Wrong Time to Silence the Critics
Jason Gastwirth
Issue date: 10/1/01 Section: Perspectives
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As I watched those majestic towers burn and topple on a day none of us will ever forget, the desire for retaliation has never felt so hot within my soul. My sorrow over the loss of all of those innocent lives and my hurt over such destruction wrought upon my city quickly turned to an immutable hatred of those responsible and a ringing call for military action.
Now, even three weeks after this horrendous attack, this fire for retribution remains just as strong. While I can appreciate the need for patience and respect for the rule of law through appropriate investigation, I cannot help but to wake up every morning disappointed that another day has gone by without the terrorists and all those countries that harbor them feeling the full fury that they have brought upon themselves.
However, as the nation prepares for this war, I begin to wonder whether we do so with blinders on. For while the U.S. government stresses the need for “resolve” during this “sustained” effort, it appears we still approach the coming days with a false sense of security that this conflict will somehow resemble our recent engagements in the Persian Gulf and Kosovo – rapid overwhelming success with few U.S. casualties. In this fight against an elusive enemy who resides in countries across the globe and recognizes no bounds of moral decency, it is logical to believe that this war will be long and with much bloodshed along the way.
There have been some among us who have been daring enough to preach such doomsday scenarios. These folks have warned that our attack will add fuel to the fire of perverted claims of U.S. oppression and mobilize the Islamic world against us. While I vehemently disagree with the conclusion of these pacifists that our response should be non-violent in nature, we nonetheless make a grave mistake by not taking these heartfelt concerns seriously.
In part, the pacifists are correct. We must assume a better understanding of the Islamic world’s likely adverse reaction to our military response. Let us remember that we have been down this road before. In our failure to kill Osama bin Laden by a cruise missile assault on his camps in response to the 1998 U.S.S. Cole bombing, bin Laden was transformed into a cult figure powerful enough to entice the ultimate sacrifice from his associates.
Now, even three weeks after this horrendous attack, this fire for retribution remains just as strong. While I can appreciate the need for patience and respect for the rule of law through appropriate investigation, I cannot help but to wake up every morning disappointed that another day has gone by without the terrorists and all those countries that harbor them feeling the full fury that they have brought upon themselves.
However, as the nation prepares for this war, I begin to wonder whether we do so with blinders on. For while the U.S. government stresses the need for “resolve” during this “sustained” effort, it appears we still approach the coming days with a false sense of security that this conflict will somehow resemble our recent engagements in the Persian Gulf and Kosovo – rapid overwhelming success with few U.S. casualties. In this fight against an elusive enemy who resides in countries across the globe and recognizes no bounds of moral decency, it is logical to believe that this war will be long and with much bloodshed along the way.
There have been some among us who have been daring enough to preach such doomsday scenarios. These folks have warned that our attack will add fuel to the fire of perverted claims of U.S. oppression and mobilize the Islamic world against us. While I vehemently disagree with the conclusion of these pacifists that our response should be non-violent in nature, we nonetheless make a grave mistake by not taking these heartfelt concerns seriously.
In part, the pacifists are correct. We must assume a better understanding of the Islamic world’s likely adverse reaction to our military response. Let us remember that we have been down this road before. In our failure to kill Osama bin Laden by a cruise missile assault on his camps in response to the 1998 U.S.S. Cole bombing, bin Laden was transformed into a cult figure powerful enough to entice the ultimate sacrifice from his associates.