SOS! Save Our Souls!

     Among the messages expressing support for my SOS! campaign is one from Fay Afaf Kanafani, who describes herself as a concerned grandmother. I quote from it:
     "In as large, and as powerful a country as the States, one would expect a more serious commitment from our scholars and philosophers when backing up our politicians and leaders. What is needed now is to draw a thick line between what is freedom of speech and what is criminal corruption. The soft hint, and the slap on the hand will never work to save our children from falling down to the bottom of that globe of superpowership. Those your message refers to as invoking God's Order to cover their poisoning acts, are already believing they are god themselves. Freedom is as sharp as a knife, and can be as fatal if in the wrong hands.


     My comment: The West, particularly the United States, is drunk with 80-proof freedom, and behaves accordingly. It should add many cubes of the cold ice of responsibility and sober up. The right for a militia to bear arms does not mean that anyone if free to tote a gun. Freedom of expression does not mean that Hollywood can make millions from films which lie and promote violence. Freedom of assembly does not mean that a crowd can wreak havoc and wreck the life of a community with destructive demonstrations, which incidentally convince no one. They are intended to terrorize, not to convince. The critics of WTO had a good case, and it could best have been made in a town-hall style meeting. Stop the freedom mantra! The times call for responsibility.

Ronald Hilton - 12/13/99