The amazing writer and thinker, Eduardo Galeano, recently said, "in a struggle of good against evil, it's always the people who get killed." For centuries now, wars have wrecked incredible misery across the face of this earth and have sent shock waves throughout countless generations.
We see these tidal waves everyday as uncles who are Vietnam veterans who were not the same when they came back or the grandfathers who fell sick from poisons spilled during World War II.
Does anyone even remember the Desert Storm veterans?
These too common examples expose the insanity of war and, considering the present technology, war will continue to be a thing of unspeakable terror.
No matter how much "freedom" you represent, it is undeniable that war manufactures terror across the map and results in nothing but long term social and environmental destruction.
The people responsible for planning Sept. 11 need to be brought to justice. Everyone on this earth should fight against global terrorism and pray for each other. But this sounds too idealistic for a world that has experienced incredible social turmoil, and has created fertile grounds for the manifestation of terror in all its psychological and physical forms.
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Under these conditions, war can be a cure worse than the disease. It is honorable that we have dropped over 350,000 rations of food in our "food-from-the-sky" effort and every kid is sending a dollar to kids in Afghanistan.
But my feelings hit concrete when we are told that we now have dropped around 2,000 bombs in an air strike that cost 2 million on the first day of the attacks.
Then I feel like I am trapped in the center of a tornado when I hear international aid organizations say there are more than five million Afghans that are on the verge of starvation because the borders have been shut.
In our "global fight against terrorism" we have to ask ourselves what causes terrorism?
It also is important to recognize that we can not end terrorism or the conditions that generate terrorism by condemning some terrorist acts, and silencing or justifying others. I wonder whether Bush listens to what he says as he affirms our safety and celebrates our prosperity.
Will war really make us safer from another terrorist attack?
The endless praise for Bush as an extraordinary leader and mover of the masses, and new legislation giving incredible power to a man who campaigned for "less government intervention," is almost surreal.
I find it amazing that we are told through "alternative" press that a consortium of mass media presses have successfully recounted Florida's ballots and concluded that Al Gore decisively won Florida.
Apparently this information will not see the light of day in any major newspaper, especially during this time of turmoil. Like Congress has said, "we have to stand unified behind our president," plus many people would probably get fired.
Looking at history and our present situation, our domestic ills are directly intertwined with our international ills. If we are to represent freedom and democracy then we must be serious about it, and live by it every day. We have to cultivate honesty by learning and speaking out on our governments' policies.
We must recognize that we have to look at how our government policies have or could cultivate terror, just as much as we are outspoken about external acts of terror hitting our country.
So with this said, I propose to everyone that we can fight terrorism on a global scale without killing or starving innocent people.
We can fight terrorism without destroying the Afghanistan environment once again, or re-opening toxic Uranium pits on the Navajo Reservation near Crownpoint, N.M. There is a way to encourage people to fly, buy things and live out our lives that does not reduce millions of people to collateral damaged.
There is a historical opportunity to truly use international courts of law, and mobilize a global, United Nations accredited plan to bring these terrorists to justice. In our global war on terrorism, let's not forget that this involves global cooperation and listening to one another.
by Maceo Carrillo Martinet
Daily Lobo Columnist
Questions, comments or suggestions can be sent Maceo Carrillo Martinet at conuco8@unm.edu.
