TODAY IN THE BANGKOK POST

Years ago I tried to defend to potential publishers my observation that the main religion of the Vietnamese was a combination of beliefs in wood spirits and animalism. The potential publishers looked at statistics on the subject and rejected my views.

“No,” they said. “See here? It’s Buddhism and Catholicism. It’s written right there.”

Whoever compiled those statistics had never lived among the people. The people might say one thing but what they believed was something else.

Now there are Vietnamese scholars publishing papers saying exactly what I was saying years ago.

Today I will say that much of the world’s attitude toward terror depends on day-to-day emotions. There are always arguments to support any position, but it is emotions that rule.

The bombing of the wedding in Jordan carried out by a man and wife team has turned out to be disastrous for al Qaeda world-wide.

Today The Bangkok Post has an editorial titled: Time to stand against terror. You can read it *here*. (This may not be up for long or available to all. I don’t understand their rules of access or duration.)

Up till now the paper has been firmly in the terrorist camp. At least they have been an apologist for the terrorists. They have loved to print anti-American diatribes written by Arabs.

The switch, of course, is entirely emotional. A week from now, depending on the news of the day, they may feel entirely different. That feeling might require another editorial with a different point of view.

But, for now, they are firmly against terror.