It will be a bit strange for many people to read the next lines, to find out things maybe better left unknown. However, to understand why terrorism exists it may be helpful. The mightiest country on earth likes to control that earth and does everything to keep control. South America is close by home so let us go there. From the book : Voel Maar, by Jan Brokken, everyone can learn some terrible truths. I do not have to write this but for my asking to pray with me for all those victims of the teachers of the School of the Americas. In Panama, only 17 years ago the School of the Americas closed its doors for good. It was the American Military Academy . Today access is free, 10 years ago still no one could enter. The building is in the colonial style on the edge of the jungle. There almost all the officers were educated who made Latin America notorious with their revolutions, coupes, juntas, dictators and with their refined interrogation techniques. How to drop ennemies from airplanes with concrete blocks on feet. How to torment, how to torture and to terrorize, and how to rape was thought at the School of the Americas by American GI's who knew what they were about since they had experience from Korea and Vietnam. In the Hall of Fame One can see the portraits of Roberto D’Aubuisson and Hugo Banzer, respectively the leader of the death squads in El Salvador and the leader of the military dictature in Bolivia, from Raoul Cedras, the Haitian coupe leader, and of Manuel Provis Carrasco, the colonel who after the murder on Allende started the biggest concentration camp in Chili, from Galtieri the junta leader who started the Falklands war and of Jorge Vidal the Argentinean mass murder. All these gentlemen look back affectionately at their time in the Panama School of the Americas where they learned the tricks of the trade. The accumulated hate after the immense suffering caused by the pupils of the American teachers may and may not result in revanche and retaliation. I pray that it may not, however, no one should be surprised if it does. The School of the Americas in Panama closed in 1984. I hope no other such school opened elsewhere. Knowing the world a little by now, my hope is most possibly in vain. I heard that US manufactured torture electrical belts and other tools of the trade still are exported to various countries in the world...Pray with me that all this evil, terror and torture may stop, even if it means that the USA will lose a little control.

Anyone who has read me, knows that I am against blood spill in all its forms. And that I read the Books of the Dead. The Tibetan I prefer, the Egyptian is too far out for me. It teaches the way to die. To die unprepared must be very uncomfortable. The churches may have a memorial afterwards, called Requiem, but that did not prepare one for dying. The Church likes to scare you with the prospect of hell. The Requiem only helps those that are left behind. To know a way to die is better than not knowing how to die. Especially when all the religions and cultures claim to be best. When shall men understand that everybody is best? We all are best, and because of not sharing the wealth do we get problems. Some too rich, many too poor. That creates jealousy and hate and fear. Not sharing exploiting, grabbing, saving, keeping, it is counter to love, which is giving, sharing, comforting and helpful. The northern world claims to be Christian, but behaves as if the devil himself is in command. Not once does the north even mention sharing, the dealing to find balance, to take away the discomfort that triggered this.  Now 60 countries are more or less unhappy with USA, who has them on the list of terror lovers. Although the old US of A has done its share of terror, or helped leaders that did the deeds, it will not admit that the poverty of the others has anything to do with the richness it enjoys. The reservations with the original  locals, not much different from the camps in Palestine. Now Israel stands model for G.W. Bush, and the madness escalates. I must pray 24 hours now for all those that are going to die. That they may go prepared, knowing for what  reason they must die. To defend the American way of life, kill all poor miserable malcontented activists and hope to stay alive yourself. And claim to revenge the innocent people. I call them ignorant, not innocents. If you through your ignorant innocence not know what is happening in the world, and your government does not tell you that 60 countries are more or less hostile to yours, you may still have to pay the price. As we saw so many did. Nobody saw it coming. Or did they, and let it happen because America needs an

 enemy, and now they have one. After 30 years of war, Afghanistan may be so weak that uncle Sam can take over with its high tech weaponry against outdated arms in the hands of ragged soldiers without uniforms. America very much wants to put oil pipe lines through that most wanted strategic piece of territory. With well armed helicopters against big kites on steel wires. What a tragedy. I say: give every man a car, a fridge, a mobile phone, a TV and a health insurance. All 60 countries inhabitants, even if every American must give back a little of what he has , all those poorer people should be made content, satisfied, so that they will not suicide, but will stay home and watch TV. Nobody is innocent. If you wear name brand shoes, made in a underpaid wage country, you are guilty too. Brand name clothes made by low wage sweatshop workers, do put the wearer in the eyes of the terrorists in the guilty bracket. Call it stupid its the way things work in the tiny heads of the poor. Share the wealth, divert the anger. Make peace, not war.

We are not separate from each other, nor are we separate from God. We are all together and this fact we have to live. Not just agree to this Truth, but we have to Know it, and Feel it and Live it.

