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Um. . .not sure if this is the right thread to ventilate this onto, but. . .
Well, Congress just gave Bush a check for $40 billion. That I can deal with.
Bush has called to active duty 50,000 reservists. That I can deal with.
But Congress, the lawmakers of the United States, just passed a measure giving the President free reign to use "all necessary and appropriate force" in this war on terrorism. That scares me.
In a radio address yesterday, the President warned Americans that the war on terrorism is going to be a long, difficult process. I hope I'm wrong, but it's increasingly appearing that most of the fears of conspiracy "crackpots" in the last ten to twenty years are about to be realized.
Specifically: restricted individual liberties, violation of the Constitution in the name of national security, One World Government (perhaps under the flag of the US Empire?), black helicopters patrolling the skies, people being detained/interrogated for "suspicious behavior" (which, based on the events of the last couple of days, can now be defined so as to include speaking in Spanish, having a sterotypically "Arab" appearance, or carrying a bag). . .
If the US is seriously committed to eradicating terrorism, the only way they can even pretend to do so is to have total control over every bit of land, over every human mind, on planet earth.
I'm still crying about what happened Tuesday. The initial, overwhelming horror is now being supplemented by the individual stories of pain and loss that are coming out. My thoughts have been hazy, my guts doing most of the living for me in the last few days. And I live on the west coast, and I didn't know anyone who died or was injured Tuesday. I'm about as far-removed, physically and emotionally, as an American can be from the tragic events of Tuesday, and I'm still exhibiting signs of physical shock and emotional distress. I won't even bother to describe the nightmares of the past four nights, because I'm sure you all have had similar or worse.
The vast majority of Americans do not know what to do. We are scared and we are shaking and we are trying to put up a brave front, but we have no frame of reference for something like this. With as little warning, a hijacked plane could crash into my home today. Or a pipe bomb could destroy the bridge I drive to work over. Or a virus could be released into my water supply.
I suppose it's natural to look for a strong, parental comfort at a time like this. The tribe has been attacked; quick, find the nearest alpha male and do whatever he orders! I may be confused and frightened, but certainly someone, somewhere has a plan that we can follow to make things right again.
The people of America, including the US Congress, are putting an awful lot of faith in George W. Bush and his administration right now. And that's fine; that's as it should be; that's why the Office of the Presidency exists. But we are also putting an awful lot of power into the hands of the men who run the executive branch of this government. Men who may have no better idea than any of us how to realistically "stop" terrorism "permanently." Colin Powell said in a press conference two days ago that he, one of modern America's most respected soldiers and leaders, had never been trained, in all of his military life, to fight a war like this.
My fear is that, unable to develop a plan for this new type of war, unable to come to grips with the fact that, as a writer most of us know and respect said, the wars of the future will be fought, not for land, but for information, unable to lead the American people into a future of greater freedom and prosperity and bliss, the rulers of this country may fall back on what they are able to do.
Namely, engage in the same patterns of behavior that led them to the seats of power: be ruthless bastards who will crush anybody who gets in the way of their total and complete domination. For the greater good, of course.
Now, unlike ever before, we all must converse with our souls, our gods, our friends and neighbors, our hearts and minds.
The entire world is at war. Do you understand? The US Congress, the President of the United States, the leaders of America have declared that this nation is at war, and that this war may take our fighting men and women into any and every corner of the globe. Those who do not stand with us will be swept aside, with "all necessary and appropriate force." The American people, in their shock and pain and fear and rage, are ready to kill with zero compunction whatever person, people, or state our leaders label as enemy.
Now that the shock is subsiding a bit, my brain is starting to work again, and I am horrified at what is happening to this country. The terrorism of 9/11 must never be forgotten, but let's not sully the memories of those innocents who died by allowing ourselves to become as fanatical as the men who murdered them.
Try to think. Try to remember. Try to make this world a better place for yourself and those you love. Try to stop the impending war before it transforms our planet into a global concentration camp. Try to answer: which side are you on?
Sorry about the length of this post. I realize now that I wrote this more to myself than to my fellow Barbelithers. Trying to focus, to do what I ask in the previous paragraph. To enjoy a forum of truly free speech while such a thing still exists.
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