I can understand the anger at the criticism of American
policy during the
current situation. Voices of resentment toward those who are
questioning the
government are spitting with vitriol. It's important for us
to continue to
analyze, debate and question authority. We must not sit by
idly while the
government does the bidding of those who control the power.
We need to
scrutinize and participate. Criticizing the government
misdeeds over the
course of history is, I believe, an issue separate from the
prosecution of
justice against those who attacked the U.S. on 9/11. Still,
we must dialogue
about the more far-reaching issues we face.
It is not enough to glory in the war effort, believing that
it will end the
problems we face. It is not unpatriotic to question the
plans and goals of
our current leadership. We need to keep examining what is
happening in the
context of the world today, not just the simplified version
that focuses on
the war in Afghanistan.
We are engaged in a war to dispatch the prime leadership of
a world
terrorism network. Their methods are cruel, inhuman,
callous, heinous,
shocking, shattering, horrific, criminal and a host of other
adjectives, but
we should be careful in dismissing them as cowardly acts.
They so believe in
their cause that they are willing to die for it. Their
certainty is
absolute. They so believe in their cause that they are
willing to commit
mass homicide. I believe they would commit genocide if they
had the power to
do so. They frighten us, and well they should. They are
supremacists of the
lowest order. They want to expunge all who disagree with
them. They are
willing to destroy anything. Theirs is a wholly different
view than our own.
The means of their madness are absolute brutality with absolute
conviction.
Something beyond insanity has driven thousands of others to
follow the
Taliban call. This is what is so frightening. We cannot
comprehend them.
Furthermore we have no time to comprehend them so long as
they pose a clear
and present danger to the world. We must take these people
out of
circulation. They must be removed from the general
population where they now
blend in.
Our goal to rid the world of these terrorists is the right
thing to do.
Whether war was the best option for attaining the goal is
both debatable and
currently irrelevant. Turning back from it now would
undermine the gains. We
must however continue to bear in mind that war is
regrettable. We are
engaged in the war. There's no stopping it. This is the way
we will
accomplish the goals to eliminate Osama bin Laden and the Al
Qaida network.
At the same time that we prosecute this war, we as Americans
cannot "cast
the first stone." Historically we have long used
violence as a method of
securing our desires. We have done much to advance the
causes of parts of
the world, particularly when we have some self-interest as
well. We have not
done much for protecting the indigenous people, or even the
indigenous
species of plants and animals throughout the globe. In fact,
as a nation, we
have throughout our history engaged in genocide, slavery and
destruction of
much of the habitat and inhabitants of the natural world.
One does not justify the other. Our sins do not demand that
we not answer
the attacks of terror. Nor does history command us to stand
by idly,
dwelling in our guilt, while the present threat looms. We
can stand up to
repel the forces bent on our destruction. We must. At the
same time, we
should remember our history so that we may learn the lessons
it teaches.
Humanity has the ability, with free will, to deliberately
follow the course
of evolution. This means that we are not imprisoned by our
history, so long
as we use it to guide our present. It also means that we can
retreat further
into the darkness of yesteryear. Itıs a choice we make.
The difficulty we face when changing from the ways-of-old is
that we are
heavily invested in the course we are navigating. Ours is a
huge vessel,
encumbered by vast machinery that cannot easily be steered.
We are facing
the prospect of the demise of life, as we know it--not from
terrorists, but
from ourselves. This is not just an American versus the
world phenomenon.
The cataclysmic fate we can see ahead is one that all
humanity is hurling
toward at an ever-accelerating rate.
The voices of protestation about the policies of the
American government are
raised here, because we live here. Most of those sympathetic
to the voices
of compassion do not limit themselves to criticizing America
only. No, this
is a worldwide plea. The policies and programs that must be
rethought are so
many as to be overwhelming. Anyone, who chooses a platform
from which to
call to action, must know that theirs is a small
contribution to the much
greater whole.
Our species has become so dominant in the world that we are
squeezing much
of the rest of nature off the planet. Our population is
continuing to grow
so fast that we are unable to provide for human need in the
current
structure of human culture. We are rapidly deforesting the
world's forests.
These are the planet's lungs. They are our own lungs.
Without the correct
balance between other life forms and our own, we are
destined to suffer
great losses--perhaps even extinction. We already see the
extinction and
endangerment of great numbers of animals and plant life. In
my own lifetime,
the changes have been overwhelming. The portents for our
demise are
terrifying.
This is clearly not limited to an American situation. This
is global. Our
policies-- since we are the dominant culture-- effect the
globe. Our
policies-- since we are citizens here and not elsewhere--are
our direct
responsibility. We raise our voices in order to educate and
motivate each
other and ourselves. We are heeding the call to action.
September 11 was a
wake-up call for many people who have lived quiescent lives,
feeling the
feelings, sitting with the knowledge, but as yet unmoved to
action. On
September 11 the threat of our demise came home to us in a
wholly new way.
We cannot return to the complacency of September 10.
We are engaged in this war for the foreseeable future. As we
carry on the
business of the U.S., we must maintain a strong commitment
to protecting the
dream that is America. When someone offends our sensibilities
because they
have difficulty balancing the sometimes-contradictory
aspects of America's
personality, it does not do to tell them to leave. There are
contradictions.
America dominates the world. It essentially controls the
world economy. It
is the one superpower. It is the single voice the entire
world must heed. It
is generous and protective. It is the richest country in the
world. It is
the place where, while not classless, anyone can join any
class of people.
America has responded to the attacks. The leadership has
taken the actions
that best make sense to them. They have engaged an enemy
with sincerity and
vigor. In many ways, because of the attacks, theirs was a
simpler course to
take than is for politicians. Support was nearly unanimous.
Determination
was emphatic. All agree there are things that must get done.
To this end, some of the suspension of rights is
understandable, so long as
it is temporary. It's understandable that, in war every
person who fits the
profile of the war criminal be spoken with. It's
understandable that people
are angry. It's understandable that we've gone to war. It's
understandable.
But that doesn't make it right.
In fact, there is no way to make it right. That's the
dilemma we face. No
matter what we do, no matter what President Bush does, no
matter what the
protestors do, no matter what the Afghan people do, there is
no way to make
what happened right. There is no way to make the slaughter
of nearly 6,000
Americans right. There's no way to make the destruction
right. There is no
way to make the starvation of the Afghan people right. There
is no way to
make the mistreatment of Afghan women right. The only thing
that is right is
the intention of ending the threat of terrorism.
Unfortunately on the way to
the right intention, much more that cannot be made right
will come to pass.
Though my message often looks straight at what most disturbs
me, it is
because I believe the only way through this shadowy valley
is with eyes
open. Denial cannot serve. If we look at what ails us, we
can seek the cure.
The first step of healing is diagnosis. To do that, we must
be willing to
look, even when we donıt like what we see. To change
effectively we must
begin by first knowing where we are. Then, we can move
toward the light.
Marc