|
opinion:
our view
Bombing not the
answer
In yet another recent
speech by our illustrious president, George W. Bush, he said
the American people should prepare themselves for years of bombings
in retaliation for the tragedies of Sept. 11.
This, of course, would mean years of bombing the small, poverty-stricken
country of Afghanistan, spiraling them further down the road
to complete obliteration for the sole purpose of capturing one
man, Osama bin Laden.
The move by Bush can be construed as many things. They could
simply be the ramblings of a man who is trying to talk tough
and maybe put pressure on the Afghani government to speed up
the capturing of bin Laden. On the other hand, they could simply
be the words of a man who wants to ride this catastrophe out
to re-election, - a move not unlike New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani,
who attempted to extend his own term in the wake of the tragedies.
The truth is, however you interpret Bush's words politically,
years of bombing and warfare against Afghanistan is not the
best answer, from the standpoint of establishing peaceful relationships
with Islamic countries around the world.
Meanwhile, many of us Americans feel that the only answer is
an eye for an eye. We seem to want vengeance for the attacks
at any cost. Many Americans are willing to pay the taxes necessary
to fund a war and see it as their way of helping out their country.
The truth of the matter is that bloodshed in any land near or
far is wrong. We must look into ourselves and realize that the
same hurt and anguish we felt for other Americans who died at
the hands of terrorists are also felt by other people thousands
of miles away.
War is not beautiful and it is certainly not always necessary.
Violence only impedes the process of peace, a peace that will
never arise out of blood and hatred.
The real question we must ask ourselves is what is the difference?
The differences between bodies of Americans and bodies of Afghani's
trapped in burning rubble? Or the difference between children
having to live the rest of their lives without a mother or father,
or maybe even both because of senseless violence.
The answer is nothing. Despite all of our differences, the color
of our skin, the cost of our clothes or the religion we practice,
the only thing that truly separates us from the rest of the
world is distance.
The Afghani people, - a people who have nothing to do with the
attacks on our country - should in no way have to suffer the
way many of us are as a result of the attacks.
The people of Afghanistan deserve a peaceful life. A peace that
will take years for them to find again, amidst the rebuilding
of their towns that have been destroyed by years of bloodshed
and violence by the former Soviet Union in the '80s and now
America, in the new century.
While we detest the use of violence as a replacement for negotiation
and peaceful co-existence, we realize that war is an evil deemed
necessary by those who have the power in their hands. We urge
President Bush and the powers that be, to end the bombings sooner
rather than later and to keep in mind that peace is the ultimate
goal, a goal that won't be reached through bloodshed.
|
|
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Search our site
DEPARTMENT
OF
JOURNALISM
ONLINE 49ER
DEPARTMENTS
ADVERTISING
ADMINISTRATION
DAILY
49ER ALUMNI
SUBSCRIPTION
SERVICE
GIVE
FEEDBACK
|
