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Opinions of my friends' objecting the military option

 

This site condemns the atrocity against humanity and civilization
that took place in the USA on 11 Spt., 2001.

 

I received an e-mail message from my friend in the United States that says

"If the following message reflects your thinking, please sign and forward as outlined at the bottom of the list.  It has been forwarded from others around the country.

'A great tragedy has befallen our nation. A catastrophe that leaves none of our lives untouched. Many innocent lives were lost due to a senseless act of terror and violence. Although this horrific event may outrage many, and rightly so, it cannot be justified or corrected through more violence.Another senseless act in retaliation will not repair the damage done, nor bring back those who were lost. It will only perpetuate a violent, barbaric cycle fueled by hatred and ignorance.

The perpetrators of these crimes must be caught and brought to justice, but without the continued loss of innocent life.

President Bush,
We the undersigned encourage you to take responsible, peaceful action in bringing the terrorists to justice. Please seriously consider the negative ramifications of continued killing and perpetuating the cycle of violence.

Although many lives have already been lost, MANY MORE CAN STILL BE SAVED."


To avoid double-countings of signatures, I asked my friends in Japan to inform whether they like to sign this messge. I received many answering e-mails of "agree," and some of them were with their opinions on the subject. I thought these opinions must be published. Receiving permissions of the authors, here I open this page. I thank all of those who obligingly permitted this attempt, which, I hope, must be one of significant embodiments of "freedom and democracy." To avoid any trouble may cause in the future, I withhold their names. The original opinions are in Japanese and I translated into English. So it is my responsibility if some expression in English sound strange. The last one is original in English as it is from another country.

An Opinion of Webmaster
As stated above, the affairs that took place in the USA on 11, Sep., 2001 is the act of atrocity and the perpetrtors of these crime must be caught and brought to justice. But I think military actions of the retaliations/"sanctions" must not be taken. An act of terrorism is the ultimate weapon of those in despairing conditions like poverty and depressions when they are cornered. The motive power of the action is sorrow followed by anger. If it is true, as media say, that their religion led to the act of the atrocity, it is very symbolic: people in despairing circumstances tend to find the way out in god, the existance beyond human intelligence. And they committed the suicide attack to the United States which has strong forces and which used them so often as the act of sanctions. This fact means that they realize that their conditions will never be worse even if bombs rain over their family and friends. From this point of view, the military option like huge air-raid pose the following problems:
  1. The mitivation is same as terrorism. If the USA calls itself "right," it should, ethically, not take the same act as "evils."
  2. Forces cannot destroy terrorism. Military actions cannot get rid of povery, depression and sorrow of people.
  3. It raises new terrorism. Deaths of innocent common people raise sorrow and anger that are the root of terrorism. Their desperation must not be spread.
  4. It aggravate the discrimination, a cradle of terrorism. The discriminative idea like "they may be under poverty and in depression" is the fundamental cause of terrorism. The idea shall be encouraged by the frame of "right" and "evil" and they despair further more.

The military option worsens the situations, even though it has a very short-term effects. We must not take the action that claims much more innocent lives.

 

Opinions of my friends who signed
I agree with the idea of the messgae.
I think the operations which the United States is preparing these days is nothing more than a war and the retaliation by military power will not lead to real conclusions. The United Sates seems to send her army and it brings tremendous number of casualities on the U.S. side. I suppose that the idea of "eyes for eyes" is not of the Christian faith that most of Americans believe. I think it is not the courageous way to take a military option. A peaceful solution is it.
I will sign the message. (23 Sep)
I agree with the idea.
I wish the Japanese government advise the Bush administration to take composed and prudent response.
And I think it is the Japanese role to act as go-between and provide opprtunities of peaceful solution since the Constitution of Japan is so peace-intended. (24 Sep)
I am a captain of MD-11 jetliner. I was tremendously shocked by the acts of terrorism. I have no words to express my indignation raised by the actions in which the civil-liners (my working place) with innocent passengers and crew aboard were used as weapons. The mean terrorism like this, which values human lives nothing, must never be forgivable. This affair is marked in the human history as a stain on the beginning page of the 21st century.
It is impossible, however, to destroy a terrorism without persuing and making clear what led them to the corner and made them to take these actions. From this view point, the operations of retaliation that the United States is about to start leave nothing more than new casualities and bloody chain reactions of retaliations. Today Americans seems to be emotional with their anger toward the terrorism. I can understand their emotion, but they should react prudently. They should know only tragic result is waiting when they take the manner of "eyes to eyes, teeth to teeth." So President Bush should choose not the emotional retaliation but the solution through dialogues. (24 Sep)
I agree with the idea of the message.
So here I sign. (24 Sep)
Without questions, I cannot accept the reaction of the United States.
The military actions cannot destroy a terrorism.
I willingly agree to sign the message. (26 Sep)
I will join you.
A violent retaliation brings another violence. I definiately oppose a terrorism. But I cannot agree with the childish manner of President Bush's. There must be a reason why the United States was attacked. Without making clear why the United States was attacked and and without removing the root of the problem, a terrorism will never cease.
My colleague came from America and told "Americans began to think coolly what they should do. The air is not same as two weeks ago. The number of those who unconditionally support the military option is decreasing." The longer they take time to collect evidence, the less probability that they take military action, I wish. (25 Sep)
Thank you for the thought.
I will definitely send to the thousand of people I know.
Lets us all come together and pray for peace. (27 Sep)

 

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