by Adele Welty. [Adele is a member of 9/11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows but her opinions are her own - Ed.]
It is easy to stand on the moral high ground and issue statements with the few brave seekers of wisdom and truth, up there where the air is clear and there is nothing to complicate one's unerring devotion to an ideological stance and no danger of having to take responsibility for the consequences of one's actions. However, we all know reality sucks and weighing both sides of a moral dilemma and finding that delicate balance is not as simple as just blindly following our principles without regard for outcomes. The President does not have that luxury. Consequences matter.
On September 11th, 2001, we all lost something. Each of us lost a sense of security we naively thought we had. We lost faith in our government and an administration that did not prevent the attacks. Slowly but surely our rights were eroded, our reputation as a nation sunk to its worst level and a climate of anger, suspicion and hatred permeated our communities. In response to those attacks, the government invoked and the former Vice President still invokes, the memories of those lost that day to justify the invasion of Iraq, the bombing of Afghanistan, the creation of and continued existence of Guantanamo prison and anti-immigrant legislation such as The Real ID Act. The mess they created should not be the legacy of those who died on 9/11.
This President inherited that mess. It is much easier to do something right the first time than to undo something wrong and make it right, especially when you are sabotaged at every turn by those wishing to preserve the status quo by destroying your agenda. But that is the situation he is stuck with. Those who feel he is not proceeding properly should indeed contribute to the discussion in a positive way and not simply and self-righteously criticize his every move. In my view, that does not move the process forward.
We do need leadership in restoring our nation's moral clarity. This President is attempting to do that by steering the boat, not lifting it out of the water and carrying it. Even his supporters know he does not walk on water. He cannot change everything alone and he is getting no cooperation from those who have a personal stake in seeing that he fails. They do not simply criticize his policies, they vilify him to stir up hatred and resistence. Is this the cry and hew PT wishes to join?
Guantanamo cannot be closed until another place to hold the detainees is determined. However, despite the willingness of more than one state to provide an appropriate prison that would create much needed jobs for the unemployed, the Congress will not provide the funding necessary to make the transfers. Can the Congress be pressured to live up to their responsibility? Can the president go forward with no funding? Can governors bypass the Congress and use stimulus money to make the transfers? Damned if I know.
Will Iraq erupt in a bloody civil war when the last U.S. troops leave? Quite possibly. Would Afghanistan collapse if we just picked up and left? Most probably. Will we have to fight terrorists in Somalia next? Some speculation seems to support that theory. Will the U.S. be able to rebuild Haiti so that it does not become another failed state that is a haven for terrorists? Fair question? Perhaps. Because in the real world all these issues must be weighed and balanced, the nuclear hawks resisted without naive palaver and a course of action determined that can be effectively carried out. Fortunately, we are not responsible for doing that. The President is. And whatever consequences accrue from his decisions will be his to bear as well.
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