U.S. becoming a victim of its own pacifism

Kamrava is an alumnus in neuroscience, currently studying at the
Temple School of Medicine.

By Allen Kamrava

Of the most disturbing occurrences since the bombing of the
World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the destruction of a passenger
airliner over Pennsylvania, is the peace movement’s demand
that America not take action, but instead try to “talk”
to and “understand” its enemies.

Participants of such movements are not only acting ridiculously,
but they are ignorant and selfish. To draw an analogy, imagine the
hypothetical situation of a woman being violently raped. The
pacifists would probably ask the woman, the victim, not to be
angry. They would ask her to be “morally superior,” and
to sit down and discuss the situation with the “alleged
rapist” (or in their words, the “societal
victim”).

Not only is the assertion that pacifists are morally superior to
others self-congratulatory, it is ludicrous. Yet other pacifists
may argue, “We don’t want a discussion, we want an
“˜impartial court’ to arbitrate the
“˜differences’ between the two parties.” That
might make sense if the “rape” were over, but this is
not the case as far as America’s dealings with terrorism is
concerned. Rather, the present situation relates more to that of a
young college girl finding herself caught in a room with a bunch of
horny, drunk and violent boys. One in which the girl, having
already been mutilated a few times, is tied down while the others
continue to take their turns ravaging her.

Would the pacifists condemn the girl if she were to pick up the
lamp on the night stand and smash it on one of the boy’s
heads? What if she already did try to talk to them, but all her
pleas, crying and screaming did not change anything? Should she
continue to lie passively as each individual takes his turn at
her?

Following the pacifist credence, one would have to lie there and
allow the rape to occur, not fight back, just talk, calmly trying
to “discuss” the situation with the rapist. Any sane
individual can easily see the lunacy in such demands.

“But this is a different situation than murder!”
Yes, it is, I must concur. But what has happened to several
thousand people across the United States, Yemen and Israel, is much
worse.

“But this is different Allen!”

Why? The World Trade Center was bombed back in 1993. The country
followed your credence and turned the other way. Then a military
ship was bombed in Yemen, killing and injuring many. Again, we
turned our heads. Now, the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and
another airplane have all been destroyed and with them, several
thousand people plunged and burned to their deaths. Yet people
continue to oppose U.S. retaliation.

If we do not pick the lamp off the night stand and stop this
horror, then our destruction will be because we, rather than our
rapists, have tied ourselves to the bed posts.