A new dawn has come and yet many Americans remain fast asleep. September 11th should have awakened the nation, but for whatever inexplicable reasons we fell deeper asleep.
In the fall of 2001 as the nation patriotically mobilized for an immediate retaliatory invasion of Afghanistan there was little dialogue on what root cause could have precipitated such horrific acts. Why would so many men knowingly sacrifice their own lives to harm others? Politicians and the media were eerily silent on the subject and for good reason. It may not have seemed the ideal time to talk about bad things our government does overseas that foster such hatred and resentment.
Instead, we singled out a highly vulnerable nation in which to exact our revenge and bombed it even further into the Stone Age. There were equally credible suspects, some might argue more credible, like Pakistan, a principal training ground for radical Islamic thought, and Saudi Arabia where at least 15 of the 19 attackers were citizens, as well as Bin Laden. The former is a nuclear power and the latter an oil rich nation which made it too risky to U.S. interests to accuse and offend, let alone invade them. Ironically and tragically, the invasion of Afghanistan only fostered more hatred. The subsequent invasion of Iraq in pursuit of weapons of mass destruction that never materialized only exacerbated the bad blood.
Most Americans I encounter see their government as impeccably righteous and truthful, particularly when it comes to global affairs. To them, we are the savior of oppressed people and the greatest philanthropic nation in history. Nations should be grateful for our patronage, not antagonistic. But, in reality we take far more than we give, particularly from weaker nations, and we don’t distinguish between good and evil when we ally ourselves with leaders who will champion our economic and strategic interests. These despots usually profit immensely for their allegiance while their people suffer. Consider just a few: Augusto Pinochet, the Shah of Iran, Manuel Noriega, Saddam Hussein, and the House of Saud. Granted some of these relationships soured over time, but only because these despots stopped pandering to U.S. interests, not because they oppressed their people.
Understandably, our citizens see things almost entirely from our government’s point-of-view. The seed of misinformation is first planted in our schools where children are taught a much idealized version of U.S. history. Our genocidal policy toward Native Americans, the Jim Crow laws that segregated blacks and whites for nearly a century after the slaves were freed, the frequent suspension of free speech in times of war, and the CIA’s overthrow of democratically elected leaders to install brutal dictators are just a few chapters in our history that receive little, if no mention in these text books.
Misinformation is also fostered by politicians. Government is supposed to be transparent within reason, but today it operates in unprecedented secrecy under the guise of “national security” undermining the very Constitution and principles that govern this nation. The “War on Terrorism” only broadens the justification for clandestinity with no apparent time limit since terrorism has been around as long as civilization itself.
Narrowly focused, biased, sensationalized, and often jingoistic news media further impedes informed and objective thought.
The Freedom of Information Act and controversial organizations like WikiLeaks help uncover the truth, but people by and large don’t want to hear the uncomfortable truths. Concluding that terrorists are motivated by jealousy of our wealth and freedoms, or simply religious zealots ignores reality.
We have been an aggressive nation ever since the American Revolution. “Speak softy and carry a big stick” was not unique to Teddy Roosevelt’s time. We have never cared who we covertly overthrow or with whom we ally if it benefits our national interests. When people of other nations live in squalor while the U.S. builds its hegemony by exploiting their natural resources and enriching the oppressive regimes who allow such exploitation, it’s inevitable that the victimized citizens will resent and ultimately hate us for this.
No nation except the British in the War of 1812, and some might argue Mexico, has ever invaded the contiguous United States. And although we have fought numerous wars in the last century there were very few times when major attacks on our soil were seriously contemplated.
The steady march of technological advancements has forever changed that. Now any individual or group with a grievance can perpetrate unspeakable harm to American citizens and property. What new mass killing device carried in a backpack or chemical agent concealed in a pocket is just around the corner in development? To think our government can protect citizens from all these threats, known and unknown, is foolhardy. The enemies are real and they cannot be effectively identified and eliminated with conventional warfare, covert acts, or compromising our Constitutional rights.
Government is not going to step-up to this challenge simply because it is heavily influenced by huge multinational corporations who profit immensely from the exploitation of weaker nations and from war itself.
The only solution can come from American citizens who seek and accept the truth. Our lives, our very way of life depend on it. No longer can we afford to remain in denial about our own acts of aggression and allow our government to brazenly “shoot up” the world. This is a public image problem, not a conventional war against a sovereign nation. We can either undergo an extreme make-over to win back the hearts and minds of global citizens or learn the hard way.