Six month after the attack on the WTC in NY city, the meeting in Mexico City of over 50 Heads of State of developing countries this week came up with an awful, shocking, long known Truth. The final statement said:

Until the rich countries share more of their wealth with the poor countries, terrorism will not be beaten.

I see it almost as a desperate declaration of war from the poor to the rich. The primitive response of Might is Right of the USA will surely never stop terrorism.

The things I mentioned three days after the 9-11 attack in my letter titled: What makes one a terrorist, have now become worldwide recognized and accepted. Extremely wasteful big cars that are common transport in the USA and likewise here on our roads , and huge oversized motorbikes, compared to three wheel covered scooters and push bikes in India and Indonesia and Singapore and Thailand and in most Arab countries and in most of Africa, the small compact cars almost everywhere else on the planet, are proof to the strange unequal distribution and abuse of the worlds resources. We are not alone. Because national borders exists on the map, we still are not on another planet, we are not separate from each other. The planet is One, and we all stick to the same Earth with our feet. The wind carries the same air around the globe, we all breath it. The polluting exhaust gasses from the huge overpowered car engines do go into the same air that the people in Chili and Africa and Uzbekistan breath. The ozone depleting pollutants do hurt all people under the sun. We are all together. 50 Heads of State of Developing Nations came together in Mexico City to make this Truth known one more time. And they came up with the ultimate information about the present terrorist threat:

 Terrorism will not be beaten unless the rich countries share more of their wealth with the poor countries. So what else is new.

 Ironically this meeting was in a place where only 40 extremely rich families own an immense country that holds millions of very poor peasant workers.

 My letter about the American Military Academy in Panama some weeks ago was a warning about what happened just now in South America. The car bomb that exploded at the American Embassy in Lima, Peru, while president Bush is visiting there, was a clear sign of the terrorist approach to the USA’s presence in South America. If the USA wants to control and police the rest of the world, it must be prepared to scarify numerous of its soldiers that play the role of watchdog-policemen.

But we are together, all of us people of the world. As long as the United States separates itself from the rest it will be prone to terrorist attacks. How long will it take before the people in the highest positions will understand that ? That we cannot ignore the plight of others? Just as here on Sint Maarten, the government should not and may not ignore the ugly ghetto streets and their sewage problems, so in the wider world do the rich have to consider the plight of the poorer people that live on the same planet. I know that things are getting better slowly, the internet helps a lot, however, in my view it does not go fast enough and I remind you the one and only Law of Laws: Do to Others as you want Them Do to You. For better understanding of my ideas, read any or all books by Neale Donald Walsch and by Boone Shree Rasjneesh, and OSHO. Have a nice day, with lots of sharing.

I am not very fond of the title, however, 100 days after the terrible terrorist attack,  I finally hear voices speaking my language. Although radio Soualiga has interrupted its BBC transmissions, I follow the English world service on the shortwave and hear that the western world and specifically the USA has to consider what the reasons for the terrorist actions are. What I mentioned in my letter directly two days after the horrible deed is now, 100 days later, public knowledge. A certain American fast food server who knows my identity told me soon after my first reaction on the attack on the WTC that I was no longer welcome in his establishment. It was he who asked me to write about the legalization of marijuana and we used to be on much the same wavelength. Not really though, because as soon as I pointed out to the public that the USA may have done something to anger the people who resort to terrorism, he took it personal and told me to stay away. What I wonder, now that the public is informed by the BBC that America has to reconsider its world politics, is if that particular American will close his establishment to all who work with and for the BBC. And another question that arises is of course, if he is such staunch supporter of his governments policies, what exactly is he doing here? Why then is he not back in Texas??? Or does he try to Americanize our little international island? Imperialism in miniature?

Be that what it may, so very sorry am I to see that it takes so much time before the common man of ordinary wit understands that terrorism has a cause, has a source, a beginning somewhere. And only if the reason for terrorism is eradicated will it stop, not earlier. Every citizen has to realize that and every American in particular has to see that the richest nation on earth is at war with the poorest nation on earth, and that winning that war will not take away the reason for terrorism. Vast amounts of money and development aid, political changes and intellectual insights will have to pass before this scourge is over.

That it may pass fast. That you and I may live to see that day. A world free of terrorism, imagine.

Here follow a few thoughts on the present madness in the world. Last Sunday the BBC reported that the USA secretary of state declares that Osama Bin Laden is running out of places to hide. Which I find most unlikely. As every army has physicians with it, OBL surely knows the same as the FBI who practices something called: witness protection program. Those criminals who betray their former buddies get a new face by plastic surgery, another name and nobody will ever find them again. Why should OBL not have done the same? It takes only a few weeks to grow a new beard over scars that a good surgeon can make almost invisible. It would not surprise me if OBL will never be found. Next is what I ask the good secretary; did he never hear the saying: “You can kill the man, but you can't kill his ideas”.

