October 04, 2004
Monday

Lilian Filanis of Fairbanks seems to think pedophilia is a "minor" issue, and the writer she berates was not Leila Kheiry; it was a relative of hers.  That letter sounded infinitely more intelligent than Filanis's.  If more Americans would bother to become more educated about world issues perhaps they would better understand that, for example, the terrorists who killed children in Russia were rebels from Chechnya.  That and the downing of the two Russian jets had more to do with fighting for independence than religion.  We cannot continue to blindly believe that terrorists are solely motivated by their religion.  They use it as a front. 
 
Why is it so darn hard to understand that the violence happening in Israel has much to do with radical Muslims' views against America?  Does no one understand how desperate the situations in the refugee camps of Gaza and the West Bank are?  Radical Muslims are angry that America supports Israel in a most one-sided manner when it comes to the uprising.  They think we have no concerns whatsoever for the thousands of innocent Palestinians killed in the last four years during the most current intifada.  They think we have no concerns for the Palestinians who are subjected to various atrocities at the hands of the occupier, Israel.  While I don't condone either side's tactics of revenge, I think I am able to understand the motivations of an oppressed and desparate people.  Even our political leaders don't seem to get that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has everything to do with the animosity radical Muslims feel toward the U.S.  Not a word was mentioned during the Thursday night debate about it.
 
Until and when self-righteous Americans are able to shed their tunnel views, until and when the same self-righteous Americans are able to get off their high horses and realize how hypocritical they can be, animosity directed at us is not going to diminish.  I think Leila Kheiry's relative made some very good points, and I wish prejudiced Americans would stop acting holier-than-thou!  Become more educated as to the long-standing processes that have brought the situation in Israel to its seemingly nonreversible point of eye-for-an-eye violence.  We absolutely need to stop thinking that we have done nothing to deserve the view held commonly around the world against us.
 
Karen Ramsey
Ketchikan, AK - USA

Related Viewpoint:

Re: Why is it like this? by Lilian Filanis - Fairbanks, AK - USA

 

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