Return-Path: <sentto-279987-2008-1000818375-fc=all.net@returns.onelist.com> Delivered-To: fc@all.net Received: from 204.181.12.215 by localhost with POP3 (fetchmail-5.1.0) for fc@localhost (single-drop); Tue, 18 Sep 2001 06:07:10 -0700 (PDT) Received: (qmail 24643 invoked by uid 510); 18 Sep 2001 13:06:33 -0000 Received: from n15.groups.yahoo.com (216.115.96.65) by 204.181.12.215 with SMTP; 18 Sep 2001 13:06:33 -0000 X-eGroups-Return: sentto-279987-2008-1000818375-fc=all.net@returns.onelist.com Received: from [10.1.1.221] by ml.egroups.com with NNFMP; 18 Sep 2001 13:06:18 -0000 X-Sender: ellisd@cs.ucsb.edu X-Apparently-To: iwar@yahoogroups.com Received: (EGP: mail-7_3_2_2); 18 Sep 2001 13:06:14 -0000 Received: (qmail 21822 invoked from network); 18 Sep 2001 13:06:13 -0000 Received: from unknown (10.1.10.26) by 10.1.1.221 with QMQP; 18 Sep 2001 13:06:13 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO n16.groups.yahoo.com) (10.1.1.34) by mta1 with SMTP; 18 Sep 2001 13:06:16 -0000 X-eGroups-Return: ellisd@cs.ucsb.edu Received: from [10.1.10.101] by mo.egroups.com with NNFMP; 18 Sep 2001 13:06:16 -0000 To: iwar@yahoogroups.com Message-ID: <9o7gs6+oik9@eGroups.com> User-Agent: eGroups-EW/0.82 X-Mailer: eGroups Message Poster X-Originating-IP: 128.29.4.1 From: ellisd@cs.ucsb.edu Mailing-List: list iwar@yahoogroups.com; contact iwar-owner@yahoogroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list iwar@yahoogroups.com Precedence: bulk List-Unsubscribe: <mailto:iwar-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com> Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2001 13:06:14 -0000 Reply-To: iwar@yahoogroups.com Subject: [iwar] A Modest Proposal Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Would it be cheaper and more effective to make friends than destroy enemies? We are combating an interpretation of an ideology moreso than we are fighting people or an organization. If we destroy the organization (lets just optimistically assume that we can), another will just replace it, like a weed-infested garden. Another approach might be to invite the peoples of the nations on the "black list" to come visit us for a few weeks/months. We could provide government-funded airline tickets (no complaints from the airline industry and hurting economy) for any citizen of those nations and put them up in hotels all across America for several weeks. We could sponsor tours of our monuments, living elements and representatives of our culture and way of life. Who knows, they might even change their minds about the "big devil." They would learn about us, and we about them. Fears would dwindle. More importantly, they would estrange themselves from or refine the ideology. They would destroy the threat. Sure, some will remain hardened and loyal to the adversarial disposition of enmity. They may even continue to cause some real damage for a period of time. But they will be disenfranchised and will loose the support that they so much depend on. The very nature of the soil would change to support the growth of understanding and tolerance. Now, admittedly, I am naive (all grad students are). I am also angry and hurt but what happened last week. But maybe another approach would more effectively heal the wound and prevent further injury. P.S. -- This is not an attempt to defame the revered Jonathon Swift ------------------ http://all.net/ Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.2 : 2001-09-29 21:08:44 PDT