Sunday, April 7, 2013

US. Diplomat killed in Afghanistan

A U.S. diplomat was was killed in Afghanistan today, a first since the Bengazi attacks. Anne Smedinghoff, 25, had been delivering books when a bomb struck  her convoy. Smedinghoff and a member of the Department of Defense were the only deaths, while four other members of the State Department were injured. Other than the death of a diplomat, this event becomes remarkable in terms of the class discussion with this quote by Secretary of State, John Kerry,

"The folks who want to kill people, and that's all they want to do, are scared of knowledge. And they want to shut the doors and they don't want people to make their choices about the future. For them, it's 'You do things my way and if you don't, we'll throw acid in your face. We'll put a bullet in your face,' to a young girl trying to learn. So this is a huge challenge for us," Kerry said. "It is a confrontation with modernity, with possibilities, and everything that our country stands for, everything we stand for, is embodied in what Anne Smedinghoff stood for."

This statement is a clear example of in-group/out-group behavior that has been discussed in class. Furthermore, Kerry uses the self-aggrandizing myth in the positive characterization of United States as a benefactor of modernity.  

William Ragan
LEV350
http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/07/world/turkey-kerry-afghanistan/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

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