After listening to arguments about drone strikes on OPB this weekend, I have formulated my own opinion. They are heinous and criminal. As a tax-paying American citizen, I am now a terrorist. And so are you, my friends.
Terrorism, as I understand it, is committing acts or threatening to commit acts to instill fear into the average citizen for religious, political, financial or even idealistic purposes.
The ultimate--and now, almost cliche--example of a terrorist act is 9/11. On September 11, 2001, the average citizen was minding his or her own business when we were attacked. Not only did the terrorists kill thousands of Americans, but it also instilled fear and changed so much about the way the average American lives. Though it seems absurd to you and me, the persons involved in committing the act felt that it was their obligation, their calling, their responsibility to do this.
President Obama and his administration think it is their obligation, calling and responsibility to use drone strikes to take out terrorists. There are many advantages to drone strikes compared to boots-on-the-ground: less US collateral damage and cost-savings to name the big ones.
BUT innocent, non-terrorist persons are being killed as collateral damage. We are instilling fear not just in our known enemies, but the average citizen. And the saddest part is that the majority of Americans aren't blinking an eye over it. By all the definitions of terrorism we have used as Americans, we now need to point the fingers at ourselves. We kill innocent people for our own interests. We are terrorists.
At least when we had boots-on-the-ground, a large part of what we did in the Middle East was try to win the "hearts and minds of the people". Any progress in this--if there was indeed, any--is moot due to drone strikes. Drone strikes are cold and detached, unsuspecting, impersonal and vicious, as are the ones dictating their use.
Furthermore, by being terrorists, we are creating more feelings of animosity and hostility in the Middle East. Terrorist organizations might increase in size as a reaction to drone strikes. We have acted like the Bad Guy--we are the Bad Guy. I don't blame them for rising up against us.
And who the hell do we think we are? We can tell other countries what weapons they can and cannot have, but we are now telling the international community to mind their own business? We only accept international law if it works for our agenda. We are bullies kicking over everyone else's sandcastles on the playground, but no one is allowed to come near our sandbox.
Again, my ideas are only beginning to formulate, but I am strong in my opinion. For my part as a US citizen, I apologize to the international community. I am so sorry for the losses and tragedy we have caused.
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The discussion we had over facebook:
ReplyDeleteJay's original post: Once upon a time, I opined to a soldier friend of mine that Americans are worse terrorists because our military has killed far more innocents than those who died in New York on that awful day, 9/11/2001. She eloquently and angrily told me how wrong I was.
Years later, her view changed, and unfortunately, America still commits acts of terrorism. We just have a different word for it. National Security.
Maria: That's to say: I think that our presence in Iraq and the 'Stan were what needed to be done given the situation. We were there to win hearts and minds but failed miserably with far too many casualties due to politics. Drone strikes have no gray area as far as I'm concerned.
Jay: And Tens of thousands of dead bodies is not much of a gray area either. Love the warrior, hate the war.
Maria: It's gray because I could also argue it's wrong to let evil dictators and terrorist organizations kill their own innocents.
Tuesday at 9:03pm · Like
Jay: Or I should say, love the people, hate the horrible horrible things people do to each other and then attempt to justify later through inherent pathological necessity.
Maria: And unfortunately, intervening has consequences to include death.
Maria: But I think the cost is worth it in trying to establish a democracy. We're not trying to do that now, we're just blowing shit up.
Jay: Precisely. And remember, a system has to be on the terms of the populace, not on the terms of the occupiers.
Jay: Colonialism never lasts. Even if it we do not call it colonialism. Our natural human thirst for freedom is always more powerful and profound than antiquated nation states.
Maria: Right. From the literature I've read, we tried to help these populations establish their own versions of it, but they were generally more self-sabbotaging then we are in our country.
Jay: I wonder how that would compare to the literature the Afghans read.
Jay: As far as evil is concerned, there is plenty happening within our own borders to focus on. "Remove the beam from your own eye before trying to remove the sliver from your neighbor's eye."
Maria: Right, and while I admit our reporting is slanted, I would never in a million years trust Al-Q dominated literature to be accurate.
Jay: Who is Al-Q?
Jay: Have you ever actually known anybody, or just who the media reports?
Maria: And the beam thing: that's a fruitless point if you ask me. You can't expect everyone to care about the same thing at the same time.
Maria: Sometimes I wander over to Al-Jazeera.
Maria: what do you mean "known anybody?"
Maria: Al-Q: al qaeda.
Jay: It is not unlike McCarthyism, only instead of fearing "commies" and "Russian Nukes," now we fear "terrorists" and "al-Qaeda." I know nobody, except a dead old man that was reported to be on kidney dialysis in the 90's. He was called Osama Bin Laden. It is dangerous to trust others on whom the bad guy is. We have to take a lot on faith, and little on actual known evidence.
ReplyDeleteJay: I am not a conspiracy theorist. Those guys drink too much kool-aid. I am, however, extremely critical of what I hear in the mainstream media.
Maria: Right, which is why drone strikes suck. We can totally skip Geneva Conventions, not give them a chance to surrender and try them in a court of law.
Maria: Boots on the ground, although still a crappy deal, more often allowed for the chance to surrender.
Jay: Osama bin Laden was a boogey man. Not Hitler. A man set up as a straw man bad guy to drum up support for a policy of occupation.
Jay: Iran is the next piece on the chess board. I have met Iranians. Nice folks who often speak several languages and are more educated than our policy makers.
Jay: We have to look at this globally. All humans have rights. Not just Americans.
Jay: I agree that dictators suck, but if their own people will not rise up, why would they support us?
Maria: I agree. And I have to get up early, so we shall resume this later. Off to bed. Goodnight.
Jay: Good talk buddy. Sleep well.