What We Could Have Done
July 26th, 2005 by MatthewI think a lot about the future and how we’ll reflect upon our actions when we’re older. Did we do all we could do to influence the failed policies of our government? Did we use our power as individuals to stop oppression and create a less hostile world?
When I learned about the holocaust growing up– I always was taken with how little America and other allied nations did to help those who seemed so far away and so unlike themselves. I like to think that if the type of technology (blogs, internet, etc.) existed in the 1930′s and 40′s– that we Americans would have shed light on the atrocities happening in Europe to the Jews and others and the killing would have ended.
But wait…it is 2005 and we have the technology and we are all interconnected and we have free access to more information then we could ever have time to read but…
There is still a genocide happening RIGHT NOW in Darfur and where are we? Where is our government? Where is the outcry?
There is a great editorial by Nicholas D. Kristof in today’s NYTimes about how the news media is as much at fault for our failures in Darfur as Bush and his minions are in Washington. Our leaders claim to be compassionate conservatives but where’s the compassion in virtually ignoring a genocide?
It won’t be long before this tragedy will be hindsight and we’ll all be forced to ask ourselves about what we could have done when we had the chance…
July 28th, 2005 at 12:05 pm
Matthew, you’re a humble genious!
July 28th, 2005 at 12:48 pm
Good solid thinking.
It is nice to see some “correct thinking” that doesn’t blindly follow the correctness path of endorsing everything the Bush Administration says or does.
Are you aware the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan using US weapons? The US was warned by many in the State Department and elsewhere not to fund several radical groups (especially Gulbadin Hekmayarter). But the CIA (and ISI) insisted anybody fighting the Soviets were our friends. The US funds put the Taliban in power and they gave refuge to Osama bin Laden.
After we put a bad government in power, we attacked them claiming they are unfair to women and minorities. We bombed their cities, destroyed their crops and stationed troops in their country. Then we wonder why they dislike us!
As recently as the 1990′s the CIA was funding Pol Pot (of The Killing Fields), probably the most infamous mass murderer since Hitler and Stalin.
Most people are unaware of the many wars waged by the United States. In 1972 we were in Lybia (nobody new). We were in Cambodia during Vietnam despite what Nixon said. We have fought in Guatamala, Nicaragua, Cuba, etc.
Americans and US journalists would rather read local news and find reality depressing. Thus we blindly follow politicians down the path to hell.
It is good to see you take a stand against such attrocities.
Lets, hope America wakes up and realizes the genocide taking place in Africa and elsewhere.
Regards,
TM