[News] Ask Ms. Liberty - Advice for the War-Torn

[Anti-Imperialist News]

http://www.counterpunch.org/day04042008.html

Apri1 4, 2008


Ask Ms. Liberty


Advice for the War-Torn

By SUSIE DAY

Although it's been over five years since the 
United States invaded Iraq, a few non-patriots 
among us refuse to understand or endorse our 
wartime zeitgeist. I have, therefore, persuaded 
our noble, statuesque Icon of America to gas up 
her torch and shed some light on a few selfish 
queries posed by our huddled, recalcitrant masses.

Dear Green Lady:

Remember that guy on the bike who set off a small 
bomb at the Armed Forces Career Center in Times 
Square? The explosion busted in the door and a 
window of the Center just before 4:00 a.m. on 
March 6. This story was big in the news for a few 
days, then dropped out of sight. Since it 
happened around the fifth anniversary of our war 
on Iraq, I have to assume this "Bicycle Bomber" 
was making a protest. So, with 66% of the 
American public against the war, how come nobody is talking about him?

Dear Possible Al Qaeda Operative:

No one is talking about this man because he is an 
irresponsible, depraved, sniveling, whacked-out monster.

The American public, on the other hand, is made 
up of mature adults who accept and live daily 
with countless daunting facts, including: (a) the 
needless killing, since 2003, of more than one 
million Iraqis; (b) over 4.7 million Iraqis 
displaced from their homes; (c) the increasing 
destabilization of the Middle East; and (d) the 
deaths of 4,000 (and counting) U.S. troops, as 
well as the miserable existence of those now 
living with war-incurred disabilities.

The American public is bearing up quite well 
under these facts, thank you. But how can we 
possibly endure the catastrophic loss of one 
window and one door--shattered beyond 
recognition--of an unsuspecting military 
recruitment office that never did anybody any harm? O, THE HUMANITY!

Mayor Bloomberg spoke for all of us when he said, 
"Whoever the coward was that committed this 
disgraceful act on our city will be found and 
prosecuted to the full extent of the law." Right 
on! If this sicko wanted to wreak serious damage, 
he should have gone to work for some branch of government.

As a soldier or a police officer, this vile 
reprobate would have been scientifically trained, 
not to bomb government property, but to make 
"tragic mistakes." That's why you'll never hear 
Mayor Bloomberg talk about prosecuting "to the 
full extent of the law" the NYPD officers who 
shot and killed Sean Bell. Conversely, the 
Bicycle Bomber, because he was not on active 
duty, was not wearing a uniform, and did not hurt 
or kill anyone, is a certified terrorist.

I hope you can perceive this distinction, dear. 
It's crucial if you want to avoid serious jail 
time. This bomb-throwing incident brings up many 
difficult, post-9/11 issues that we must deal 
with before we can achieve lasting peace and 
justice. Now, let's never speak of it again.

Dear Green Lady:

Who was that pervert who said, "Nothing Human Disgusts Me"?

I'm just back from my anti-war affinity group. 
Depressed, alienated. We were supposed to discuss 
why there weren't enough people to span the 
length of 14th Street in Manhattan last Saturday 
to protest the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Instead, 
our group spent the entire meeting arguing about 
whether we should write up an agenda--for THAT meeting.

At one point, I suggested that, since we all 
seemed to have a hidden agenda, we might as well 
relax and take turns guessing what each of us was 
NOT saying. You know--sort of a nonviolent way to 
build trust? Some pacifist threw an iPod at me 
and as I ducked, I remembered how, after the 
World Trade Center attack, some very bright 
people said, "Our Grief Is Not a Cry for War."

Several years and a couple of invasions later, I 
now have to ask: What happened to our grief?

Dear Peace Monger:

Wake up and smell the patchouli, dear. You have 
succeeded in turning your grief into productive 
rage and contempt--not at Congress and our 
President, who are out of reach and with whom you 
have almost nothing in common--but at your fellow 
activists, where it will do the most good!

Simply sitting in a room and weeping or beating a 
pillow with a tennis racket can become 
dangerously narcissistic. Hating people just like 
you, on the other hand, is Nature's way of 
re-channeling your despair, even as you provide 
hours of mirth and derision for FBI informants 
monitoring your anti-war efforts.

Cheer up, honey. I've heard that your local 
Barnes & Noble has just hired an aging hippie to 
staff the Information Desk. Now, why don't you 
take your Weltschmerz over there and go accuse 
him of being a shill for globalization? It's so 
much more gratifying than hanging out 
nonviolently on 14th Street, waiting for the war to end.

P.S. Please get back to me if you suspect this man could be the Bicycle Bomber.

Susie Day can be reached at: <mailto:sday at skadden.com>sday at skadden.com

© Susie Day, 2008




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