tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8250013.post112117828022210702..comments2023-10-06T12:28:48.452-04:00Comments on Spinning Clio: Iraq: Terrorist Flypaper or Terrorism's "Cassus beli"?Marchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263223781051175207noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8250013.post-1121254461488817852005-07-13T07:34:00.000-04:002005-07-13T07:34:00.000-04:00Should there be another attack on domestic America...Should there be another attack on domestic America, such things as you list are possible. But the fact that many are aware of the very history to which you point can provide a check on the excesses you note. (Note the furor over Michelle Malkin's attempt to legitimize the Japanese Internment of WWII). I also seriously doubt that any sort of "Americanization" program would fly in this age of multiculturalism. <BR/><BR/>What I do fear is that many of those who (rightly) oppose government overreach have themselves neither factored in the wartime setting nor properly gauged the intensity of their response to perceived governmental abuses. (Part of this is probably due to the equation of Bush Admin=US Gov't. The innate antipathy felt by many for the former is reflected in a distrust of the latter). All of their hyperbolic, conspiracy-tinged warnings over the "true" motivations behind the Patriot Act has had an affect akin to the boy who cried "Wolf"! As such, if the governmental wolves really do come, few may be willing to listen.Marchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09263223781051175207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8250013.post-1121242489307388932005-07-13T04:14:00.000-04:002005-07-13T04:14:00.000-04:00It is just beginning to dawn upon the public that ...It is just beginning to dawn upon the public that in today's world the dangers associated with warfare are likely to be borne more by civilian populations than by the military. This comes as quite a shock to Americans who have long felt themselves safe behind the oceanic barriers. Wars are no longer something fought "over there" from which we can safely extricate ourselves leaving behind a "bloody mess" [Kissinger's term] for someone else to clean up. How will the public respond? The one pertinent historical example is not encouraging. In response to the wave of domestic terrorism at the turn of the 20th century we saw immigration restriction, "Americanization programs," targeting of racial and ethnic minorities, the "Red Scare" and a host of other distasteful policies.D. B. Lighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05663484917515894917noreply@blogger.com