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American
Taliban
by
Daniel
Patrick Welch
Among
recent media awareness of the burgeoning antiwar movement across the
country, several items stick out. Moveon.org has released an
antiwar ad to be shown on TV stations across the country, part of a
grassroots campaign gone overboard. The group asked for enough money
from supporters to launch a modest print ad, and wound up with enough
for a nationwide TV campaign. Based on the "Daisy" ad which
has now become a classic in political advertising circles, the new ad
warns against the inherent unpredictability of conflict, and the
possibility of the use of nuclear weapons. It is an impressive
grassroots achievement, and a compelling visual and emotional statement.
I am glad, however, that the movement is beginning to move past the
timid contradiction of narrowing its focus in order to broaden its
appeal. "Let the Inspections Work," the main thrust of this
campaign, is a simple, direct slogan aimed at mainstream support. And
the threat of nuclear escalation is indeed a scary one. But ironically,
though this particular ad fears this threat coming from "extremists
taking over countries with nuclear weapons," most of the world
already sees this as a fact: the extremists being the Bush
administration and their nuclear first strike policy. In short, although
poor Pogo must be sick of being paraphrased, they have met the
enemy, and he is us. Moreover, momentum is building for a broader appeal
to Americans beyond their own obvious self-interest, toward a broader
opposition to the destructive policies of a government gone off the deep
end.
The fact is that even if it does "end quickly," (the best case
scenario alluded to in the ads) an attack on Iraq will result in the
deaths of tens of thousands of people, mass murder by any reasonable
standard. Aside from the sheer inhumanity of such an act, Americans need
to make opposition to this horrific disregard for human life a
centerpiece of the opposition campaign. This is not only because it is
wrong, which would be enough, but as a measure of self-interest as well.
The main lesson of Vietnam for the war complex seems to be that keeping
American casualties low gives a green light for action. The result has
been an enormous increase in the disproportionality of deaths in later
conflicts bordering on madness.
Even on the home front we have minimized the true effects of warfare. No
draft is necessary (for now) and few leader's children will suffer the
inevitable consequences of war. In this vein it was perfectly correct
for Charlie Rangel (D-Harlem) to insist on debating the draft, as his
constituents have always borne a disproportionate burden in the
so-called "volunteer army." If we do not resist loudly and
forcefully specifically on the basis that the value of other human life
is equal to that of Americans, we risk facing a hatred and a distrust
engendered by other maniacal regimes in history. This is no idle threat.
Even mainstream politicians like Clinton have pointed out that the
Indian and Chinese economies will zoom past ours in a few decades by
mere demographic force. If we feel we must adopt a nationalist
perspective to appeal to Americans as Americans, it is wise to point out
that bullies who can't keep ahead (an economic and demographic certainty
in our future) get beat up in the long run.
Focusing too narrowly on inspections in Iraq may miss a broader
opportunity that, many of us feel, is really there. It goes without
saying (except in the U.S.) that "letting the inspections
work" (the emphasis of the ads) is the correct course, because that
is the course agreed on by the world community. Opposition along the
lines I state here is simple logic and common sense, easily grasped even
by most self-interested observers. Besides, UN resolution 1441, which
justifies the inspections, was itself the result of a blackmail
agreement to keep the U.S. warhawks at bay. Most human rights
organizations seem to agree that the U.S. and British obsession with
Iraq is just that--an obsession. The sanctions regime muscled through
the UN by the U.S. (not to mention the no-fly zones not recognized by
the international community) is a humanitarian disaster comparable to
genocide (words actually used by UN officials).
Basing world policy on one well-contained potential proliferation
hotspot is not "doing something for world peace" any more than
attacking affirmative action is "doing something about race
relations" or than giving tax breaks to rich friends is "doing
something about the economy," or than rounding up Muslims is
"doing something about terrorism." Such charades are pure,
superficial cynicism, guided by the ugly and brazen self-interest of a
small cabal who benefits from them. The transparency of their thinly
disguised motives would be laughable if they weren't so dangerous. The
administration itself barely tries to hide its lust for Iraq's oil and
political and military control over the entire region. If one were truly
concerned about world peace, proliferation itself is the enemy, coupled
with the rapid advance of killing technology embraced by these same
warmongers.
True danger can only be averted by global disarmament, starting with the
truly insane WMD stockpiles of the U.S. and former USSR. Nuclear threats
abound where there really are already functioning warheads--among the
other nuclear state powers: China, Israel, France, Britain, India and
Pakistan. Picking on an enemy you can easily beat neither solves the
problem nor wins any friends.
The sad and graphic fact is that, as ordinary Americans, our hands are
already covered in blood, and getting bloodier by the minute. This is
not a difficult point to argue; nor are its component facts inaccessible
to any American who cares to seek out the truth from sources beyond the
nightly TV news. The time is right to raise the bar and oppose with
greater stridency. We are rapidly becoming an international pariah, and
our leaders aren't listening. Why would they? Americans who care are
waking up to the fact that these are just not a particularly sane group
of people. They can hardly be called "conservatives," nor even
radicals for that matter. They are fundamentalist loons, an American
Taliban who has seized control of government and policy making
apparatus-for whom fighting a holy war against condom use is actually a
serious part of government policy. It is just not normal to spend
thousands of dollars to cover up the statue of Lady Justice. I guess
John Ashcroft thought Justice needed to be more modest-and if that's not
a scary metaphor, I don't know what is.
These are zealots for whom science is an inconvenience whose conclusions
can be scrubbed from government websites when they are politically
inexpedient, and for whom dissent can be attacked as treason. Karl Rove
and the other henchmen surrounding George Bush have no concern for their
mandate. They were content to do whatever it took to gain power, and
only the most blind among us can ignore the obvious fact that they will
do anything to keep power. Dirty tricks are the only true science of
this crowd, and in opposing them we can ill afford to tread lightly. It
is no exaggeration to say that the future of the world depends on it.
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