In multiple ways, Charlotte Bunch is right. Unfortunately, the events of 9/11 and those that have followed have taken focus away from the human rights and women’s rights progress that had been made prior to the attacks. The atrocities committed against women in countries across the globe is horrible and must remain a priority for America, her allies, and the UN if these issues are ever going to have the chance at being solved. Women are not on an equal footing with men in any, way, shape or form in this country or virtually any other, plain and simple. While this fact is disheartening, it is certainly not dooming. Women both in America and other countries, are fighting each and every day to increase the civil rights that women wholly deserve. Women cannot be the only ones forced to carry the burden of obtaining these rights and the necessary environment equality. Men too must feel responsible for the state of women's affairs. As Lorde said, one cannot tear down the master's house with the master's tools. Only the master can tear down his house. The leadership in this area absolutely must come from the top. And it seems to me, that President Obama is passionately seeking to lead in this way. Not only do I support his efforts in this area, I applaud his candidness about his feelings. He must make it clear to people around the world that our national security priorities will be no longer be acceptable disguises for human rights violations. As Americans, being part of the most influential nation in the world, we must lead the way towards equality of the sexes, and this can only be done substantially through example.
However, I cannot sit idly by and not express my feelings towards Bunch’s point of view on 9/11, George Bush, and the events that have followed that day. In my opinion, Bunch has missed the point to an extent. I live in New York City, and I was in school as were most children the morning of the attacks. My parents picked me up from school shortly after the first plane hit the first tower. After a few hours, one could look towards downtown and see the smoke, as well as smell the odor of the pure carnage caused by the terrorists. I had to call my father and beg him to come home from the office because I feared that he too would fall victim to an attack. Not only as a New Yorker and an American, but also as a young Jew, I witnessed what our most vile of enemies had accomplished that day. The following is my paraphrasing and interpretation of a speech from the movie “A Few Good Men.” The original I have memorized by heart as a reminder for what this world is really like. I say this as a message to Bunch and all others who call into question the methods and steps taken by the military to ensure that we are safe each and every day.
We live in a world that has walls and those walls need to be guarded by men with guns. Who’s going to do it? You? You, Charlotte Bunch? You weep for the enemy and you curse the military. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what people like General Petraeus, President Bush, and General Tommy Franks know. That there are thousands of people who plot to do evil and destroy America each and every day. The death of innocents in battle, while tragic probably saved lives. And the existence of the military, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you saves lives. You don’t want the truth because deep down in places you don’t talk about at parties, you want American soldiers on that wall. You need them at wall. The military uses words like “honor,” “code,” “loyalty.” They use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punch line. Our military leaders have neither the time nor the inclination to explain themselves to a group of people who rise and sleep under the blanket of the very freedom they provide and then question the manner in which they provide it. They rather you just say “thank you,” and go on way. Otherwise I suggest you pick up a weapon and stand a post. Either way I don’t give a damn what you think you are entitled to.
People like Bunch treat our soldiers like they are somehow not American citizens, like they are worthy of chastisement for their efforts. A song entitled “Citizen/Soldier” reads:
“Beyond the boundaries of your city's lights/Stand the heroes waiting for your cries/So many times you did not bring this on yourself/When that moment finally comes/I'll be there to help/On that day when you need your brothers and sisters to care/I'll be right here/Citizen soldiers holding the light for the ones that we guide from the dark of despair/Standing on guard for the ones that we sheltered/We'll always be ready because we will always be there/When there are people crying in the streets/When they're starving for a meal to eat/When they simply need a place to make their beds/Right here underneath my wing/You can rest your head/On that day when you need your brothers and sisters to care/I'll be right here!/Citizen soldiers holding the light for the ones that we guide from the dark of despair/Standing on guard for the ones that we sheltered/We'll always be ready because we will always be there/Hope and pray that you'll never need me/But rest assured I will not let you down/I'll walk beside you but you may not see me/The strongest among you may not wear a crown./On that day when you need your brothers and sisters to care/I'll be right here!/On that day when you don't have the strength for the burden you bear/I'll be right here!/Citizen soldiers holding the light for the ones that we guide from the dark of despair/Standing on guard for the ones that we sheltered/We'll always be ready because we will always be there.”
There are a lot of complex issues raised this post, and I agree with certain aspects and disagree with others. One point I disagree with is that “We live in a world that has walls and those walls need to be guarded by men with guns.” I believe that in the globalized world, it is false to believe that our territory is so easily defended militarily. While the United States has an extremely strong military in both intelligence, man power, and technology, the reality is that we face a new era of attacks which we may not be able to defend ourselves from using the military. Terrorism in the 21st century attacks civilians in ways that challenge traditional warfare. While of course “men with guns” is a metaphor for our military and not a literal description of defense, our military is often one step behind terrorists. They are on the offensive, and we are scrambling to catch up. For example, a few years ago there was the incident with the liquid bomb carried onto an airplane disguised in a Gatorade container. While we were able to intercept this specific attempt, the developments in technology against us outpace our responses. A huge threat to our national security is biological warfare, a danger which our country and military is completely unprepared for. It is a false sense of security to believe we can easily separate “us” from “them” with our military .
ReplyDeleteIn addition to defending ourselves against attacks, the United States needs to take a critical look at why people hate America so much that they devote their lives to killing us. Without looking at the root causes of hatred such as economic inequality, unemployment, and oppression, it will continue indefinitely. It is not unpatriotic to look critically at historical reasons why people hate America. I think it is incredibly patriotic to love our country enough to want to make it better. We have amazing values, traditions, cultures and people and still there are things that are very wrong with us. Why does the United States give the least amount of money in foreign aid compared to the 22 other developed countries? Why does the United States provide arms to developing countries which are already unstable and on the verge of civil war? Despite being one of the biggest polluters, why did the United States refuse to support international treaties attempting to reduce greenhouse gases and mitigate global climate change? Why is the American military entitled to go to war to protect its own economic interests in the Middle East? How does the United States and its corporations create economic situations where young men have nowhere else to turn but terrorist organizations?