Words should matter. In
‘American’ politics only body counts do.
The deaths hundreds of thousands on 9-11, throughout the 20-year
war in Afghanistan, the invasion/occupation of Iraq, and the Covid19 pandemic
will have all been in vein -- if we fail to understand what led to these deaths
in decisive terms. Not terms politicians
use to motivate voters and appropriate budgets to fund their own goals or cherished
institutions. Failing this will
inevitably lead to catastrophic repeats in mass deaths from terrorism,
pandemics, and extreme weather conditions because we react to these growing
threats instead of preventing them by addressing root causes.
Engineers, builders, scientists, medical doctors, and military
planners use very specific words that mean very specific things. This enables them to most effectively maximize
their performance to achieve success. Load
bearing capacity, protons, T cells, and non-combatants imply specific fundamental
principles that demand extreme clarity in their use.
Politicians use words that can mean damn near anything - for
achieving their political goals or ambitions. We can
best honor those who have died by effectively understanding what led to their
deaths. And using what we learned to
prevent more. Failing this, their deaths
will have been in vain.
We can start by ignoring political speeches that use vague words
or phrases to inspire us and move us to support concepts that we have rarely
examined closely.
Consider the word “prevention”. Policy makers have persistently defended our 20-year
war in Afghanistan, needless war in Iraq, and the tens of thousands of US casualties
and trillions of dollars…because they have ‘prevented’ another attack on our
homeland. The accurate word here is “preempted”. They have stopped almost every attack on our
homeland.
What they ignore is the tens of thousands of collateral deaths
that our military rules of engagement tried to avoid -plus the unimaginable
physical destruction of homes, businesses, institutions, and farmland that have
left millions in abject poverty and deep emotional pain. This persistent reality only generated more anti-American
hate, more Al Qaeda recruits, new extremist movements like ISIS, and impassioned
vengeful motivation that guarantees future attacks on our homeland. Now consider our extremely vulnerable energy,
economic, global trade, medical, and mineral dependent systems we require for our
prosperous and resource demanding (often wasteful and polluting) quality of
life. And, what it would take to preempt
each of those individuals before one of them succeeds in ending civilization as
we know it. Consider weaponized small
pox…or the collapse of the US dollar.
Over the last three decades the evolution of dual-use technology,
extremely expensive weaponry, and our increasing dependence, vulnerability, and
economic debt ushered in superpowered individuals. These are extremists with immense capacity to
intentionally or unintentionally, undermine a superpower nation. And dysfunctional divided democratic governments
are likely to be more susceptible to this than autocratic brutal regimes. In the
end they fall too. Every government
will without eventually ensuring ‘liberty and justice for all’. People only put up with brutality, injustice
and/ or suffering for so long.
Consider the word “terrorism” or “terrorist”. Autocratic
nations will use it to brutally crush any resistance. We use it to finance more expensive and intrusive
weapons systems and think rearranging our institutions will protect us. But terror is essentially fear. And it will never be defeated. Iraqi and Afghani civilians on the receiving
end of US drone strikes have been terrorized longer and with more intensity than
we have since 9-11. We still believe
our military and secured borders can keep us safe. Unless a lone wolf terrorist rents a truck
and loads it with fuel oil and fertilizer.
Or just murders 90 pedestrians in 2 minutes (Nice, France) by “mowing”
them down without firing a shot.
Understand that US politicians recently failed to agree on
any definition for domestic terrorism so US laws could be made to protect
us. Consider the fact that US White supremacists
work with other like-minded extremists abroad. And their goal is the same. Collapse the US government – so they can rebuild
it in their image. They aren’t smart enough
to understand it is collapsing under its own disfunction. And this was recognized
by our own nation’s national security experts in a survey done before Trump was
even elected.
This ‘word’ change in analysis and reporting of real threats
is essential if we truly care to minimize the multitude of accelerating dangers
in our future and truly honor the deaths and the suffering of so many.
Weapons and walls will not protect us. A nation of good Samaritans could. But first we would need to beg for
forgiveness of all past sins. Some reparations
could be helpful. But bringing together leaders who are chosen
by their own people from all nations to engineer a just world -- where the rule
of law (the protection of God given rights and justice for all) reigns supreme over
the law of force – would be needed.
Failing that, the least we could do is assist the nations of
the world in achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. There is no shortage of money, resources,
technology, or energy in the world. All
we lack is political will and time. And
we are running out of time.
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