The phrase 'collateral damage cannot excuse the killing of a single innocent child.
First of all, I'm running for state office, so there's a limit to how much my foreign policy views should matter. But I want to show that my political philosophy, since it is based on essential premises, covers this ground as well.
I hate war. War fuels authoritarian states. War makes government bigger, it makes us less secure, it puts the lifes of our compatriots in danger and ours as well. Is war always inevitable? No, but violence should be a recourse only when all else fails.
Follow this story: imagine a teenager in Afghanistan or Iraq, he has heard very little about the U.S., and what little he has heard is not that great. He has that angst and strength that only a teenager can have. Now, imagine his parents, brothers and sisters are killed in one of those "collateral damage" deals. How do you think he feels. How receptive do you think he is going to be next time the fundamentalists come looking for volunteers to martir themeselves in a new terrorist attack? We are creating the terrorists of the future even as we speak.
The cycle of violence I see is clear: Acts or violence are perpetrated against innocent civilians. Revenge is sought, but rarely do those directly involved get punished, instead, more innocent lives are upturned, again, revenge is sought. Because those attacking and those being attacked are always different, the cycle will never end until we decide to break it.
What happened on September 11 was not an act of war. It was an act of crime. It is important that we follow our own laws and bring to justice those we suspect of participating in this incident. We must take the high ground on this one! We must prove to those that wish us harm that we are better.
I favor a very strong reduction in our armed forces in other lands. I favor a very strong national defense. I favor an increase in spending in defensive weapons to be paid for by a huge decrease in spending in our involvment in other countries' lives.
In his farewell address George Washington warned us about involving ourselves in other nations' affairs. He knew that the consequences could be disastrous. I've seen good arguments made that were it not for our involvment in the first world war the second world war might not have happened, nor the cold war afterwards.
Be careful with the currency you are using to buy our current security from terrorism. Benjamin Franklin said it best: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
Don't embrace the symbols of liberty: the flag, the national anthem, the statue of liberty while forgetting the concepts behind the symbols: life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness. Freedom to live your life as you see fit. Liberty from government involvment in your life. Freedom to seek happiness in your own terms.
Leave in peace, and defend yourself strongly when attacked and only agaings those who attacked you.
Roberto Leibman
email: statesenate@leibman.net
web: http://www.leibman.net/statesenate2004