Insecure about security? (458 hits)
Category: Politics -> Election 2004Rating: 1.07 on 19 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by SimianSidestep <SimianSidestep.at.yourmommashouse.org> (View user info) at 2004-10-08 11:22:23 EDT
Following a conversation that I had with a colleague over lunch, the decision was made to summarize our talk and email it out to some friends. While the second debate looms and Nov.2 creeps closer and closer still, this is for anyone who is even considering going to the polls:
If John Kerry loses the presidential election in November, he will have nobody but his campaign strategists to blame. To me, one of the most disheartening things about the last two debates (presidential & vice-presidential), is how hard the Johns are posturing to look tougher on terrorism than the Bush / Cheney tag team. Kerry listed a plethora of security breaches that Bush has not addressed (e.g. "only 5% of all packages received at Florida ports are inspected, they dropped the ball on Osama") while Edwards disconcertingly asserted multiple times that he would "hunt down and kill" terrorists in a manner that made it sound like he personally would be pulling the trigger. From where I sit, this focus on Homeland Security is a strategically myopic approach to boil the election down to a single issue where, at best, the democrats and republicans have equal legitimacy in the eyes of the public. As Michael Moore brought to our attention in "Bowling for Columbine," a large part of American politics and culture is actually motivated by fear. And the more Kerry & Edwards stoke that fear, the more it pushes people into the GOP camp. Let's face it, those people who consider fighting terrorists to be the most important priority for America today are already going to be voting for George Bush. Furthermore, this single issue strategy makes the Kerry/Edwards campaign more vulnerable to an "October surprise" which I don't doubt is on its way. If the Pakistanis "suddenly" capture Osama bin Laden or if the CIA "suddenly" uncovers a cache of WMD chemicals or a phone book full of Al Qaeda numbers in Iraq, all the tough guy posturing gets thrown right out the window.
What would I rather have them say to the question of security? Three things:
1. Security is important ... but not at absolutely all cost. The price of living in a democracy is that we have freedoms to use and abuse. Freedom of speech, of association, of religion, etc. We have the right of privacy, the right to bear arms and the right to due process. This comes at the price of some inherent insecurity. The Bush Administration has already exempted chemical plants from EPA reporting requirements in the name of "security." Similarly, the navy's use of high power sonar, which has been shown to cause massive internal hemmorhaging in marine mammals (leading to the large scale beachings of whales and dolphins observed on the west coast), has also been exempted from marine mammal protections for reasons of "security." And we all know about the unprecedented, bipartisan, grassroots uprising in the wake of the civil-liberties stripping PATRIOT Act. Yes, we want to be safe, but not at the cost of our freedoms, our privacy, our economy, our environment, and our standing in the international community. Short of living in a totalitarian state, we have to accept that terrorists will always find a way to strike at innocents.
2. There are many forms of security. There is also food security, housing security, job security, and health care security to consider. Infectious diseases are spreading at alarming rates due to a variety of environmental and societal factors (look at the maps showing spread of West Nile across the US, note that annual reported malaria cases quadrupled between 1995 and 2000, the global AIDS epidemic should be giving everyone pause). While terrorism is certainly a horrible scourge, does the fact that over 1 billion people have no access to potable water not rate higher? Can you honestly tell me a single mother in the Bronx would be more frightened of Osama bin Laden than of simply losing her apartment or job or children to lives of crime? For me, there is a clear case to be made that a new administration could do a better job improving the security, in all its myriad forms, of all the people in the world from threats that are, frankly, far greater than terrorism.
3. Strength and security are not synonymous. There is no question who the strongest country on the earth is. The US military was the most powerful military in the world before 9/11 and it still is today. However, the war on terror will never be won with military might or displays of power. More than anything, it is a war for hearts and minds and, on that front, we are losing badly. Since the invasion of Iraq, international polls have reported that America is now perceived as the greatest threat to world peace. The Bush administration shrugs these polls off at our peril, particularly polls of moderate Islamic populations ... after all, where do you think the radicals recruit from? Regardless your feelings on the politics of the situation, it is a fact that the US now occupies the two holiest regions in the Islamic world ... Iraq & Saudi Arabia. It is a fact that George Bush used the word "crusade" immediately after 9/11. It is a fact that the Abu Ghraib photos have been emailed around the world and not a single high-ranking US official has been taken to task. Whoever is running the PR campaign for our country should be canned immediately because, frankly, they're doing a better job than Osama bin Laden ever could. The case should be made that this administration is too arrogant, single-minded, and self-righteous to win the war of international opinion, which in the end will be more important to the war on terror than all the airport inspectors, kevlar vests, and anthrax vaccines we could ever afford to buy.
Cheers,
~SS
User Reviews
Submitted by tinactin (user info) at 2005-05-27 01:27:14 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by DJMattB241 (user info) at 2004-10-08 18:41:53 (#)
Ranking: 1
Submitted by zakalwe (user info) at 2004-10-08 13:32:35 (#)
Ranking: 0
DJMatt, it's interesting to see you learned english from hip-hop stars.
Where did you pick up your politics?
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Saying the word ludacris doesn't mean i learned my vocabulary from the rap star of the same name.
