| One year after the atrocities of Sept. 11, I can still remember the
flood of emotions I felt as those images came across the screen. I felt
what I imagine most people felt — anger, despair and shock.
Apologetically, I admit I was first filled with a desire for revenge —
a systematic slaughter of whoever was responsible. I wanted someone to
pay for what had been done.
But as I watched people holding hands jumping thousands of feet to their
deaths — refusing to surrender to the inferno closing in —
I thought, this is what war must be like. Thousands of innocent people
bearing sufferable deaths with no cause other than to further the maniacal
agenda of a few. Whether it be terrorists or political leaders, the end
result is always the same.
I wondered: is this it? Is this the war of our generation? Are we to methodically
follow the pitfalls of earlier generations?
My sense of security was crushed. I was convinced that our government
had the intelligence and power to keep such an attack from occurring.
I have little faith in the political process. But for one reason or another,
I had a comforting sense of security from anything even remotely close
to Sept. 11 being possible. It was a dream, a farce.
Time would only tell that the days, weeks and months ahead would hold
more terror and demoralizing news in store. The anthrax seemed to never
end and then, just as quickly as Sept. 11 had taken us by surprise, American
bombs were falling on Afghanistan.
It seemed the madness would never end. I couldn’t focus on much
of anything without thinking of the world falling around me. I would talk
with friends, endlessly discussing the issues and our fears of war, some
of us deciding to seek refuge in Canada in case of a draft.
Before Sept. 11, my perception of terrorism and those who committed such
acts was, by all standards, extremely narrow and close-minded. I had only
thought of terrorism to the extent that one would get from watching Fox
News.
Terrorism is not a tangible force that can be easily packaged as America’s
enemy. It is an ideology stemming from grievances — sometimes common,
sometimes personal. It can be the weapon of leaders of nations or of those
who oppose their agenda.
The terrorist is the corrupt cop, the armed rebel in Colombia, the government
that oppresses dissent and opposition by force. While it may not be popular,
to some degree terrorism works.
If it weren’t for Sept. 11, I doubt Americans would be so concerned
with the objectives of al Qaeda. Did the American public or its government
act upon the brutalities of the Taleban while they terrorized their public
— enslaving the Afghan women?
Only further time will tell where this cycle of violence will take its
toll. In one year alone, the tension has come to boiling points across
the globe.
The U.S. military campaign in Afghanistan has been a disaster, it seems
little has changed. Has the blood spilt been in vain? The liberation of
women has yet to see its day in Afghanistan, it has not made for a more
secure and stable region.
The policies of the American government have only further enraged the
general public throughout the Middle East. There are very common grievances
held against the United States for its aid to Israel (military and political)
and its military bases in Saudi Arabia.
There comes a time when we must ask, “Is it possible that a government’s
unwillingness to address common grievances could cause acts of terrorism
to occur?”
If it is the plan of the government to ignore this growing distrust, we
can only be assured of more incidents of terror.
Governments and their leaders have seen this as an opportunity to further
clamp down on opposition. The U.S. congress rushing to pass the USA PATRIOT
Act with little opposition or even debate is just one example. For a legislation
that grants such sweeping and unchecked authority to the president and
attorney general, one would expect more vocal opposition.
The wheels of war were accelerated by a nationalistic fervor that swept
the country. We were told that Americans and patriots were those who fell
in line with authority, while those who dared to speak out were branded
un-American. According to the president and attorney general, we were
either with them or against them, leaving little to no breathing room
for dissent.
Somehow diverting attention from the failures in Afghanistan, there are
now plans to invade Iraq. As the hysteria from Sept. 11 withers, the room
for opposition grows. Many more are speaking out against a war in Iraq.
Unfortunately, it takes time to stir the American public into action.
I’m optimistic that more people will realize a “war on terrorism”
is an oxymoron in itself. If we are ever to lessen acts of terrorism,
we must address the grievances of the poor, the oppressed, the downtrodden.
One thing is certain — war is not the answer!
Matt Kapko is the opinion editor and wants everyone
to know that Marvin Gaye was right when he so beautifully sang, “Father,
father. We don’t need to escalate. You see, war is not the answer.
For only love can conquer hate.” Little did he know it would he
used for a headline one day.
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