food for thought

[luckyleftyme2]

I see this in a local paper tonight and thought it worth a read:

When will we learn?

By Hubert Kauffman, Ph.D.
Published:
Monday, June 27, 2011 2:06 PM EDT
We have been so concerned about safety from attack by terrorists that we have been willing to fight two wars for many years. While we have been focused on external threats we have allowed internal threats to flourish.

The internal threats are poised to wreck our livelihood, our values and our democracy.

We are in greater danger from economic collapse than we are from al-Qaida.

We are in greater danger from climate change than we are from al-Qaida.

We are in greater danger from dumbing down of America from failure of our schools than we are from al-Qaida.

We are in greater danger from the loss of our middle class than we are from al-Qaida.

We are in greater danger from our self-aggrandizing Congress than we are from al-Qaida.

Why, then, are we trashing our country and the world in a military adventure to defeat al- Qaida?

In addition to being a military force, al-Qaida represents a set of ideas through which it gains adherents and vitality. It is not possible to defeat ideas with guns.

When will we ever learn?

Hubert Kauffman, Ph.D., Oxford

[e-mail]

This letter has merit!