About 10-12 years ago my mother read the entire Koran, an English translation of course. After she was done she informed us that we should all be very concerned about the Arab world and Islamic fundamentalists. We all said "Okay Mom", and then went on about our business. The current world climate implies that perhaps my dear old mom was on to something, but the cause and effect may be much different from what she envisioned.

I don't profess to know much about Islam or the Arab culture, but I am certain that being human, they have hopes, dreams, goals and aspirations like any dyed-in-the-wool, red-blooded, patriotic American does. The problem is that the vast majority of Arabs are materially poor, have few rights and personal freedoms as we know them, and they are raised in a society that values above all else loyalty and blind allegiance to their religious leaders and whatever rhetoric they spew forth. The western world is viewed as decadent, and the heart and soul of western civilization is the USA. From a fundamentalist Islamic perspective it must be downright painful to share the planet with us Westerners. And when the people you abhor seem to have everything while your people are trying to survive any number of hardships that most Americans can't even imagine, well, it's very easy to see how we have reached the current state of affairs on Mother Earth. They want what we have, power & control (albeit in their own vision) and would wipe us clean from the face of the planet if they could. There are many among us who would do the same if it weren't for civilized conventions that dictate otherwise. On top of the naturally occurring clash of cultures, we have been meddling in Arab affairs for years to facilitate our way of life, i.e., the free and unhindered flow of black gold, Texas tea. Imagine if Iran or Saudi Arabia was doing the same to us! The question "Who's right and who's wrong" doesn't even apply here. Regardless of which side of the fence you reside on, you're being fueled by the same motivations once you scrape off the cultural superficiality. We are all humans, and it's luck of the draw where one is born, and therefore what we become. My nephew and niece, Korean by birth, but raised in the heart of Iowa culture and Iowan to the bone, are living proof that we are a product of our environment. We are all who we are because of our life experience and our role modeling. Very few of us ever break out of the box into which we're born, and perhaps if we do, we don't readily admit to seeing the other guy's viewpoint for fear of retribution from our cultural brothers and sisters. Ultimately we do have to defend ourselves at some level as the cultural voids that separate the people of this planet will always be there to some degree. However, the term "Defending the American way of life" causes me some discomfort, because at some level not so far below the surface our way of life, and the measures taken to keep it chugging along, keep the pot boiling to the point of overflowing. We forget that we live in a glass house with the rest of humanity watching our every move. Consider that as you go about your daily routine, and then think about what our foreign policy must say to all the other humans in far away lands who are directly impacted by it every waking moment. No wonder we are hated so much, and it's hard for me to say anymore that "they" have it coming, or that spreading democracy is the way to save the world. Ultimately, it is important to remember that propaganda is everywhere, whether it's some desolate Third-world nation, or our own backyard.

Maybe Bill Maher is on to something, get all the young Arab males laid on a regular basis. And while we're at it we may as well get and keep them stoned, and teach them to play a musical instrument because musicians never start wars. Maybe we should teach them about art & literature, and get them on a well balanced diet, a 40 hour work week and 2 weeks paid vacation each year. Maybe if they had pets who got regular visits to the vet they'd learn how to care for each other and us also. If only they were Americans...

"What the catepillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls a butterfly".
-Richard Bach-