I am amazed at the display of fall colors and these cold winds from the north that cover everything with leaves. While nature changes before our eyes, we still believe that dropping bombs brings peace and freedom or at least fills our empty cups with pride.
With money that seems to be dropping like leaves from invisible trees, no doubt rooted somewhere in the fertile soils of Social Security, Congress pushes warfare into the far reaches of the sky, appropriately named operation Star Wars.
We now see warfare down to the microscopic world of microbes such as anthrax, being packed inside bombs, which the CIA calls operation Clear Vision.
The ease of advocating warfare in our everyday language and accepting its technology as an example of human progress, leads me to a quote from historian, Howard Zinn: "What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something good."
In the case of the United States, we don't even choose what to emphasize or control what we see.
On Sept. 20, Bush told the nation, "This is the fight of all who believe in progress, and pluralism, tolerance and freedom."
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Interestingly, a couple of days later Colin Powell wanted to shut down Al-Jazeera, the most popular independent television station throughout the Middle East, which has in-depth coverage of Afghanistan and Palestine.
U.S. and British authorities, on the other hand, have restricted western reporters from going inside Afghanistan, reminiscent of all over-seas military operations after the war in Vietnam and have said next to nothing about Israel's recent actions.
Just as it was during the Gulf War and the invasion of Panama, media coverage in war zones decide what we should think, as opposed to cultivating a critical consciousness regarding what is going on or what the international community, which includes all of us, can do about it.
What happened to tolerance and freedom for the award winning radio show and epitome of grass roots media coverage, "Democracy Now!," which offers listeners a different, if not more in-depth, coverage than the general mass media.
Instead of receiving praise for diversifying our airwaves and challenging our perspectives, these types of programs have been harassed to the point that they had to move out of their main studio and are broadcasting their show in exile.
If we truly believe in democracy under the law, then why have we completely bypassed major international laws such as Kellog-Briand Pact of 1928 and the historic U.N. Charter of 1945?
These laws require an international hearing in front of the World Court and were specifically established to prevent another world war. Taking the Taliban to the World Court should be the primary step Bush takes to build an international coalition against terrorism.
This act would surely help him, considering he doesn't even have someone to lead his foreign policy team yet.
Presently, Congress is considering passing the Patriot act. If passed, this act allows indefinite detention times for non-U.S. citizens, increases electronic surveillance without juridical supervision and a slew of other spying tactics. We have to be skeptical of this act.
There are now undisclosed numbers of people being held at the high security Metropolitan Correction Center in Manhattan, for reasons as ridiculous as having a Middle Eastern surname.
But as billions of dollars pour into the military, I guess spying on us will also make us all feel safe; perhaps so "our economy can grow?"
Even more appalling and insulting are the similarities between the war rhetoric of Bush and bin Laden.
In statements addressing the international community, Bush said, "You are either with us or against us," and Bin Laden said, "Sept. 11 separates believers from non-believers."
Do we accept reducing what happened on Sept. 11 to a holy-like battle between good and evil?
Do we want to slap the face of democracy once again by creating another Salem witch trials or McCarthy hearings at home?
Or do we have the "guts" to really practice democracy, to listen, self-reflect and learn, at home and internationally?
by Maceo Carrillo Martinet
Daily Lobo Columnist
Questions, comments or suggestions can be sent to Maceo Carrillo Martinet at conuco8@unm.edu.
