New York State of Mind

[Michael Perez]

Quail wrote:
"In fact, one of the things that surprises me the most is how much
people who count themselves liberals and Bush-haters are agreeing with
the course of action taken so far by our current government. I have
heard so many people start of a conversations with, 'I can't believe I
am saying this about Bush, but...' Even me -- and Lord knows, I really 
dislike Bushes junior and senior."

As someone who considers himself a progressive and a pacifist, I am
surprised to find myself in this camp for the moment, too.  Unlike the
"Gulf War," during which it seemed like there was an urgency to deplete
excess munitions, there has been a surprising amount of caution and the
rhetoric, for the most part, coming from the Dubya administration seems
to be stressing the need for something more like a police stake out
than a battle. I have to honestly, though reluctantly, admit this.  The
war rhetoric is still there somewhat - as in the "war on drugs" or "war
on poverty" or "the war on illiteracy" - but this seems to be the only
way some know to communicate their seriousness.

Then there are people waving flags and calling for immediate
retribution, something they can watch on TV with enemy body counts they
can tick off like a scorecard.  So far, they have not gotten their way.
 I don't know if their impatience will affect the present course.  It
does seem as though there are many of these folks around the country.

The difference is, of course (stating the obvious), between justice and
vengeance.  We can't lose sight of the fact that our country creates
little monsters that don't go away after they are no longer needed, and
we seem to be creating more in order to bring any active or potential
terrorists to justice, but it does no one any good to use the WTC
tragedy as an opportunity to say "See, I told you so" or "We're just
like them" or, worse yet, "America deserved it."  The pacifists of the
pragmatic type that Terrance, Quail, and others wrote about will
continue to advocate the most concentrated military action possible
while still bringing the guilty to justice while sharing in the unity
for humanitarian efforts in the wake of the recent events. However, we
still must find a sensitive way to urge that we learn from some of the
mistakes that have been made in the past in addition to correcting some
of those that continue to tarnish our currently shiny national image.

Michael

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