Mitra Ebadolahi  Shirin
Vossoughi Vossoughi and Ebadolahi are both fourth-year
International Development Studies majors. Think about it. Then
email [email protected] and
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Last weekend, in sunny Los Angeles, students were reveling in
first weekend frivolity, packing the Westwood bars and hogging the
grass space by the pool. Today, Bruins stroll to class, grab some
Taco Bell and check their e-mail.
Meanwhile in Kabul, Afghanistan, ominous silver shadows pierce
the air, cutting through silence with sounds of destruction. In the
rubble lie photos and broken dishes, relics of deserted homes and
displaced lives.
So, if a tree falls in a forest and no one is there to hear it,
does it still make a sound?
Yes.
Despite the quiet quality of print and Internet news images, we
must heed the explosive sounds and implications of Sunday’s
air raid.
Responding to one crime against humanity with another
exacerbates a dangerous pattern of violence to which there is no
foreseeable end. There are alternatives to force. But if military
retaliation sounds good to you, or if you don’t know what to
think, please consider the following.
If you are for the human right to life, you are against this
war. A total of $375 billion tax dollars (straight from your
paycheck) are earmarked for the purchase and operation of murderous
military apparatus. Last time we checked, missiles couldn’t
tell a training camp from a playground. And even if they could,
airports and military bases are usually not evacuated of all
innocent people before surprise attacks. Sept. 11’s 7,000
dead don’t deserve to have thousands more murdered in their
name. Yet it seems like most Americans were absent in kindergarten
when we learned about loving everyone equally and not hitting back.
The recent tragedy reminded us that human life is precious. All
human life.
If you are for racial equality, then you are against this war.
In 1995, we did not bomb the hell out of Oklahoma. We also were not
suspicious of every white man in a truck. Despite Bush’s
claim to support Afghans, Arabs and Muslims alike, one Tomahawk
cruise missile shatters all presidential promises of brotherhood
and solidarity. In fact, military retaliation validates and
encourages the mentality that leads directly to hate crimes.
And, as history reminds us, those who die on the front lines of
modern American wars are disproportionately youth of color.
If you believe in the freedoms of expression and association,
then you are against this war. In times of armed conflict, any
criticism of the government or its autocratic decisions are
vilified and punished. The same freedoms supposedly being
“defended” may soon cease to exist. Columnists in
Oregon and Texas were fired after writing pieces that criticized
Bush. Recently, the FBI asked colleges nationwide for information
on students enrolled in particular programs or with Middle Eastern
names.
Does the Red Scare ring a bell?
If you are for alleviating poverty, then you are against this
war. It is no coincidence that Afghanistan is the key to a crucial
oil pipeline and one of the poorest countries on Earth, with an
average life expectancy of 46 years. Afghanistan is a strategic
target that just happens to be America’s first scapegoat for
the Sept. 11 tragedy. And here’s a shocker: The same
companies that will reap billions from our defense budget were
chief donors to the Bush campaign (www.alternet. org). Those
billions are not spent to help out the nearly 500,000 workers laid
off since Sept. 11.
If you believe in the due process of law, then you are against
this war. Although no absolute evidence was presented, the U.S.
went ahead with military strikes. Besides, are we going to trust
the same security and intelligence agencies that failed to
anticipate such massive attacks to now provide us with reliable
information?
So what are our alternatives? First, we must demand the creation
of a impartial, international body. This organization would oversee
the collection of information and design a unbiased process to
bring the perpetrators to justice. Unlike bombing, such a process
would actually yield crucial information about organized violence
to thwart future attacks.
Second, American citizens are accountable for the foreign policy
objectives of their government. We must look critically at
institutionalized violence within this country and remember that
our government agencies trained bin Laden in the first place. It is
our responsibility to speak truth to power. By pushing for deeper,
more frequent discussions on a national level and demanding more
information from our government, we may begin to build a true
democracy.
Over the weekend, at sporting events across the nation,
announcements of the strikes against Afghanistan were met with
chants of “USA! USA!” Apparently, lacking the mental
capacity to distinguish between rooting for a football team and
cheering for vengeful murder, these Americans demonstrated a
chilling lack of compassion and reflection.
If you are for critical thought and human rights and wish to see
the end of worldwide fear, then you are against this war.
Do something about it.