On Terror

Recently, I read a bumper sticker that said “War is terrorism with a bigger budget”. I agree. In my opinion, terrorism is a response by the “haves not’s” to strike fear in the heart of the haves. The last great war ended in 1945 and with it begun a scramble for the remains of the Austrian, and Ottoman Empires in Europe, and the vast vestiges of European colonization in the so-called third world. Out of the ashes of World War II came a “cold war” between the strongest of the remaining “haves” - the United States and Russia. In the end, the United States “won” the cold war although in hindsight, one can question whether or not it was a Pyrrhic victory. A key cog in winning the cold war was a Faustian deal with Islam in the 80’s as “Charlie Wilson’s” war provided assistance to Islamic freedom fighters in their war with Afghanistan. One of the first fruits of that deal was September 11th.

The “haves” bloodied by 2000 of years carnage in Europe hoped that defeating Hitler would stop the bleeding once and for all. They were wrong. Many thought terrorism would be limited in its scope to Beirut, or to the West Bank. They were wrong. Terror has marched from out of our living room and into our lives. Terror unsettles the population of the “haves”. The Patriot Act restrictions raising the specter of George Orwell, and the real possibility of a mushroom cloud rising over an American city gives pause. Terror wakes up the senses of a people that have become too dulled by excess to connect the dots. Terror will ultimately demand that the haves come clean, and accept their responsibility for the imbalances in this world. Those imbalances have, rather the manipulation of those on the wrong side of the scale has become the DNA of terror.

At the center of terror is one “have” in particular – the United States of America. Thus ending terror would mean a desire to see the emperor has no clothes, and yes America’s hands are dirty, real dirty, and as long as we support and enable a corrupt system by default, we are dirty.

Ending terror will require this government and its leaders to change the way we relate with our global brothers and sisters. We must require our government operate with a higher level of transparency which won’t allow for secret deals with Israel, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, or Iran. Those behind the scenes machinations, secret alliances, de facto colonization of third world countries, allegiance to war profiteers, and desire to force its values on other countries has helped to spawn a new world order whose doomsday clock ticks on at an alarming rate.

How do we end terror, in short, we in America need a mirror, a large mirror. A mirror so large that it would enable us finally to see through the rose colored lens of 1776. America in 2007 is not the handiwork of Madison, Franklin, and Jefferson. One can make the case that America has ceased to be that country for a long time. Instead the mirror will reveal the dark visage of Jack Abramoff., Dick Cheney, and Donald Rumsfelt, Bill Casey, and George H.W. Bush, Henry Kissinger, Enron, and Halliburton.

How do we in America help free the world from terrorism - by accepting our responsibility in worldwide terror, holding those accountable for their actions that promoted terror. We must become a critical thinking electorate, an electorate that will elect leaders whose actions, policies, and relationships promote peace, and harmony, not war, fear, and terror.