Even if ever the evil OBL is found and killed, would that stop terrorism? It is naive to think so, a five year old's level of thinking. The only way to stop terrorism is to share the wealth and luxuries of the rich countries with the poor ragamuffins who now hold a grudge too strong to fight with bombs and bullets. Shower them with TV's, cellphones, fridges, cars and other luxuries. That may turn their attention away from stingers, kalasnikofs and land mines. From the time of Alexander the Great, the travels of Marco Polo, the Russians and English, no nation has ever succeeded in submitting   Afghanistan. It may have its origin in the way the men treat their women. Without any love or respect they perhaps rape their woman folks instead  of making what we call love. The offspring of such union with violence may itself be violent and without any knowledge of love, resulting in soldiers, fighters, bandits, in fact terrorists. If the present powers succeed in forming a new government in Afghanistan, I think it paramount to make sure the women get protection, more say in ruling the place and guarantees against bad treatment. In a few generations we may then have brought peace to that part of the world. Remains the other pockets of discontent    where one needs to  upgrade living standards, until poverty is gone and terrorism will be faded out of fashion.

The title says all. To prevent bad things from happening is better than to clean up after. To prevent sickness is better than to cure it. To prevent war looks better to me than to fight one, from the viewpoint of the soldier that is. To the bombfactory it is the contrary. The more war, more work and money to make. Is it because the so called western civilization knows not the law of karma? The pain you cause is equal to the pain you will suffer. Ignorance makes the most cruel deeds acceptable. Ignorance of the law does not make one innocent when breaking that law. These logic truths are secret it seems, one never hears talk about it. What is current is revenge, retaliation, punishment, so called justice and more bombs. Not a word on prevention. Aids prevention is OK, traffic accident prevention is also OK, fire prevention very OK, bars for the windows as theft prevention, reality. But terror prevention, never heard off.

I think it is done by making nobody jealous or angry of envy. That may be done by sharing and respecting others. Why it is not done is maybe greed. All for me and none for thee. It is too late to change the world, it is time I change my adverse ideas and look for a job in the military that is the only place that may still have me. Who will prevent that? To defend my way of life I must strike at the terroist, not at the reasons that make terrorists. If we did that there would be no terrorists and I would have no job in the military or the weaponfactory.

I would have to drive a smaller car, earn less money, use less paper and dishwasher machines, eat less meat maybe. No way we say. Nobody will make me hand in any of my luxuries, let the government take care of the poor and the sick and the dying, and the criminals and the rest, its none of my business. Preventing this kind of thinking is the first step to terror prevention. We  (NGO's) must try to help those that cause terror, like druggies, under their own private devils rules; they can be helped, only with love. But we knew that already, let’s first try bombs.

It is with great sorrow that write these words, as my friends and readers may know my sentiment in these days of world madness, I have searched the source of these primitive dealings. As a child of the last days of the 2nd world war, I believed in peace and in a better world coming. The prosperity of my youth made me believe that the world was becoming truly better. My travels, through the Arab world, made me aware of the best mankind had to offer. Hospitality, friendship, sharing , understanding; at least to my eyes it was a good world. North Africa,the middle, far and farthest East, Europe and even the then communist lands I crossed, did not prepare me for the misery that is unleashed right now. Yugoslavia was a downer all right. Already living in the gay and friendly Caribbean, I followed with disbelief the atrocities unfolding in what formerly was Tito's country. Always asking myself how the European nations could allow that violence to erupt and continue, why no power stopped that foolish fighting, I was forced to accept a new and crazy world. Based on foolish pride, on destruction and the economy of the military I saw groups of people murdered, in Africa, in what once was Yugoslavia, in Tsetsjenia, and in many smaller places, small groups, individuals, freedom fighters, terrorists, defenders of justice and religion. For whatever reason, I see the primitives fight each another with a ferocity that borders insanity. The reasons why soldiers get the order to shoot are as unclear to them self as to their commanders. The politicians who order the commanders themselves are in the darkest of spheres wherein they decide over the misery and sufferings of untold numbers of real victims, while they drive their expensive cars and eat their exquisite meals from fine porcelain, waited upon by perfect servants. I have not lost my believe in the good world, but I am loosing my believe in my fellow men. Also a president has to relieve himself just like you and me, truly, we are the same, why then can we not make it together? What foolish pride has come in between men and men? A reservoir of sin is pride, the wise have always condemned pride as the most dangerous of sentiments. And none will admit that the rich wealth they enjoy is resulting in poverty somewhere else. The inequality of wealth makes some people so mad that they will kill them self with their enemies together. I say give them all a car, a fridge and a mobile phone, a health insurance and a TV, and see then if terrorism does not stop.