I am going to state something that many people will not agree with BUT I feel it is the TRUTH. My motto of late is "I cannot tell you what you want to know, only what I know..."
- On 9/11 a group of MEN blew up and slaughtered many innocence people. They were men who where not "right minded" and loving. They were fanatics. They happened to be from countries in the middle east. They spoke languages other than English.
- An American blew up the the Federal building in Oklahoma City. His command of English was fine and he was also not "right minded" and loving. He slaughter Innocent people who were just working and making a living...
- In 1776 - depending on the view the revolutionaries began a revolution which while grounded in honorable ideals - was viewed by many as an act of terrorism and sedation. It turned out to be an amazing choice - but it was viewed by many as not right minded and loving... How about the civil war?
- The French Revolution saw the slaughter of 1000s of people - what began as a movement founded in philosophical principals, melted and morphed into a blood thirsty reign of terror.
- When the police killed the protesters at Kent State, they committed murder - I am not sure it was right minded or not. They followed orders. But what about freedom of speech.
But this has to stop. Arabs, Middle Easterners and those who are Muslim are not guilty by proxy. Just as those of us who are Euro American are not all militia members and we are not going to blow up federal buildings. I am Euro American and I have never been a militia member, have no interest and frankly think fertilizer is dangerous to your health - blowing it up is just plain stupid.
I went to the young socialists meetings in college - but that did not mean I was going to join a group like the SDS in Germany. They were urban terrorists.
Arabic language t-shirts are not the problems. Arab or Middle Eastern Families, who are having a conversation about their fears of flying and the safest place to sit in an airliner - a conversation I had with L when we went to NYC are not a threat to the safety of other passengers.
Enough....
The real threat to security is not those who are Arab or those who are wearing clothing we do not like. The real threat - the threat to humanity is our own illusions, our own prejudices and our own arrogance.
If you think striping at the airport and having your bags searched is going to solve this - then I have some swamp land in Florida... cheap cheap cheap...
If you think discriminating against a certain group of people - Arabs, women, French speakers or whatever is going to help make us safer - I am here to tell you - IT IS NOT. HATE IS NEVER ENOUGH. Small mindedness is NEVER ENOUGH! Just look at what is happening in Israel and Palestine as I write. There is so much hate and violence and blood on hands on both sides in that conflict. Love and compassion is the only true resolution and that is hard. Hard to love with bloody hands... but it in the end will only be enough....
I have always thought that it is my right as an American - it is my legacy and my duty to live the principals of freedom. Freedom is a costly adventure my friends. Freedom lives in love and rightmindness and Freedom is a hard road. I ask you... Are we on the right road.
Delaying flights, covering T-shirts and bowing to the small and petty mean - well that is not courageous and it will never - not ever - BE ENOUGH.
1 comment:
they took my peanut butter at the albuquerque airport. it counts as a cream and gone it is.
i'm sure everyone felt safer.
and who doesn't think about the safest place to sit? someone told me that "flying while muslim" is the new "driving while black" excuse for harassment.
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