Slate staff members discuss the current crisis.

Chris,

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It's hard to argue with someone who summarizes what I said as "Quit your bitching. You should be mourning the dead in Baghdad." I totally reject that. I thought it was a given that the attack was horrific by any standards and completely indefensible. Of course Americans have a right to be upset and to mourn, and it is normal to care more about events nearby than those far distant. But I stand by this: It is possible still to think of other people, to look at wider issues, maybe even to learn from others' experiences. You even ask:

Does that mean we should not try to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future?

That's the point I'm trying to make: that people should be thinking about this in a wider sense, looking at world issues, not seeing only America, maybe even saying "now I better understand events elsewhere."

LT in the Fray seems to imply that I think America "deserves" this. [Added, 10/10: I misunderstood LT: she makes clear here that she intended no such implication.] That is far from the way I feel. Is there really no middle ground? I don't support America 100 percent in an unquestioning way; I have enormous problems with American foreign policy decisions in the past (and probably the future); I think those decisions should be questioned, discussed, and criticized; and I think Americans are generally too far removed from the results of those foreign policy decisions. But no, I don't think that's a justification for killing people in the WTC. And yes, I think it's OK to say all that right now, with everything that happened and may happen.

Is that so hard to take? Is that really a reason to call me petty, small, and sneering?

Moira

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