AS Jim Dodrill (CL 4/11/01) quite rightly said, revenge is not the way of Christ.
However, he overlooked another very important point. Christ consistently avoided falling into traps set by the Pharisees and other authorities because he was very knowledgeable in relation to the Scriptures. In other words, he was well researched and well informed. Mr Dodrill would appear to fall a little short in that regard.
I have followed events following September 11 very closely, but there was always a possibility that I might have overlooked something. However, not even the most diligent search on my part could unearth a single skerrick of evidence to support his view that President Bush decreed that Osama bin Laden was to be brought in dead or alive while the FBI could find no evidence to link anyone involved with the World Trade Centre attack to either Afghanistan or Osama bin Laden.
By the time Bush made his demands to the Taliban in his speech to a joint sitting of Congress on September 20, there was a considerable amount of evidence collected to link a number of hijackers to bin Laden in some way. The actual call to bring him in dead or alive was still a few days off.
It should also be remembered that citizens from up to 80 other countries, including our own, lost their lives in those attacks. One bright spot in these depressing events is that nations that have not talked to each other in years are doing so now.
Relations between the United States and China were very tense at the beginning of the year because of an incident involving a spy plane. Now those two nations are working together, in different ways, but together. This is so of other nations whose citizens lost their lives. European nations, in particular, regarded these attacks as aimed as much at them as at America. Why should we not feel the same?
There have been no direct or deliberate attacks on the citizens of Afghanistan, though the Americans have acknowledged some mistakes, so I cannot see how Mr Dodrill can speak of lies. The Taliban, given its appalling human rights record well before the attacks, can hardly be regarded as a credible source of information.
I have noted how little attention is given to the fact that the Taliban is firing at the US planes and at the Northern Alliance, so at least some civilian casualties may have resulted from those sources. Also, very little is said about the food drops made by the Americans, as well as bombs.
Some people are so hell-bent on spreading terror throughout the world that not even the most perfect world would stop them in their tracks. President Bush described them correctly as flat evil.
Yasser Arafat is on record for having slapped bin Laden down for attempting to link the Palestinian cause with his.
We should remember that some action must be taken against terrorists, and not just militarily. The war is being conducted on a number of fronts, including financial, diplomatic, the intelligence scene and so on.
No, we must not become as bad or worse than the original terrorists. But it is also true that all that is necessary for evil to triumph is that good men (and women) do nothing.
And one of the most important things we can do is to follow Christ’s example in ensuring that we are well informed, not only in this issue, but any of those affecting our spiritual and temporal well-being.
KATHY BOX Goomboorian, Qld
