Excuse Makers

I get almost daily emails from Mother Jones or Fair.org and often I don't really read them. After all, I get Mother Jones magazine, and Fair, while reporting on the inconsistancies and biases of the media, just doesn't always grab my attention (although I love their T-Shirts).

But today, as I take a much-needed break from all of my CEEH duties (mass mailings, letter typing, editing, etc) I decided to browse through it.

Of course I instantly become incredulous and irked. New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman thinks that the State Department should keep a list of "Excuse Makers" who respond to acts of terrorism with reasoned opinions as to the causes that led to the act. According to Friedman, such people are nearly as bad as the terrorists themselves. I must say I am amused by his theory that terrorism occurs in a vaccuum with no connections to the actual world.

Admitedly, most people find the logic of those who use terror tactics to be twisted--but they have a logic and they have their reasons. Those reasons (unjustified) are not created out of the ether (does Friendman know that ether has been proved false?) but out of real world circumstances (and then those circumstances are twisted into a story the terrorists find convincing--much as tabloids take facts--well, sometimes they start with facts--and then turn them into amazing fiction).

According to Friedman's definition of who these Excuse Makers are who need to be watched, I should be on that list (hey, it's a big job to compile such a list, I might as well be patriotic and do my part). I add my name quite proudly, really (my mother has been accusing of me of being an exuse maker for years, although admittedly for much more mundane reasons).

Also, I think that every American needs to go out and (re)read Catch 22. Recently, I've noticed that I hear stories about people and happenings connected with Iraq, Iran, North Vietnam, etc, and I can immediately connect them to a corresponding chapter or paragraph within Catch 22. That book was written, what, 50 years ago? That we haven't managed to overcome any of the idiocies Heller highlighted is really quite depressing.