State of the Nation
Angelika Regarding the State of the Nation: There is currently a lot of commotion in San Francisco and its surroundings about John Walker, who has been exposed as an American Taliban fighter by the media. The 20-year-old American grew up in wealthy Marin County, the district just outside San Francisco (north of the Golden Gate Bridge), and had converted to Islam in his early teenage years. After stops in various Arab countries, he eventually ended up in Afghanistan, where he was captured by US troops in early December. Walker is suspected of having fought alongside the Taliban and Al Qaeda and is therefore charged with conspiracy and the murder of Americans, as well as aiding terrorism, which could result in a life sentence if convicted.
In San Francisco, we occasionally hear some sarcastic comments on Marin County having produced a Taliban member. This is because San Francisco has always looked down on Marin County: "too white" and "too rich" is the unanimous verdict. John Walker, offspring of a wealthy lawyer, fits this image. On a national level, "Johnny" sparked a heated debate about the honor of being an American citizen. Many were so outraged by his behavior that they would prefer to strip him of his citizenship immediately: John Walker as public enemy number one. Others were more charitable, emphasizing that he is a young man ideologically confused, but one must not forget that he is an American. As a neutral observer, I find it interesting that Walker was not taken to the American military base in Cuba like the Afghan prisoners, but rather kept on American soil. He is also expected to face the federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, and not a military tribunal. This raises the suspicion that the US government sees him more as a lost son.
Regarding confused young men: Surely you've also heard in Germany that a 15-year-old in Florida attempted to imitate the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in order to commit suicide. He flew a small plane into the Bank of America building in Tampa. Allegedly, he expressed admiration for Osama Bin Laden in his farewell letter. Immediately, there was a discussion about security regulations at airports with private planes and an investigation into what led to the suicide. Even the 15-year-old's acne medication was scrutinized, as it is suspected of causing severe depression. I was amazed to see that no one questioned the fact that a 15-year-old in this country is allowed to learn to fly, even though in most states he couldn't legally purchase alcohol because he was under 21. Surely he was only allowed to fly with an instructor, but it shows how easy it was for the 15-year-old to outsmart the instructor and take off alone in the Cessna.