It just means i can use big words.
HAHAHAHA
Submitted by joedaddy (user info) at 2005-05-27 01:13:38 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by cigar (user info) at 2004-10-08 12:51:55 (#)
Ranking: -2
No Comment
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Uh, this is what concerns me.
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And now, we are paying for it.
Submitted by SimianSidestep (user info) at 2004-10-08 18:46:03 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
That's an excellent quote loki & qweensowntalia. It adequately sums up the goals of the current administration for the post 9/11 world. While I am in agreement that the war on terror is an important one in the context of world affairs, it is the self-subscribed and preemptive 'war on radical islam' that has become the cornerstone of US policy.
Submitted by DJMattB241 (user info) at 2004-10-08 18:44:55 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by queensowntalia (user info) at 2004-10-08 14:35:42 (#)
Ranking: 2
Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security, will not have, nor
do they deserve, either one
--- Benjamin franklin.
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so what's this quote supposed to mean? we shouldnt ever compromise freedoms for security? ever?
Benjamin Franklin is not infallible. Or maybe you think that we should stop using metal detectors when people enter courtrooms. you see, that infringes on my right to 1) get into a courtroom quickly 2) my right to privacy, and 3) my right to carry a gun whenever i feel like it.
oh? keep using metal detectors? okay, so you just gave up a little freedom to feel more secure.
Submitted by DJMattB241 (user info) at 2004-10-08 18:41:53 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
Submitted by zakalwe (user info) at 2004-10-08 13:32:35 (#)
Ranking: 0
DJMatt, it's interesting to see you learned english from hip-hop stars.
Where did you pick up your politics?
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Saying the word ludacris doesn't mean i learned my vocabulary from the rap star of the same name.
It just means i can use big words.
I get my politics from the world around me, taking what other people say, judging it, applying my own ideas, and coming up with what i would like to think is a good foundation of morals.
just like everyone else.
Submitted by queensowntalia (user info) at 2004-10-08 14:35:42 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security, will not have, nor
do they deserve, either one
--- Benjamin franklin.
Submitted by Teephphah (user info) at 2004-10-08 14:34:15 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
This is a really well thought out and well written piece.
I'd take it apart and all, but I'm a little busy.
Submitted by zakalwe (user info) at 2004-10-08 13:32:35 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
DJMatt, it's interesting to see you learned english from hip-hop stars.
Where did you pick up your politics?
Submitted by ScoutCJustice (user info) at 2004-10-08 13:08:32 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
That was beautiful. Your last point about force not being the important factor in winning a war on terrorism was something I've been trying to word for a long time without being able to do so succesfully. Great post.
Submitted by cigar (user info) at 2004-10-08 12:51:55 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
No Comment
Submitted by loki (user info) at 2004-10-08 12:31:02 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Well if you are going to credit Bush with keeping us safe because of the lack of terrorism I think it should be noted that I've changed jobs since 9/11 so by the same logic, my no longer working in Big 4 accounting has kept the country safe.
Details, facts, and figures. What has Bush done specifically that has protected us from terrorism?
It sure is a good thing that Christians don't believe in using terrorists tactics or someone might blow up Olympic Village or a women's health clinic or something - damn that would be just fucking awful.
Submitted by MisterCeltic (user info) at 2004-10-08 12:17:00 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Well researched, well planned and well written.
Submitted by DJMattB241 (user info) at 2004-10-08 12:15:38 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
thought 1: i agree. it's ludacris for kerry/edwards to pick on a subject where most people (polls show) believe bush/cheney does a better job.
All you have to do is look at the facts:
How many terrorist attacks have their been on the US, outside of Iraq (a war zone), since 9/11/01?
How many were there on Clinton's watch?
i can think of 5 off the top of my head.
Think about it. We've been 3 years without a single terrorist attack, save the ones that are panicking in iraq because we're fucking their shit up.
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thought 2: we're being WAY too careful about pissing off muslims. all liberals do all day long is pick on, make fun of, and ridicule christianity, but won't say one bad thing about muslims. why? because those fuckers are CRAZY. you piss them off you might find a plane wedged in your house.
Submitted by zakalwe (user info) at 2004-10-08 12:11:15 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
An intelligent, well thought out and argued piece. More.
Submitted by great_angst (user info) at 2004-10-08 12:00:14 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Schwarzes_Glas (user info) at 2004-10-08 11:59:02 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
Submitted by Caulaincourt (user info) at 2004-10-08 11:50:46 (#)
Ranking: 1
Now imagine how they are pissed at the US.
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Oh no.
Submitted by Caulaincourt (user info) at 2004-10-08 11:50:46 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
Submitted by BLITZKREIG_BOB (user info) at 2004-10-08 11:34:05 (#)
Ranking: 1
It pisses me off that Arabs have had such an effect on our domestic politics for the past 30 years.
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Now imagine how they are pissed at the US.
Submitted by loki (user info) at 2004-10-08 11:50:16 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
- Benjamin Franklin
Submitted by BLITZKREIG_BOB (user info) at 2004-10-08 11:34:05 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
It pisses me off that Arabs have had such an effect on our domestic politics for the past 30 years.