Editor,
Before the last pendulum swing of power in Afghanistan, the Taliban arrested several foreign aid workers and proposed to try them for anti-Islamic activities in a court that could hardly be considered fair and impartial.
A clearer example of the difference between fascism and a democracy based on principles of civil liberty, such as our own, could hardly be scripted, as the U.S. sought justification for its military operation in Afghanistan.
Ironically, the so-called Patriot Act, recently signed into law by President Bush, could have been modeled on the Taliban example. While ostensibly aimed at "terrorists," this law, in fact, compromises the civil liberties of all Americans. It does this by extending the power of the government to invade our homes covertly to obtain information for criminal investigations.
Further, it expands the definition of terrorism such that even peaceful political protest, one of the most fundamental rights of our society, could potentially be interpreted as a "terrorism."
Calling this law the "Patriot Act" was, of course, a public relations ploy by the Bush administration. But patriotism means different things to different Americans. While for many it is love-it-or-leave nationalism, to others it is the willingness to stand up for the great principles this country was founded on. In other words, it is not just another flag these Americans are willing to fight for, but for the ideals of democracy, liberty and justice that our flag should symbolize.
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It is thus truly ironic in these tragic times since Sept. 11 - when the need for informed discussion and participation in our democracy has never been greater - that protests against the U.S. bombing in Afghanistan or against assaults on our civil liberties at home have been called "unpatriotic."
Many conservative columns or opinion pieces have had the ring of McCarthyism: anyone who criticizes American foreign policy, past or present is "anti-American" or, even more ironically, likened to the fanatical, American-hating supporters of bin Laden. "Anti-American," for example, appears to apply to the demand for a fully accountable government, even in times of war, to being opposed to killing innocent people or to being against the past or present support of fascism abroad for economic or military gain.
The tragic events of Sept. 11 were a stark reminder that there are political-religious movements in the world that are anti-democratic, violent and pose serious threats to our national security. As citizens of this democracy, let us try to understand, through informed public debate, the roots of these ideologies of hate - be they purely fanatical or embedded in decades of political and economic oppression.
And, above all, let us be evermore vigilant and protective of the great principles of civil liberty that distinguish our own society from theirs.
Charles Gasparovic
UNM neurosciences
