War or Justice?

By Mari Werner

Published in the Daily News September 21, 2001

Some in our country have been saying that war may be the dirty job we have to do to accomplish what needs to be done. Is it really? What would it accomplish?

War always, always kills far more of the innocent than the guilty. This has been happening throughout human history.

In World War II, just in the war itself (not including the Holocaust), it is estimated some 55 million people were killed, and about 30 million of them were civilians. But when the shooting and the bombing finally stopped, Adolf Hitler’s, commanders, his concentration camp generals and countless others of the instigators, perpetrators and financiers of the war were still standing.

In World War I over 8.5 million people died, and most of them were young men, common soldiers. Tens of thousands of our citizens died in Vietnam along with millions of Vietnamese people, but when our troups left the region, Pol Pot and other butchers were still in business. War mows down the innocent and protects the guilty.

Not long ago, the papers and the pundits were reviling Timothy McVeigh for referring to the deaths of innocent children in the Oklahoma City bombing as collateral damage. Now those who speak of war as a viable option are saying we must be willing to face such collateral damage.

McVeigh felt he had a just cause --- the killings at Waco and elsewhere. The terrorists too had a cause --- whatever it was. Street gangs almost always have what they feel is a just cause for their killings; one of their own was killed or attacked and they’re just fighting back. Do we want to join McVeigh and the terrorists and the street gangs, or can we find a saner solution?

Vengeance is never a just cause and war is never just.

The only thing in history that’s ever been accomplished by war is the conquest of territory --- territory inhabited by people who despise the conqueror. Unless we are trying to conquer the territory of the Middle East, there is nothing more foolish we could do than go to war.

Someone did these terrorist acts. Someone planned them, someone supported them. Those people are the targets. This is not war. This is criminal justice on a global scale.

No doubt Osama bin Laden --- or whichever psychotic criminals planned and executed these attacks --- would love to see us go to war. Death and destruction are the goal of such people. Justice, not war, must be our goal.

Most people have love and goodness in their hearts. Only a few are really driven by evil. Unfortunately, the few are sometimes able to lead the many with their lies and their hatred. If we operate based on truth, and seek only justice, the good will follow us and eventually the evil can be overcome.

Isn’t it time we learned from the mistakes of our predecessors? We have the opportunity now to set an example and lead the world to a new kind of civilization. Real civilization. It isn’t easy. It will take more thought, more intelligence, more planning. It will take more patience and more love. But look what could be the result.

Let us remember human history. Wars are never won. They are a game that everyone loses. To quote the old movie “War Games” “the only winning move is not to play.” Let’s make the winning move, America. We can be smarter, more creative, more effective and more ethical than war makers. It will take work, patience, intelligence and cleverness. Let’s show ourselves and the world that we’ve got the guts. The real guts. Let’s do it, America. We have the power.

© 2001 Mari Werner
 
 

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Email: mariw@earthlink.net