Responses to my Family: Part 2: Have You Forgotten?

[snarkyman]

This is the second in a series of unsent email responses to my family. This one is to my Father, John Davis. The original email contained a PowerPoint presentation called "Have Your Forgotten" that showed pictures of the WTC site on and after 9/11 and contained the message "Support Our Troops" at the end. I received the original on 29 March 2003 and composed the response some days later.


John Davis wrote:

> Subject: FW: Have you forgotten?

Hi Dad -

I've thought about this a lot since you sent it. The answer is no, I have not forgotten. I think about it every day - I think about how our world changed that day forever. The rest of the world caught up with us - or rather, we caught up with the rest of the world.

I remember while in high school you warned us about the possibilities of this happening. You said something about fanatical religious groups and individuals from the middle east - those who believe they are doing God's work by destroying America. You asked how my generation would be able to deal with this future reality. Back then, I had no answer - and I still don't have one. Twenty hours later, I have some ideas - and even more questions and doubts.

I'm not sure what message I'm supposed to take from the timing of your email and the attached pictures. I'm not sure how September 11th relates to our current actions in Iraq. I know that 54% of Americans polled believe it was Iraq that crashed panes into the World Trade Center. But you and I know that is not true. Eighteen of nineteen hijackers were from Saudi Arabia. If we really wanted to do something about terrorism, we would be putting pressure on the Saudi royal family. In truth, I believe history will record that Iraq and Saddam Hussein had very little to do with terrorism in America.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/12/06/60minutes/main532107.shtml

I don't support the President's decision to go into Iraq. But the decision has been made - the troops are in action. I believe they should do their job the best way they know how - and I support the troops in their efforts. Yes, I believe that Saddam Hussein needed to be removed from power. He killed 5000 of his own people in the mid 1980s. He tortured, raped and killed dissidents. Saddam is a threat to security in the Middle East and is guilty of sending money to the families of suicide bombers in Israel. Yes, I agree Saddam Hussein needed to be removed from power.

But you know what? He was our dictator. We supplied Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction during the Iran - Iraq war. There are even pictures of Rumsfeld shaking hands with Saddam Hussein when he was President Regan's Special Envoy to the Middle East in December 1983.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/rumsfeld-bio.html
http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/09/30/sproject.irq.regime.change/
http://www.msnbc.com/news/812805.asp

But I'm not sure we're going about this the right way. We have, what President Bush calls a "Coalition of the Willing" consisting of "over 40 countries", three of which actually have an army and sent troops into Iraq. You and I spoke about this on the phone in late February or early March. The bitch of the thing is that Bush is probably right. But I don't think of Bush as the great humanitarian removing a dictator from power. I see President Bush going into Iraq to stabilize a political situation to the satisfaction of only the US and Israel.

The same is true of Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden was part of the mujahedeen in Afghanistan - funded by the US and trained by the CIA to fight against the Soviet Union. We supplied bin Laden with money, training and weapons - and he turned them against the US.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/155236.stm
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/binladen/etc/cron.html

On May 17, 2001 Prior to September 11th, Secretary of State Colin Powell announced a gift of $43 million to the Taliban as a purported reward for its eradication of Afghanistan's opium crop the preceding February.

http://www.drugwar.com/cv37.shtm
http://www.sumeria.net/politics/binladen.html
http://www.robertscheer.com/1_natcolumn/01_columns/052201.htm
http://www.jhu.edu/~pugwash/pugwash/articles/politics/safire102501.html
http://usinfo.state.gov/topical/pol/usandun/01080205.htm
http://www.state.gov/www/regions/sa/facts_taliban_drugs.html

I guess what I'm trying to say is that the US has not necessarally made the best foreign policy decisions in the past; I fear that we're continuing to make the same mistakes. I think we've been terribly short sighted - and these decisions come back to bite us in the ass.

So no, dad, I have not forgotten about the tragedy of September 11th and all the lives lost. But I fear the effects of this tragedy on the US. I fear what this experiences has turned us into. You also taught me that I should never expect the government to do anything for me. Now that the government is trying to protect me, I fear our government. The USA Patriot Act gives our government sweeping new law enforcement powers. As if these were not frightening enough, there's legislation for Patriot Act II and legislation to remove the sunset provision on the first Patriot Act. I don't think the government should have this much unchecked power. Who was it who said, "If you make enough laws, everyone will be criminals"?

I don't know where we're going as a country. I'm afraid that we're losing essential liberties that we will never recover. I'm afraid we're going into new foreign policy decisions without understanding the full implications of what we're doing. And what happens if we're successful? What prescient would this set? Where does the Bush Doctrine stop? Who would be there to oppose us? Does the US really have the wisdom to decide which countries have legitimate governments? By what measure?

I don't have any of the answers - just questions. Many citizens of the US may never miss or even notice their freedoms have been eroded. But I pay attention, watch, witness and record the details. When people finally wake up, I fear it may be too late.

May the Gods help us all.

Bruce

Comments

[chaiya.livejournal.com]

This message is far more considered, in my opinion. I might've sent it, if it was mine.

*hugs*, just because. :)

[cellio]

Very well said.