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arrow_of_apollo214 - "To be great is to be misunderstood."
The moment that you stand on one side or another of any dispute, you can never be viewed from the middle again. It's a truth that the people of this fleet, and in particular the leaders of this fleet, have learned well. Certainly, we haven't had so many people so vehemently disagreeing over the stances of political and ideological leaders since Tom Zarek.
Zarek himself, though, is an interesting story.
Here's the quick history lesson. Depending on who you ask (and that's a phrase and concept that's going to be coming up a lot), the colony of Sagittaron is either a backwater planet with much in the way of natural resources, but without a population able to properly manage itself or it's a colony that has been exploited and abused by the rest of its sister Colonies for all its life.
Tom Zarek was of the latter opinion. As a young man, he began the Sagittaron Freedom Movement, whose aims were-- at least ostensibly-- to end what he and others saw as the oppression of outside governments and businesses over the lives and livelihoods of the Sagittaron people. He wrote a book espousing and explaining his motives and beliefs, and urging good-conscienced people of all Colonies to take a hard look at Sagittaron and come to realize the righteousness of his cause.
Unfortunately, the SFM and Zarek himself not only approved of and encouraged acts of violence and terrorism to achieve their aims, but participated in those acts first hand. Probably the most infamous of the SFM incidents was the bombing of a government building in Sagittaron's capital city.
Because of this, Zarek's book was banned throughout the Twelve Colonies. When I read it in college, it was a dog-eared and underlined copy which had been passed from one would-be student activist to another for months. And while I had no intention of staging protests or going on hunger strike, I did want to know what drove a man like Zarek. Reading the book forced me to reconsider a great deal of my opinions, most of which were things I had picked up second and third hand from my parents and the rest of the world around me.
No one will argue that Tom Zarek is a cunning, ruthless man who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. As someone who's been held at gunpoint by Zarek's people more than once, I can't agree with that more. But those goals aren't always wrong, even when the means usually are.
(423)
The moment that you stand on one side or another of any dispute, you can never be viewed from the middle again. It's a truth that the people of this fleet, and in particular the leaders of this fleet, have learned well. Certainly, we haven't had so many people so vehemently disagreeing over the stances of political and ideological leaders since Tom Zarek.
Zarek himself, though, is an interesting story.
Here's the quick history lesson. Depending on who you ask (and that's a phrase and concept that's going to be coming up a lot), the colony of Sagittaron is either a backwater planet with much in the way of natural resources, but without a population able to properly manage itself or it's a colony that has been exploited and abused by the rest of its sister Colonies for all its life.
Tom Zarek was of the latter opinion. As a young man, he began the Sagittaron Freedom Movement, whose aims were-- at least ostensibly-- to end what he and others saw as the oppression of outside governments and businesses over the lives and livelihoods of the Sagittaron people. He wrote a book espousing and explaining his motives and beliefs, and urging good-conscienced people of all Colonies to take a hard look at Sagittaron and come to realize the righteousness of his cause.
Unfortunately, the SFM and Zarek himself not only approved of and encouraged acts of violence and terrorism to achieve their aims, but participated in those acts first hand. Probably the most infamous of the SFM incidents was the bombing of a government building in Sagittaron's capital city.
Because of this, Zarek's book was banned throughout the Twelve Colonies. When I read it in college, it was a dog-eared and underlined copy which had been passed from one would-be student activist to another for months. And while I had no intention of staging protests or going on hunger strike, I did want to know what drove a man like Zarek. Reading the book forced me to reconsider a great deal of my opinions, most of which were things I had picked up second and third hand from my parents and the rest of the world around me.
No one will argue that Tom Zarek is a cunning, ruthless man who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. As someone who's been held at gunpoint by Zarek's people more than once, I can't agree with that more. But those goals aren't always wrong, even when the means usually are.
(423)
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Date: 2008-02-01 04:07 pm (UTC)I believe I'll be leaving humanity in good hands when it's time for Tom to take the reins. He will, after all, have your father to keep him in check if he needs it.