I am deeply concerned about several things related to the conduct of
the
"War On Terror."
First, the Attorney General's authorizing the arrest of thousands of
‘suspects' without any evidence or cause other than their being
of Middle
Eastern origin, along with their continued internment without cause,
is a
grave violation of one of the most important principles at the basis
of our
form of government.
Second, the reports of the use of torture on some of these prisoners,
including the death of at least one of them whose body revealed broken
bones and bruises indicative of violent treatment, is a violation
of law and the agreements that the U.S. is bound to. I consider such
actions as detestable as the crimes of those who attacked the World
Trade Center, and even more so, since they set precedent for the
DESTRUCTION OF OUR COUNTRY FROM WITHIN by the leaders who have been
entrusted to uphold law. If such behavior is tolerated and not punished
to the full limit of the law, the terrorists will have succeeded
in their intentions.
Third, the actions of the Israeli government against the Palestinian
people, both in the East Bank Region and in the Gaza Strip, are in my
estimation nothing less than state-sponsored terrorism.
I am appalled that the U.S. not only condones but actively supports these
gross injustices by contributing weapons and other equipment as well
as
monetary support to these actions. I have recently viewed segments of
the
newly released film "Gaza Strip", which presents clear
information that the
Israelis have systematically and intentionally terrorized, including
the
use of outlawed toxic gases on one town in a recent action, a people
that
have practically nothing,. What is more, the indictment of the Israeli
president as a war criminal responsible for the deaths of hundreds of
innocent Palestinian civilians some years ago calls for serious examination
of our current policies in relation to Israel.
What gives me grave concern in all the talk about our war on terrorism
is
that the U.S. may well find itself sinking into a shameful state of
world-wide reprobation as itself a sponsor of terrorism, condemning only
those forms that are not in its interest. If we condemn and seek to
eliminate terrorist actions, as we rightly should, then we cannot
hypocritically select only certain forms of it. It must be rooted out
in
all its forms, including any terrorist actions taken by states useful
to
our nation, as well as by our government or its agents or citizens.
You have tremendous power to influence the future of this country and
humanity towards a condition of peace based on justice and law. I urge
you to use it fully to your capacity.
Sincerely yours,
Theodore L. Kneupper
Department of Philosophy
Slippery Rock University
Slippery Rock, PA 16057