"J. R. Molloy" wrote:
>
> From: "Mike Lorrey" <mlorrey@datamann.com>
> > Debatable, JR. Many of the bin Laden types are Saudi citizens or
> > ex-citizens. Them being pissed at our support of the Saud family could
> > rationally be looked at in the same light as the degree to which many of
> > us looked at the Communist Chinese government support of the Clinton
> > Administration.
>
> Well, I guress there's quite a difference in the degree of extremism involved.
> Didn't hear about any Americans going ape and committing atrocities in
> Beijing.
That's right, fortunately because we have things like a free press (for
whoever owns a press) and the impeachment process to help people vent
out more than is likely under a more authoritarian regieme. If you are
prevented from openly parodying, satirizing, lampooning, and
investigating your leaders, those most opposed to them are more likely
to stew in their juices until they are motivated to commit greater
action (especially if they are stripped of citizenship and deported).
It's bad enough that McVeigh's act was essentially an anti-Clinton act
(though he had inherited an ATF gone out of control). We did see more
violent acts by individuals against the federal government during his
administration than in several decades.
Why no acts against Beijing? Easy: they live in a totalitarian society.
Outside of, say, bombing one of their embassies elsewhere, there is
little that people can do to them, unless you attack Chinese owned
assets here in the US.
>
> > I'm sure that there are many Saudi citizens that wish
> > they had a process like impeachment. Only a few are evidently willing to
> > resort to violence instead. What bothers me is that they attack us
> > rather than the Saudi family itself. Why do we not see more anti-Saud
> > terrorism in Arabia itself? Perhaps it is because violence against
> > infidels is far more acceptable than against other believers.
>
> It doesn't seem likely to me that Saudi citizens were involved in the
> religious fanatic terrorism of September 11, 2001. Do you think British eyes
> see it like that?
According to the FBI there were in fact a number of Saudi citizens
involved in the 9-11 events, though there is some question as to whether
those were the real ids of the perps or not.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Fri Oct 12 2001 - 14:40:56 MDT