Augusta,

Good to hear from you. As I think with most people this week I was shocked, saddened and sickened by the events of Black Tuesday. It's good for the U.S. not to feel alone at this time. I've actually done virtually no work over the past 4 days, but spent my time reflecting, praying, and watching much of the 24 hour news coverage.

I think you're absolutely right, the situation calls for calm response from the world's statesmen and women. My fear is that Bush is not up to this task and that reprisals may repay violence for violence, and therefore further the injustice. It's instinctive and understandable to bay for blood - I grew up in Northern Ireland and know all about that - but I think there are huge moral and political questions that need to be asked of this type of response, and so it cannot be excused without some serious moral pleading. Actually, reflecting on some of the political rhetoric coming from both the U.S.A. and the U.K. (that those who entertain, and support the perpetrators are to be held accountable) made me think about the N. Irish troubles. I can remember that it was not very long ago that the U.S.A. offered sanctuary to known and wanted I.R.A. terrorists, and N. America have been prominent in raising funds for the I.R.A. (NORAID). Does that mean that the world community should inflict reprisals on the U.S.A.? It does force me to pause and ask about the naïveté of a certain kind of rhetoric (or perhaps it is not naïve at all – it could be part of a cleverly orchestrated propagandist appeal to our baser instincts, designed to convince us of the righteousness of our cause without driving us to reflect more carefully).

It may sound strange, but I feel I've been fortunate in growing up through the N. Irish troubles and been able to come through them without believing strongly in the various political options fought over. What this has done has been to open my eyes to the ways in which we deceive ourselves over our beliefs (political, religious, irreligious, moral, etc.), open ourselves to the weight of propaganda, fall for dangerous and simplistic slogans, and fail to put in serious and painfully honest thinking.

I've been amazed, shocked and disappointed with the rhetoric from many of the American and British politicians

• words suggesting that we and our ways of life are 'free' and 'civilised' (would the poor on our street corners say the same, or those in the third world who pay the price for western greed and over-consumption?),
• the simplistic appeal to innocence (is it not the case that American [and Bt.] activities been complicit in brewing Middle Eastern hatreds? - this certainly does not excuse the behaviour of those who have taken life),
• or the rather free use of religious language and the appeal to prayer (when it suits us, and therefore God becomes an object of our [mis-]use for filling the gaps in our various needs and emotions).

I hope that my own rant makes sense, and helps to make us suspicious of what is happening, while encouraging us to be compassionate to those suffering and to seek justice in our world on their behalf. My hope is that justice may be done, but what is just may only be known to God. May we be forgiven for our careless presumptiousness that God's will is easily displayed and interpreted by us. May we also grieve over the death of ANY human being, even the terrorists (they are no less the creatures of God as we are) as we bring those who fund and perpetrate acts of terrorism to account. To do this is our primary loyalty – loyalty to the creatures that we have been made a part of, and responsible for, even as we are co-workers with them.

Best wishes,

John

mcdowell@div.ed.ac.uk

http://www.div.ed.ac.uk/contact/staff_pages/j_mcdowell.htm

http://www.oocities.org/johnnymcdowell/johnmcdowells_page.html