Many Ways To Win

There are many ways to win a war besides the obvious. There is a mental battle going on also, a battle of spirit. If two ultimate fighters are going at it in the ring, both dudes get beat up and do some beating, one wins on points, thus winning the match, but he also dies at the hospital later; a loser to attrition. Win the match but you lose your life...who is the winner then.

I just read the CNN article Heavy Security...and thought, "Are they winning?" Sure Seal Team 6 just executed dude and news reports, seemingly, update the public weekly on the next in command and the next in command getting whomped on. But are things getting better or are they getting worse (haven't done this one in a while)? Supposedly, we are scaling back on the occupation thingy (good), but are we really going to leave (bad). When I read articles like this...I think for the worse.

"A heavy security presence permeated lower Manhattan on Sunday, the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, as authorities continued their search for possible plotters of another terrorist strike.

Information considered credible but unconfirmed indicated up to three attackers could be trying to use an explosives-laden vehicle for an attack in New York or Washington, according to various sources. Authorities stressed that while they were taking information of a possible attack plot seriously, there was no evidence so far that an actual terrorist operation was underway.

"Again, it's not confirmed yet, but we're not relaxing at all."

 federal security agents -- some wearing body armor -- deployed in the area.

Roads were blocked and police checkpoints for both vehicles and pedestrians surrounded the memorial, with backpacks checked by bomb-sniffing dogs and put through x-ray machines.

Two of the three individuals believed to be involved in the potential plot on the 9/11 anniversary are Americans of Arab descent who traveled to the United States last week, 

However, another law enforcement official said there is no evidence so far that any of the three individuals came to the United States or are here now.

No other corroborating evidence of an attack has been uncovered, 

Three stolen trucks were added to a New York Police Department database because of the threat, said Deputy Police Commissione

Two of the trucks were owned by a construction company that operates at the World Trade Center site. They were reported stolen over a week ago and had about $70,000 worth of tools on them, Kelly noted.

A Transportation Security Administration statement said the security steps were taken "out of an abundance of caution."

Police also were sweeping parking garages for explosives and using digital license plate readers to check for stolen vehicles, officials said (CNN)."

Paranoid much. Sure we have been safe since the attacks (and I totally appreciate that)...but at what price. The simultaneous wars on foreign soil has depleted money that could have gone to other endeavors, the country is polarized and, seemingly, growing further and further apart. The war on terror is so far reaching that it can be associated with many issues, everything from gun control to immigration. Are we living in fear or is fear a fabrication of the media, or is it a little bit of both. Regardless, there is palatable tension in the air.

The only thing we can do, both individually and collectively, is have hope. The terrorist, the government and the media...they can't take away hope. 

* CNN article

"Sacred Motivation"

Have I ever mentioned that I heart Religion News Service (like, a million times, right). Good articles and a good daily news roundup and, there is always an 'and', and they have a fair share of the lady writers-which is always a good thingy. Any who, today's article Does Religion Cause Terrorism? It's Complicated is about the influence that good 'ol faith has on making human bombs and such. Their conclusion, yes and no. Good article and all that shit, but I want to talk about what they didn't talk about.

One of the persons interviewed said the relationship is "neither the chicken or the egg when it comes to terrorists." If fact most of the peeps interviewed said the same: sure religion is a factor, but there are others like, economics, psychology and politics. Which is true, but-there is also always a 'but'-but what about when there is a direct relationship.

The writer of the article, the peeps interviewed and observers in general always seem to play a numbers game with religion and religious violence. Most Muslims are not terrorist, most Christians are good people that do not subscribe to dominionism. Sure that is true, but so what. What is this astrology? Are we only going to count the 'hits' and not the 'misses.' or visa versa. While the number of religious terrorists in an entire population of believers may be small...it still only takes one human bomb to fuck shit up.

Hutaree is my "favorite" Christian terrorist group.

Another point the article does not bring up is the motivation to commit religious violence. That guy, D'nesh D'Souza, once said in a debate with the mighty Christopher "Our Hero" Hitchens that Israel Palestine is all about land, and he is correct, but...Why? It is because their particular good book says Gawd said it is OK to go all gang-star and just take over the land. Why is dominionism in the news lately, because Bachmann's and Perry's Gawd says, in their particular good book, that they are ordained and justified in... ruling the world. Sure politics, psychology and economics play important roles, but it is bronze age books intended to control the illiterate masses of the past that give believers today the justification to commit religious violence.

The nature of extremist religion is elitist. It is us v. them and ya know what, our Gawd said we are better than others, so we are gonna take your land, rule over you, hate on my preppy good looking GLBT homies and treat women like cattle-not necessarily in that order. As of now, I'm still an acomodationalist atheist, not a full fledged angry atheist, and I do acknowledge that there are many good religious folk out there, but so what. When the conversation is about religious violence we don't need to focus on those peeps (unless the topic is who should help combat terrorism), we need to focus on...the terrorist and what motivates them. What motivates them...their particular good books.

* Check out the epic sounding titles of books by people interviewed in the article (the article that is very good even tho it  didn't talk about everything-which is impossible anyways...)

The missing martyrs: Why there are so few Muslim terrorists.
Terror in the mind of God: The global rise of religious violence.
The myth of religious violence.
Blood that cries out from the earth.
Dying for heaven: holy pleasure and suicide bombers.
Terror in the name of god.
When religion becomes lethal.

If that is not the most epic and heavy sounding books, than I do not know what is. I'm currently reading a book called The Longships and it is fiction, semi historical and about...Vikings. So awesome buddies.