IP: Two points of View from Down Under -- one pro, one con

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

> From: "John Fulton" <jfulton () westcapital com>
> To: "David Farber" <farber () cis upenn edu>
>
>
> http://news.ninemsn.com.au/sport/story_20746.asp
> Mundine says US was asking for it
>
> AUSTRALIAN BOXER ANTHONY MUNDINE SAYS THE UNITED STATES BROUGHT THE
> SEPTEMBER 11 ATTACKS ON ITSELF.
>
> Boxer and Muslim Anthony Mundine opposes Australians fighting in Afghanistan
> and says the United States brought the September 11 attacks on itself.
>
> The outspoken Mundine, who will fight for a world boxing title later this
> year, said Australians should not be involved in the war against
> terrorism....
>
>
> http://www.newaus.com.au/us284_bin_laden.html
> Has Bush outfoxed bin Laden?
> by James Henry
> New York
> TNA News with Commentary
> Thursday 27 September 2001
>
> The terrorist atrocities inflicted on the US have give rise to a new rumor
> mill that grinds out stories that range from the banal to the bizarre. But a
> story out of the Middle East has more credibility than most, particularly in
> certain quarters. Some cooler and more intelligent heads in the Arab world
> have concluded that Bush has outfoxed the fanatical bin Laden.
>
> Like all fanatics bin Laden is narrowly on his mission while being
> disconnected from the real world. Far from being the educated man he is said
> to be he, like his suicide-bombers, is remarkable ignorant of the West,
> specially the US. Although some of his followers have been educated at
> Western Universities their education has been confined to technical subjects
> like engineering. Those, for example, who attended US universities learnt
> nothing of US history or cultural values, confusing topless bars, which some
> of them enjoyed, with moral decay and lack of will. The sad fact is that
> what little they knew of US history and policies came entirely from the
> country's anti-American left, which has painted a grossly dishonest picture
> of America that neatly fitted in with these terrorists' anti-American dogma
> thus blinding them further to the political and military consequences of
> their actions.....
>
> In bin Laden's fantasy America would either respond in a Clintonesque way
> and so demonstrate to the world its cowardly nature or it would blindly
> strike out, killing hundreds if not thousands of innocents and so inflame
> the whole of the Islamic world. (Notice how closely his apocalyptic vision
> resembles the extreme left's one of a world-wide revolution against
> capitalism).
>
> He got neither. Instead of grabbing the initiative he made a terrible
> blunder. His actions pulled the US together, awakening in it a steely
> resolve that can have only one outcome. Instead of retreating or immediately
> striking out, President Bush set about building up a mighty military force
> not only to destroy bin Laden but to demonstrate to the rest of the world
> the consequences of attacking America. Afghanistan has been isolated, it's
> borders sealed.


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