An FmH reader wrote me, in part,

I am curious and bothered by your comment that you don’t agree with the comment

that “we are the real terrorists and got what we deserved and its hypocritical to

think otherwise.” Seems to me and a lot of the radical left (Chomsky, Zinn, the

usual suspects) that there is no question that we supply more terror and

possibilities and support for terror than anyone else in the world. I don’t get how

you can say you don’t think we deserve it. I believe that the American people have

been tacitly supporting our foreign policy for decades without directly and

powerfully saying “I will not let this stand!”

I’m going to respond publicly both because I should clarify what I meant, and because the email address to which I tried to reply privately had permanent fatal errors. I realize that one should not post someone else’s private correspondence without prior permission, but at least I’m maintaining the writer’s anonymity.

I did not mean to disagree with the premise that the US is the world’s major exporter of terrorism. US officials decrying terrorism are indeed, inherently, hypocrites in this respect. The part of the syllogism which I cannot abide is that there was anything deserved about such indiscriminate civilian carnage. The tacit support shown by the American people for our policies is innocent, ignorant, pitiful or even contemptible, I’m convinced, rather than malevolent. They are inherently victims, not perpetrators, and were so long before any hijacked airliners smashed through their office windows and incinerated them or crushed them beneath tons of rubble.

Understand I’m a psychiatrist, I believe in unconscious motivations.Readers of FmH know that one of my enduring subtexts is the unmasking of covert control, and a word count of my postings would show the simple but profound word “thoughtful” to have great prominence. People largely do not know why they do the things they do without insightful introspection (“consciousness-raising”), and the manipulation of their opinions, the exploitation and cultivation of that inherent ignorance largely precludes such introspection. It is the major tool of social control in modern capitalist society, which I think (in contrast to the clumsiness of the 20th century’s experimentation with totalitarian dictatorships) has perfected social control through mind control in a transparent, Orwellian sense, brilliant for the ways in which it leaves people thinking they are agents with freedom and free will. It’s damned difficult to awaken from the cultural trance (and I’m not trying to come off with anything like the hubristic claim that I’m one of the awakened!) It’s as if, if the public were an individual criminal on trial for a heinous crime, they should be found incompetent to stand trial and not responsible for their actions. They certainly would not deserve the death sentence.

By the way, I’ve also gotten alot of mail objecting to my position that we should rein in our vengeful bloodlust. If I were not already overcome with sorrow, this would make me very sad… In like fashion to what I’ve said above, while I think the perpetrators of these acts must be hunted down, as should those who have directly, culpably harbored them, given them aid and comfort, we would be perpetuating the ascendency of terrorism and evil in the world to wage war on the civilian populace of Afghanistan or whichever people against whom we decide to vent our collective spleen. I fear this is what the dangerous incompetent in the White House, or his handlers, intend in proclaiming a policy of ‘ending states’ that sponsor terrorism.

“If there are Americans clamoring to bomb Afghanistan back to the Stone Age, they ought to know that this nation does not have so far to go. This is a post-apocalyptic place of felled cities, parched land and downtrodden people”, said Barry Bearak in yesterday’s New York Times. While I suspect the cynics will see the Taliban plea to the U.S. not to bomb Afghanistan as a self-serving attempt to exploit American bleeding-heart compassion only, we should have the courage to remain more compassionate than our enemies.

“AlterNet believes that millions of Americans, while outraged and

disgusted, are wary of the vengeful rhetoric that many politicians

and pundits have adopted. Therefore, we have put together a series

of articles to provoke thoughtful debate and healing, rather than

hasty scapegoating and revenge.” And another

Thoughtful Response to Tuesday’s Terrorism: “Tuesday’s catastrophic events in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania left the world in shock. We offer here a package of reporting, analysis, opinions, and resources designed to help you sort it all out.” Utne Reader

It just occurs to me to say: I apologize to any of you who, usually enjoying FmH’s diversity and variety, are disappointed by my one-track mind in recent days. It goes without saying, I hope — I can’t think of anything else just now…