In the fall of 2001 as the nation patriotically mobilized for an immediate retaliatory invasion of Afghanistan there was little dialogue on what root cause could have precipitated such horrific acts. Why would so many men knowingly sacrifice their own lives to harm others? Politicians and the media were eerily silent on the subject and for good reason. It may not have seemed the ideal time to talk about bad things our government does overseas that foster such hatred and resentment.
Instead, we singled out a highly vulnerable nation in which to exact our revenge and bombed it even further into the Stone Age. There were equally credible suspects, some might argue more credible, like Pakistan, a principal training ground for radical Islamic thought, and Saudi Arabia where at least 15 of the 19 attackers were citizens, as well as Bin Laden. The former is a nuclear power and the latter an oil rich nation which made it too risky to U.S. interests to accuse and offend, let alone invade them. Ironically and tragically, the invasion of Afghanistan only fostered more hatred. The subsequent invasion of Iraq in pursuit of weapons of mass destruction that never materialized only exacerbated the bad blood.
Most Americans I encounter see their government as impeccably righteous and truthful, particularly when it comes to global affairs. To them, we are the savior of oppressed people and the greatest philanthropic nation in history. Nations should be grateful for our patronage, not antagonistic. But, in reality we take far more than we give, particularly from weaker nations, and we don’t distinguish between good and evil when we ally ourselves with leaders who will champion our economic and strategic interests. These despots usually profit immensely for their allegiance while their people suffer. Consider just a few: Augusto Pinochet, the Shah of Iran, Manuel Noriega, Saddam Hussein, and the House of Saud. Granted some of these relationships soured over time, but only because these despots stopped pandering to U.S. interests, not because they oppressed their people.
Understandably, our citizens see things almost entirely from our government’s point-of-view. The seed of misinformation is first planted in our schools where children are taught a much idealized version of U.S. history. Our genocidal policy toward Native Americans, the Jim Crow laws that segregated blacks and whites for nearly a century after the slaves were freed, the frequent suspension of free speech in times of war, and the CIA’s overthrow of democratically elected leaders to install brutal dictators are just a few chapters in our history that receive little, if no mention in these text books.
Misinformation is also fostered by politicians. Government is supposed to be transparent within reason, but today it operates in unprecedented secrecy under the guise of “national security” undermining the very Constitution and principles that govern this nation. The “War on Terrorism” only broadens the justification for clandestinity with no apparent time limit since terrorism has been around as long as civilization itself.
Narrowly focused, biased, sensationalized, and often jingoistic news media further impedes informed and objective thought.
The Freedom of Information Act and controversial organizations like WikiLeaks help uncover the truth, but people by and large don’t want to hear the uncomfortable truths. Concluding that terrorists are motivated by jealousy of our wealth and freedoms, or simply religious zealots ignores reality.
We have been an aggressive nation ever since the American Revolution. “Speak softy and carry a big stick” was not unique to Teddy Roosevelt’s time. We have never cared who we covertly overthrow or with whom we ally if it benefits our national interests. When people of other nations live in squalor while the U.S. builds its hegemony by exploiting their natural resources and enriching the oppressive regimes who allow such exploitation, it’s inevitable that the victimized citizens will resent and ultimately hate us for this.
No nation except the British in the War of 1812, and some might argue Mexico, has ever invaded the contiguous United States. And although we have fought numerous wars in the last century there were very few times when major attacks on our soil were seriously contemplated.
The steady march of technological advancements has forever changed that. Now any individual or group with a grievance can perpetrate unspeakable harm to American citizens and property. What new mass killing device carried in a backpack or chemical agent concealed in a pocket is just around the corner in development? To think our government can protect citizens from all these threats, known and unknown, is foolhardy. The enemies are real and they cannot be effectively identified and eliminated with conventional warfare, covert acts, or compromising our Constitutional rights.
Government is not going to step-up to this challenge simply because it is heavily influenced by huge multinational corporations who profit immensely from the exploitation of weaker nations and from war itself.
The only solution can come from American citizens who seek and accept the truth. Our lives, our very way of life depend on it. No longer can we afford to remain in denial about our own acts of aggression and allow our government to brazenly “shoot up” the world. This is a public image problem, not a conventional war against a sovereign nation. We can either undergo an extreme make-over to win back the hearts and minds of global citizens or learn the hard way.
