The Next Great Evolution....

Today the Supreme Court announced that there was still some value to the Constitution of the United States and to our signature at the Geneva Convention. In the process, the court struck down the President's assertion that he had the right to try "Enemy Combatants" in military tribunals that do not follow the rules of our judiciary system, and were not authorized by Congress. So why is this a big deal? Well there are several reasons why (fair rights for those being held, the right to face ones accusers, etc etc), but the most important reason is that this is a major victory in the "war" against terrorism.

I know, many of you are not following me here, and those of you that fall on the right side of the political spectrum are cursing me at this moment, but it is true. Despite what Fox News, Tony Snow, Rush Limbaugh, and the rest of the Bush Administration want you to believe, holding prisoners indefinitely, convicting them in makeshift courts, and shipping them to prisons in other parts of the world to be tortured is not effective in fighting terrorism. The idea that by doing these things it will deter terrorist from attacking is ludicrous. You have a cadre of people who are so ardently and preferences entrenched in their beliefs that they are willing to die for their cause and therefore will not be deterred by this kind of treatment. On the contrary this type of treatment only helps the terrorist cause. Still not following me? Let me lay it out again.

Terrorists are helped in two ways by the recent behavior of the Bush Administration. The first and most important is that they have succeeded in their mission. They have brought about change in the American system and proven that our government and judicial systems do not work (think how happy the communist would have been if we would have began restricing markets). Secondly, our reaction to terrorists, and our continued mistreatment of Muslim civilians around the world gives terrorists everywhere a rallying cry. When I watch TV at night and see ads for the US Army that are professionally produced, using and ad agency, marketing firm, and millions of taxpayer dollars I laugh. I laugh because I know that the terrorists networks around the world don't need to go to so much trouble to recruit, they simply show speeches given by George Bush, they show the torture at Abu Graib, the killings in Haditha, and the complete breakdown of the legal process in America. There is an old saying, "Don't cut off your nose to spite your face", I never really understood it before, but I think I do now.

Now of course reading the above one some would say that I am in favor of appeasing terrorists. This is not the case, however, at some point in time we have to come to the realization that we are fighting an unconventional war and therefore must use unconventional means. I recall hearing Benjamin Netanyahu speak when I was in college. He talked about the differences between having Russia as an enemy during the Cold War and now having radical Muslims as our foes. He spoke of the Bay of Pigs and how both countries came to the realization of the consequences of mutual destruction and therefore chose not to engage. He then reminded us that radical Islamic terrorist have no fear of death, and therefore they must be dealt with in a different manner. These were interesting words coming from a hard-line hawk like Netanyahu, but he understood his enemy.

For years we have had the doctrine that we will not negotiate with terrorists. We draw the line in the sand and say that no one will hold a gun to our head. Israel has done the same since it's inception. Here we are over five decades later and Israel still experiences incidents of terrorism routinely. We have been hit by terrorist attacks in the United States, Europe continues to have to deal with violence, and the incidents of terrorism in US occupied Iraq occur everyday. What I am saying here is that we need a new strategy. Simply saying that we will not negotiate does not work. For as steadfast as we are in our beliefs, the radical Islamic are in theirs. This is a contest where someone either has to blink or there will continue to be casualties on both sides. The essence of human and cultural evolution is our ability to continuously come up with better ways to solve problems. Throughout history we have continuously improved our ability to handle difficult situations without resorting to violence. It is time for logic to intercede, for the great minds of this generation to use their gifts to bring an end to what has become the most pressing global emergency. Intelligence and ingenuity have brought the human race this far, why stop now?