures. We are terrorizing ourselves with a climate of fear-mongering that exacerbates the threat of terrorism. Terrorists get their name for a reason. Fear is their chief tactic. Political forces push policymakers to hype this fear, encouraging citizens to believe that terrorists are global super villains who can wreck society unless we submit to their demands. Policies based on this fantasy are self-defeating and bring needless war, wasted wealth, and less freedom. We should rely on our confidence rather than our fears. http://venitism.blogspot.com
Michael Scheuer points out politicians keep lying to Americans by claiming that they are attacked because of their liberties, gender-equality laws, and elections rather than because of Washington's constant intervention in the Islamic world. This now two-decade-old lie, which is abetted by most of the media, has hidden from Americans the fact that all of the would-be Islamist attackers who have been captured in USA were motivated by the invasion of Iraq, U.S. support for Israel, or some other U.S. government action in the Muslim world. Islamist enemies are motivated by Washington's foreign policy, and as long as that does not change the number of American Muslims willing to attack their fellow citizens will keep increasing.
In 2001, shocking and horrific acts of terrorism were carried out on U.S. soil, taking nearly 3,000 innocent American lives. Without a doubt this action demanded retaliation and retribution. However Ron Paul points out, much has been done in the name of protecting the American people from terrorists that has reduced our prosperity and liberty and even made us less safe.
Ron Paul notes this is ironic and sad considering that the oft-repeated line concerning the reasoning behind the attacks is that they hate us for who we are a free prosperous people that we must not under any circumstances allow the terrorists to win.
Though it is hard for many to believe, honest studies show that the real motivation behind the 9/11 attacks, and the vast majority of other instances of suicide terrorism, is not that our enemies are bothered by our way of life, neither is it our religion or our wealth rather it is primarily occupation.
If you were to imagine for a moment how you would feel if another country forcibly occupied the United States, had military bases and armed soldiers present in our hometown, you might begin to understand why foreign occupation upsets people so much.
Ron Paul points out that before the American invasion of Iraq, only 10% of suicide terrorism was aimed at Americans. Since then however, not only is suicide terrorism greatly on the rise, but 91% of it is now directed at Americans.
Yes, the attacks of 9/11 deserved a response, but the manner in which we responded has allowed radicals in the Muslim world to advance a very threatening narrative about us and our motivation in occupying their lands. Osama Bin Laden referred to Americans as crusaders with a religious agenda to convert Muslims, westernize their culture and take control of their resources.
If we had targeted our response to only the thugs and criminals who attacked us, and refrained from invading countries that had nothing to do with it, this characterization would seem less plausible to the desperate and displaced.
Instead, we chose a course of action that led to the further loss of 8,000 American lives, 40,000 wounded, and has left hundreds of thousands seeking help from the Veterans Administration. We are $4 trillion poorer. Our military is spread dangerously thin around the globe at the expense of protection here at home. Not only that, but we have allowed our freedoms to be greatly threatened and undermined from within.
The PATRIOT Act, warrantless searches and wiretapping, abuse of habeas corpus, useless and humiliating circumstances at the airport, are just a few examples of how we have allowed the terrorists to win by making our country less free. Suicide terrorism did not exist in Iraq before we got there. Now it does. There are no known instances of Iranians committing suicide terrorism. If we invade and occupy Iran, expect that to change, too.
Ron Paul muses that sometimes it can be very uncomfortable to ask the right questions and face the truth. When a slick politician comes along and gives a much more soothing, self-congratulating version of events, it is very tempting to simply believe what we would like to hear. But listening to lies does not make us safer, even though it might make us feel better about ourselves. The truth is that ending these misguided wars and occupations will make us safer, more prosperous and freer.
We definitely underestimate the ideological motivations for terrorists, what makes people blow themselves up. It's not politics. You have to know your enemy and yourself. Unfortunately with the war on terror we forgot who we are, but also we didn't know our enemy. Look at al-Qaida. They led us into a war longer than World War I and World War II. Not because they are such smart people, but because we did not understand our enemy. Instead, we applied waterboarding and enhanced interrogation techniques. We did exactly what al-Qaida wanted us to do. When you do this, what are you proving to the guy? You're proving that everything he thinks about you is right. But if you come with a drink and kindness, he doesn't know how to act.
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