From: Clive Denton
Date: 2005-08-24 22:47:14
Well, I know how she feels… Clive Source: Aljazeera.com Article URL: www.aljazeera.com/cg… Please do not blame the entire American public for our own ignorance- Please have faith that more of us are opening their eyes… 8/23/2005 2:21:00 PM GMT Dear citizens of the world, Hi. My name is Helen. I’m writing to you as an American. Today, I shall write with a voice that is proud to be a part of the world community. Today, I shall try to comfort you that the state of the world led by the U.S. is not so bad after all. This morning, I was listening to my usual morning news spill on Democracy Now. Today’s show (and most of last week’s, actually) was on Cindy Sheehan’s protest against the war in Iraq. The woman started as one, and now the vigil has grown to many. Family and friends of soldiers in the military have come out to speak their volumes of disapproval for our cowardly president. I wanted to let you know what we are saying, as you may not have heard it if you are outside of the U.S. Or who knows — perhaps you are, seeing as your media news is infinitely less restrictive than ours. For years, the term “support our troops” has escaped me. The majority of those who shout it don’t know what it actually means, or perhaps have been brainwashed to think of it in a certain way. “Support our troops” has been adopted by the president and his cronies in effort to provoke ignorant pride in the country’s citizens. Now, the right-wing has taken over the whole phrase to mean that you must be for the war, for the soldiers dying, and against freedom of speech. At least, that is how I have taken it. One out of every three cars seem to bear that infamous yellow ribbon magnet. It’s rather annoying to me. Today, I got a glimpse of what “support our troops” really means. I am forever grateful for the soldiers who volunteered their time and their lives for the military. It used to be a respectful career. Those who fight for freedom, democracy, justice. Now, it is a brainwashed allegiance that supports blind obedience and infinite shame. I still have respect for those who participate in the military. Whether or not they knew what they were getting themselves into when they first signed up, I do not know. I, for one, would never willingly sign up to be part of a system that holds guns to our fellow humans. Today, as I was listening to the testimonies of family members whose loved ones have died in the Iraq war, I ended up crying. There are so many of us here who oppose the war, but we are stifled by the mainstream media. There are hundreds to thousands of protestors outside of Bush’s home in Texas demanding answers, and he has ignored them for weeks. There are mothers who have outlived their sons and daughters because of this war who are angry that we were led into a lie. There are wives and husbands of lost spouses who are screaming to be heard. And you know why, now more than ever, that we have little to no voice in America. We are stifled shut. We are arrested for speaking against the government. We are silenced. And they still continue on. It makes me continue on. Dear fellow citizens of the world, rest assured that although there is only a minority of us who are shouting and angry here, there is still progress. We are becoming louder, stronger, and growing in numbers. Please do not be angry at those who have not yet seen the damage that we have done to the world. T When people fear for their safety, and when they think they have nowhere else to turn, they will attack others. It takes a truly enlightened human being to go against the grain. And the grain is getting weaker. Please do not blame the American public for our own ignorance, for we are not in control of our media anymore. We are not in control of our government. We are not in control of our futures and our lives. We are brainwashed to believing that we are the best there is out there, even when we don’t know what else to compare ourselves to. We fear for the sake of our own “pride,” and we forget that without others in this world, we would not survive. Please do not blame us for our ignorance. Have faith that more of us are opening our eyes. Have faith that those whose eyes are open fight and struggle to keep them open. We are doing everything we can. Nonviolently, peacefully, and with real pride for equality and democracy. World, you often hear of the protestors screaming the real meaning of “Support our troops.” Please know this as well: we also support you. Citizens of Iraq, Iran, North Korea, and those who we deem our “enemies,” we support you too. We support your struggle to keep your nation, your grounds, your pride. We support that you have the right to defend your country when our soldiers go in and kill you with our bombs and our top notch tanks and missiles. For every death we as Americans cast on the outside world, I weep. And I am not alone. There are those fighting for you. I do not only support our troops, I support yours. We are all equal humans, no matter where we live. Know this, citizens of the world: we are not going to give up. We are the true voices of what America used to be, what America used to represent. Know that there are those of us who refuse to be brainwashed by our biased and bribed mainstream media. Know that there are those who do not like our military’s system, and disagree whole-heartedly with the torture that our government has deemed necessary on other human beings. Know that we are still fighting. For you. For us. But mostly for the world in general. Yours truly, Helen LuWashington, USA Dear Helen, I was greatly delighted to receive your letter. I would like to add my voice to yours and all those who wish to speak out in favour of justice and democracy. It goes without saying that a nation shouldnt be punished for the crimes of its leader. Im sure a lot of people in the Middle East and the Muslim world share me this opinion. But you and whoever supports your viewpoints shouldnt be content with just reaching this state of enlightenment and understanding. The world needs people like you and those who are willing to fight to protect liberty and human rights everywhere in this universe. Also I want to seize the chance and correct a widespread misconception that most Arabs and Muslims hate the West, especially the U.S. This is far from true. The vast majority of the Arabs and the Muslims were as shocked and shaken as any American by what happened to your nation in September 11 2001. They were as well horrified by the bloody attacks that rocked London in July 7. They only hate the U.S. myriad human rights violations throughout the Middle East: Afghanistan and Iraq wars, as well as the endless and blind support to Israel; responsible for the misery and the suffering of the Palestinians. The U.S.s intervention killed hundreds of thousands of civilians, in Iraq and Afghanistan, including many women and children, also poverty rate in those countries are on the rise. A major U.S. policy change is needed to achieve peace and justice, or else America will risk creating even greater animosity. Sheikha Sajida
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