Two Conflicting Sides: Sorkin and MLK Jr. lend a hand

As a follow up to my Sorkin post -- one of his skills that I admired the most is his ability to argue both sides successfully.  Creating characters who whole heartedly believe in their causes and their sides, Republicans and Democrats, Conservatives and Liberals, Americans and Arabs, Blacks and Whites, Smokers and Nonsmokers, Pro Life and Pro Choice...

In my quest to watch the entire West Wing series, and strangely after the announcement of Bin Laden's death, I came across Sorkin's response to the 9/11 events.  It seems as though between Season 2's finale and Season 3's premiere...the twin towers fell.   Sorkin chose to begin Season 3 with what he called "a play"  not part of the regular timelines and storylines...it was called " Issac & Ishmael" [Backstory: we learn, is that Jews are descended from the son of Issac, and Arabs are descended from the son of Ishmael].

Leave it to Sorkin to fulfill both sides of my emotions -- the side that says "Hell ya, ding dong the wicked witch is dead."  The same side that recognizes that this is closure for so many that lost loved ones on 9/11,  and for 10 years of a war where he was the target.  The other side, is the side that finds it uncomfortable to see so many celebrating someone's death.  Dancing in the streets feels like a bizarre reaction to death.  It's the same side that thinks death is too simple for someone who did the atrocious acts like Bin Laden did.  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr put it poetically as always, 

"Violence can never provide the answer. The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate. So it goes. Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."



Sorkin may not be King, but he makes some good points:

"Terrorists fail 100% of the time."
-- Sam Seaborn
Like IRA (British are still here), Taliban (Christians and Muslims...and Americans still exist). While peaceful protests often succeed "Gandhi"  "Civil Rights"  "Boston Tea Party"

Student:  "Do you favor the death penalty?"
Josh Lyman: "No."
Student:  "But you think we should kill these people?"
Lyman:  "Well you don't have the same choices in a war that you do in a jury room; but I wish we didn't have to...I think death is too simple."
Student:  "What would you do instead?"
Lyman:  "I'd put them in a small cell and make them watch home movies of the birthdays, baptisms and weddings of every single person they killed over and over, every day for the rest of their lives; and they'd get punched in the mouth every night before bedtime...there'd be a long list of volunteers."