ZGram - 9/15/2001 - "A Call to Sanity: An Essay by Robert Jensen"

[Ingrid Rimland]

Copyright (c) 2001 - Ingrid A. Rimland

ZGram - Where Truth is Destiny

September 15, 2001

Good Morning from the Zundelsite:

Among the many war whoops and frenzied calls for revenge about the horrid
terrorist attack, I hope to run a number of Internet essays I will title "A
Call to Sanity".

I will repeat over and over again the words of Abraham Lincoln - which I
believe should be our dictum:  "Nothing is settled permanently unless it is
settled equitably."  As another writer said:  To let massive terror rain
from the sky on the guilty and the innocent alike will only create 10,000
Osama bin Ladens.

Here is your first essay, written by an academic from the State of Texas:

[START] 
"War is not the only option" -  by Robert Jensen

"We have to do something."

In the face of the unimaginable horror of the past week, it is easy to
understand why people all across the United States are crying out for
action.

But we must remember that military action -- violence and more death -- is
not the only action available to us.

Making peace is an action. Seeking justice is an action.

"But we have to show the terrorists that we are strong."

Is the use of force -- especially when the force being called for is likely
to be so massive and indiscriminate as to bring more civilian death --
asign of strength? Or can people, and a nation, show strength through
thewisdom to not repeat tragic mistakes of the past?

Although we may not like the label, the United States is an empire. And
like empires of the past, the United States is quick to try to solve
problems with its overwhelming military power.

But this problem will not be solved by force, by the "global campaign
towipe out terrorism" that officials are calling for. We should not
forgetthe wiping out terrorism inevitably will mean wiping out many
innocent  people, which will only deepen the resentment of the United
States around  the world -- especially the Third World -- and strengthen
the resolve ofterrorists. It will not end terrorism but create new
terrorists.

The problem of terrorism will be solved by making peace and seeking
justice. That will not be achieved at the end of a gun, but by changing the
posture of the United States in the world. We must move from claiming the
right to make unilateral demands to truly multilateral engagement.

If the United States were to announce its intention not to avenge this
attack with violence but with a new approach -- one based in a commitment
to a real peace in the Middle East based on real justice -- the world would
not see it as weakness. Such a declaration would be the ultimate sign
ofstrength.

There is a difficult truth about the United States that we must come to
terms with if we are to understand why we were targeted for this cruel
attack: For more than three decades, the United States has been the biggest
obstacle to peace in the Middle East, and until we reverse that position we
will be the target of the frustration and anger of many people there.

Israel's illegal occupation of the West Bank and Gaza since 1967 is at the
heart of the conflict in the Middle East, and that occupation has been
possible because of support the United States -- through Republican and
Democratic administrations. We call ourselves the architects of the "peace
process," but in truth we have for decades blocked the international
consensus for peace, which has called for Israel to give up the occupation
and demanded basic rights for the Palestinian people.

Since 1991, when the Bush administration made sure that a U.S.-led war
would be the only response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, the resentment
of the United States among the people of the Middle East has only deepened.
Our willingness to use massive and indiscriminate violence in that war, and
our eagerness to establish what has become a permanent military presence in
the region, has made us few friends.

Yes, we need to do something -- but something to shift our policy in
theMiddle East from rule-by-force to the quest for justice. Nonviolence is
not  simply about refusing to make war; it also is about creating justice
in the  world so that war is not necessary.

The appeal of war is that it seems strong and promises results quickly. It
makes us feel safe.

But if we are to fight a global war against terrorism, we will show the
world our weakness and trade the promise of peace and justice for the
illusion of victory.

[END]

Robert Jensen is a professor of journalism at the University of       Texas
at Austin.

=====

Thought for the Day:

"I thought that my Vietnam experience was enough bloodletting to last this
man a lifetime. Evidently it was not. I now join a select group of people
who have experienced the horrors of war on their own doorsteps.

"I hope that through this painful saga, I will be more able to empathize
with the survivors of W.W.II. I never took the time to stop and think about
how devastating an experience it was for you Europeans. You experienced the
reign of terror from the skies on a nightly basis.

(Letter to the Zundelsite)