Bush’s war against innocents not solution

Reichline was editor in chief of the Daily Bruin and graduated
from UCLA in 1968. He is currently working as a
screenwriter/director.

By Neil Reichline

I sat with my 87-year-old New Yorker father as he cried all day
in front of the TV. He was grieving for his beloved city and for
the feeling of loss that prevailed on Sept. 11, 2001.

It hurts right down to my soul to think that we lost not only
the lives of thousands of innocent people, but the glorious
openness of our society as well. And, like all Americans, I feel
that we must end this awful terrorism that has smacked us in our
unbelieving faces. However, I do not support George Bush’s
plans for war.

The president has offered us protracted and painful war. He
talks of “vengeance” and “victory over
evil” through the unyielding power of our machinery of
war.

Why is this the only alternative being considered? What exactly
does war bring us? A sense of revenge? That same quest for revenge
becomes multiplied over and over again by the next generation of
those we have made war against. They become the next wave of
terrorists, so the cycle of revenge continues on and on. Instead of
one bin Laden, we end up facing many.

So tell us, Mr. President, where does it end? What is your
endgame? How do we win at this?

I don’t think we can win by massive, extended military
action against innocent people. The people of Afghanistan
didn’t ask for the Taliban or Osama bin Laden. They have
suffered greatly and are not our enemy.

The people of the larger Islamic world are not our enemy either,
but if we continue to arrogantly think that we alone can impose our
will on that part of the world, we will make enemies of even the
most temperate of those peoples.

So why does any group of people hate us so much that they would
carry out such an act of terror? Have we done anything to bring
this on? Shouldn’t we be asking ourselves these questions
instead of strapping on our guns like cowboys and daring anyone to
draw?

Outside of our borders we haven’t always been good. We
have, by stealth, overthrown elected governments. We have propped
up corrupt regimes. We have exploited and controlled the resources
of other peoples without care for the people themselves.

This president has strutted American hegemony everywhere he
goes, saying in essence that America is going to do what it wants
and we don’t care what everyone else thinks. He’s going
to do what he wants, come hell or high water. Well, hell and high
water have come.

So, what do we need to do? I’d like to suggest two
things.

First, we take our brightest minds, our most highly trained men
and women, our best equipment, and we find these terrorists and
bring them to justice. But, we don’t punish anyone else. We
don’t punish innocent people. The moment we do, we become
terrorists ourselves.

Second, and simultaneously, we gather the entire force of the
world coalition that is now behind us because of this tragedy, and
we all go to the Israelis and Palestinians to let them know that
enough is enough. That now is the time for the violence to end.

The Palestinians must have their country, and the Israelis must
have theirs. They must share the land, and they must learn to live
together as neighbors ““ in harmony and with mutual respect
for each other.

They must then teach their children the same respect. They must
share Jerusalem and dedicate it as a city devoted to peace and
disarmament among all peoples.

Yasser Arafat and Hamas must realize that this is the best
chance for their people to have the country they’ve wanted
and died for. Sharon and Israel must understand that this is their
best chance to live in permanently sustained peace.

The countries that now form a world coalition against terrorism
must shepherd, nurture and stick to the job until it’s done
““ until both sides have disarmed.

I believe this could be the boldest and bravest initiative ever
taken on by the world as a collective whole.

Am I dreaming? Maybe. But my plan has an endgame. The world is
brought back from the brink of crisis. The reservoir of despair
that produces terrorism is lessened, and the cycle of revenge and
violence is broken. The peaceful voices of Islam gain strength and
there is a nonviolent model for resolving dispute.

Most of all, we and the rest of the world learn that in the face
of the most intractable obstacles, together, we can make peace
instead of war.

That’s my endgame. Again, I ask, what is President
Bush’s? How long are we going to keep killing and killing?
Years? Decades? Until all the “evildoers” are dead, all
the while fending off more attacks on our shores? What a horrible
future for us all.

We are a multi-ethnic, multi-racial, multi-religious society and
that fact alone is our greatest strength. America is proof that
people can live and work together in harmony. But we’re not
perfect at it, either.

We’ve had bad moments in our history, but we’ve come
a long way and learned about living with our differences. I just
wish President Bush had the wisdom to take this fact and use it as
a springboard for peace instead of war.

There is a path out of this mess. I suggest that it may have
more to do with bold peacemaking than prolonged and unending war.
What a tribute it would be to one day say: “We had a one-day
war. It was in New York City. Our loved ones died, but their deaths
woke us all up and inspired us to make peace with the
world.”