My American history in high school: “We are really a nation of brutal vigilantes; there is a tug of war between one faction and another- to extend rights, law and liberty to all, or to limit to the select few”. I think that’s far more evil than detached terror from remote and foreign shores. Things like Bosnia, Uganda and Rwanda are really more American than many would like to think. Murdering neighbors is far worse than murdering strangers, although the victims are equally violated.
Google my pinochle buddy, Ben Stern, who led the charge against Nazi rallies in Skokie, if you want some reality on this.
Some of the worst horrors in all of Europe last century were familiar, familial and treacherous– very up-close. The mechanisms and motives still seethe and roil under the surface.
“Pray for peace, but watch your back!”
