For weeks prior to Independence Day 2002, we were subjected to rumors of an all-out attack against “critical targets” on our soil by those dastardly enemies of freedom who wish to see us all dead or converted to Islam. Now, as the one highly publicized “attack” of that day is still under debate about whether or not the perpetrator was actually connected to terrorist organizations, we are once again barraged with the predictions of the prophets of doom for the upcoming anniversary of last year’s September attacks. Right on cue, we have leaked reports of various sources’ predictions that America will be put through a wringer and sentenced to hell on earth.
We have no way of knowing how many attempts have been made to plant the seeds of that “hell” but we have to assume that there have been many. In fact, “our security boys” might just be more on the ball than any of us can possibly imagine. We do know that many government abductions have taken place, which have insulted the sensibilities of civil libertarians and conservative patriots alike, and that those detainees are now languishing in any number of various situations and continuing to spew forth “credible evidence” of this threat or that threat against American targets. We also know that foreign and domestic intelligence sources continue to reap the fertile threats of various terrorist nation leaders indirectly and directly via “officials” in and out of the loop in those nations.
All eyes and ears have been trained on Hussein and his bunch from the outset, and reciprocity threats have been aimed in that direction to be sure. Now we are evidently in a waiting game to see who throws the first real punch. Terminology such as, the “Bush Wars,” is being used to compare what was with what might be. Gung ho patriotic military types over here and sore loser religious idiots over there have sunk to the same level of mud slinging in an attempt to get their respective populations behind any real maneuvers they may choose to engage in. Truth be told, any self-respecting terrorist who chooses to remain in Hussein Land has got to be several cards short of a deck – but then, I guess if you’ve got enough Jokers is doesn’t really matter.
One thing we have to remember as we go forth and fight this War On Terrorism, the other side is not judging success by the same criteria that we are. Negotiations over such components as “collateral damage” are idiotic between adversaries who place value on human life at such despairingly different levels. “Worth more dead than alive” is a label that has already been rewarded with payoffs to the survivors of Islamic suicide warriors, and pre-ordained by their own ultimate reward in the hereafter. It’s no contest for our “preserve life at any cost” credo.
To put the situation in terms that we may better understand, the whole thing can be summed up with a bear robbing a honeycomb. He knows he’s going to get stung, but if he wants to eat bad enough, he’ll do it anyway because he figures he won’t die from the attack. The bees, on the other hand, know they will die after they sting, but it is a pre-ordained and glorious death in defense of their queen. Both are pretty hopeless outlooks when we can determine that the bear is allergic to bee stings and will also die. Making that determination just might involve exposing the bear to a “controlled sting” with an antidote standing by. Perhaps that is what the hesitation and the leaking and the veiled and unveiled threats have been all about.
The “nuke ’em first and ask questions later” crowd have a valid point, but if they prevail, there will be no “honey” and the bear may starve anyway. Eradicating the bee population is not a choice that true professional “honey growers” are likely to make. They, after all, are one step up the ladder from any animal species and have “reason” in their tool chests along with the claws and teeth. They choose instead to cloak themselves in protective clothing before encountering the bees. They get the honey and the bees go on to produce more. It has worked for countless years.
The point of this little adventure into analogical symbolism is to show that the higher intellect working in concert with a more honorable goal, and attention to details can produce a more desirable outcome of a seemingly unsolvable situation. All we have to worry about is the ability of those in both camps to intellectually assess the situation and determine the most desirable outcome. There’s where we are left almost entirely in the dark. Are there actually “think tanks” on both sides of the world that have the capability of using the appropriate tool of reasoning, or are they composed of only members of a “lower order” that lack that tool?
Have we cleared one hurdle only to be “out of breath” when we reach the next? Is the situation so vastly different from the simplistic one I have outlined above? Do the bees think the bear will die from a few stings? Is the bear allergic or not? What wins out in the end – honor or unrestrained ferocity? I don’t really know, but I hope there are people out there actually asking and trying to answer these questions, don’t you?