Fear
We are hammered on a daily basis with reminders that we are at war with a perfidious and evil foe, and because of this "war on terror" we must support our leaders and show no weakness. This is a lie.If we were ever engaged in a war on terror, that war was lost long ago. It was lost when we gave up our first liberty out of fear.
On September 11th, 2001, a small cadre of fanatical fundamentalists struck a blow to the United States that reverberates yet. They made us afraid. And in our fear, we have done things that we would not have done otherwise (at least my conscience hopes that is so).
We allowed a different band of fundamentalists to wrest control of the United States government and let them walk us down a path that has led to death, dishonor, and the relinquishing of any and all good will held by other nations as a result of the tragic events of 9/11.
We lost the war on terror when we gave up our right to privacy out of fear. We lost the war on terror when we turned airports into cattle chutes and meekly place our shoes in plastic trays.
We lost the war on terror long before the degrading images came out of Iraqi prisons.
A terrorist lives for only one thing - to instill paralyzing fear in the general populace. Airport checkpoints are not going to resolve that. Torture in secret prisons hidden off shore is not going to resolve that. Giving up our constitutional rights of speech, assembly, and privacy are not going to resolve that. Building tall fences along thousands of miles of border is not going to resolve that.
The only thing that will defeat a terrorist is the lack of fear. Until we, as a nation, can once again bring ourselves to live without fear, to treat our neighbors with respect and compassion, to live up to a moral code that does not contain torture, coercion, and bullying, can we begin to defeat terrorism.
The current occupant of the White House and his fundamentalist supporters understand that very well and are one hundred percent opposed to it. They came to power, and cling to power through the subversion of those ideals. Without a fearful electorate, their words would ring hollow and empty. Without a fearful electorate, their squandering of America's heritage of freedom, justice, equality (with all of its tarnishments) would be rewarded with a swift boot (not boat) to the rear, propelling them out of office and into incarceration.
But we don't have a fearless electorate. We surrendered that to the fundamentalists long ago. We lost that war, and continue to capitulate to those who's strident language tells us that we need to be afraid.
What we need is to replace our government with reasoned individuals, who do not thrive on fear, who see the United States as one country on an earth of many countries, and while we may be the richest, or most powerful now, we have no guarantee that we will be so in the future and that we must cultivate relationships with our neighbors rather than threatening them with a stick. We need to look within ourselves and make a decision - do we continue to live in fear, or do we decide to stand up and live our lives freely, honestly, and once again provide the world with an example of what can be.
You decide.
Copyright ©2003-2007 Phaedrous
posted by Phaedrous @ 7:56 AM
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