tp213.xml
Title
tp213.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2003-03-10
TomPaine Story: Story
Toward a More Perfect Union
Whenever there is a calamitous national event, such as the terror attacks of 9/11, the American impulse is predictably patriotic. We rally around the flag, mourn our dead, and mutually reaffirm our convictions and character as a nation.
This is as it should be, and only the cold-hearted and cynical could fault such a reaction. However, the inevitable impulse to ëprotect and defend is endangering our society by blinding us to that which truly threatens us in the first place: our callous and arrogant attitude toward the third world, coupled with the hypocrisy of our foreign policy. Despite our enormous generosity as a nation, we are widely despised, even by those we feed and clothe. Terrorism is engendered by attitudes which our own behavior helps to create.
While the efforts to improve security are important, no amount of increased vigilance can completely preclude individual acts of terror like those witnessed last year. One determined zealot with a suitcase-sized nuclear device could potentially cause a calamity far greater than the one we suffered on 9/11. We simply cant defend ourselves against those kinds of attacks without destroying the liberties and freedoms that we consider essential to democracy. Terrorists understand this only too well, and will continue to try to exploit this fact.
Instead, it would be more productive to at least attempt to understand the emotions and attitudes which give rise to terrorism, and find ways to combat it by rebalancing our policies and behavior around the world. In particular, our totally blind support of Israel must change. Using our power and influence to force Israel to conclude a fair and just peace with the Palestinians would do far more to enhance our national security than any domestic spying operation, ethnic profiling, or saber-rattling could ever do.
Whenever there is a calamitous national event, such as the terror attacks of 9/11, the American impulse is predictably patriotic. We rally around the flag, mourn our dead, and mutually reaffirm our convictions and character as a nation.
This is as it should be, and only the cold-hearted and cynical could fault such a reaction. However, the inevitable impulse to ëprotect and defend is endangering our society by blinding us to that which truly threatens us in the first place: our callous and arrogant attitude toward the third world, coupled with the hypocrisy of our foreign policy. Despite our enormous generosity as a nation, we are widely despised, even by those we feed and clothe. Terrorism is engendered by attitudes which our own behavior helps to create.
While the efforts to improve security are important, no amount of increased vigilance can completely preclude individual acts of terror like those witnessed last year. One determined zealot with a suitcase-sized nuclear device could potentially cause a calamity far greater than the one we suffered on 9/11. We simply cant defend ourselves against those kinds of attacks without destroying the liberties and freedoms that we consider essential to democracy. Terrorists understand this only too well, and will continue to try to exploit this fact.
Instead, it would be more productive to at least attempt to understand the emotions and attitudes which give rise to terrorism, and find ways to combat it by rebalancing our policies and behavior around the world. In particular, our totally blind support of Israel must change. Using our power and influence to force Israel to conclude a fair and just peace with the Palestinians would do far more to enhance our national security than any domestic spying operation, ethnic profiling, or saber-rattling could ever do.
Collection
Citation
“tp213.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed May 4, 2024, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/794.