Don't Forget Non-French War Deaths
Saturday, 14 November 2015 00:00 By David Swanson, Let's Try Democracy |
Op-Ed
We are all France. Apparently. Though we are never all Lebanon or Syria or
Iraq for some reason. Or a long, long list of additional places.
We are led to believe that US wars are not tolerated and cheered because of
the color or culture of the people being bombed and occupied. But let a
relatively tiny number of people be murdered in a white, Christian,
Western-European land, with a pro-war government, and suddenly sympathy is
the order of the day.
"This is not just an attack on the French people, it is an attack on human
decency and all things that we hold dear," says US Senator Lindsey Graham.
I'm not sure I hold ALL the same things dear as the senator, but for the
most part I think he's exactly right and that sympathy damn well ought to be
the order of the day following a horrific mass killing in France.
I just think the same should apply to everywhere else on earth as well. The
majority of deaths in all recent wars are civilian. The majority of
civilians are not hard to sympathize with once superficial barriers are
overcome. Yet, the US media never seems to declare deaths in Yemen or
Pakistan or Palestine to be attacks on our common humanity.
I included "pro-war government" as a qualification above, because I can
recall a time, way back in 2003, when I was the one shouting "We are all
France," and pro-war advocates in the United States were demonizing France
for its refusal to support a looming and guaranteed to be catastrophic and
counterproductive US war. France sympathized with US deaths on 911, but
counseled sanity, decency, and honesty in response. The US told France to go
to hell and renamed french fries in Congressional office buildings.
Now, 14 years into a global war on terror that reliably produces more
terror, France is an enthusiastic invader, plunderer, bomber, and propagator
of hateful bigotry. France also sells billions of dollars of weaponry to
lovely little bastions of equality and liberty like Saudi Arabia, carefully
ignoring Saudis' funding of anti-Western terrorist groups.
When US militarism failed to prevent 911, I actually thought that would mean
reduced militarism. When a Russian plane was recently blown up, I think I
imagined for a split second that Russia would learn its lesson and stop
repeating US mistakes. When people were just killed in France, I didn't have
any time to fantasize about France coming to its senses, because a
"socialist" president was already doing his Dubya-on-the-rubble imitation:
"To all those who have seen these awful things," said François Hollande, "I
want to say we are going to lead a war which will be pitiless. Because when
terrorists are capable of committing such atrocities they must be certain
that they are facing a determined France, a united France, a France that is
together and does not let itself be moved, even if today we express infinite
sorrow."
The video doesn't look like Bush, and the French word combat does not
necessarily mean war just because the Washington Post says it does. It can
mean fight in some other sense. But what other sense exactly, I'm not sure.
Prosecuting anyone responsible would of course make perfect sense, but a
criminal justice system ought not to be pitiless. It's a war that ought to
be pitiless. And it's a war that will guarantee more attacks. And it's a war
that France has begun.
"It is the job of thinking people, not to be on the side of the
executioners," said Albert Camus.
Please go back to thinking, France.
We do love you and wish you well and are deeply sorry for US influence
against your better tendencies.
This piece was reprinted by Truthout with permission or license. It may not
be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.
DAVID SWANSON
David Swanson is the author of "War Is A Lie."
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Don't Forget Non-French War Deaths
Saturday, 14 November 2015 00:00 By David Swanson, Let's Try Democracy |
Op-Ed
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reference not valid.
We are all France. Apparently. Though we are never all Lebanon or
Syria or Iraq for some reason. Or a long, long list of additional places.
We are led to believe that US wars are not tolerated and cheered
because of the color or culture of the people being bombed and occupied. But
let a relatively tiny number of people be murdered in a white, Christian,
Western-European land, with a pro-war government, and suddenly sympathy is
the order of the day.
"This is not just an attack on the French people, it is an attack on human
decency and all things that we hold dear," says US Senator Lindsey Graham.
I'm not sure I hold ALL the same things dear as the senator, but for the
most part I think he's exactly right and that sympathy damn well ought to be
the order of the day following a horrific mass killing in France.
I just think the same should apply to everywhere else on earth as well. The
majority of deaths in all recent wars are civilian. The majority of
civilians are not hard to sympathize with once superficial barriers are
overcome. Yet, the US media never seems to declare deaths in Yemen or
Pakistan or Palestine to be attacks on our common humanity.
I included "pro-war government" as a qualification above, because I can
recall a time, way back in 2003, when I was the one shouting "We are all
France," and pro-war advocates in the United States were demonizing France
for its refusal to support a looming and guaranteed to be catastrophic and
counterproductive US war. France sympathized with US deaths on 911, but
counseled sanity, decency, and honesty in response. The US told France to go
to hell and renamed french fries in Congressional office buildings.
Now, 14 years into a global war on terror that reliably produces more
terror, France is an enthusiastic invader, plunderer, bomber, and propagator
of hateful bigotry. France also sells billions of dollars of weaponry to
lovely little bastions of equality and liberty like Saudi Arabia, carefully
ignoring Saudis' funding of anti-Western terrorist groups.
When US militarism failed to prevent 911, I actually thought that would mean
reduced militarism. When a Russian plane was recently blown up, I think I
imagined for a split second that Russia would learn its lesson and stop
repeating US mistakes. When people were just killed in France, I didn't have
any time to fantasize about France coming to its senses, because a
"socialist" president was already doing his Dubya-on-the-rubble imitation:
"To all those who have seen these awful things," said François Hollande, "I
want to say we are going to lead a war which will be pitiless. Because when
terrorists are capable of committing such atrocities they must be certain
that they are facing a determined France, a united France, a France that is
together and does not let itself be moved, even if today we express infinite
sorrow."
The video doesn't look like Bush, and the French word combat does not
necessarily mean war just because the Washington Post says it does. It can
mean fight in some other sense. But what other sense exactly, I'm not sure.
Prosecuting anyone responsible would of course make perfect sense, but a
criminal justice system ought not to be pitiless. It's a war that ought to
be pitiless. And it's a war that will guarantee more attacks. And it's a war
that France has begun.
"It is the job of thinking people, not to be on the side of the
executioners," said Albert Camus.
Please go back to thinking, France.
We do love you and wish you well and are deeply sorry for US influence
against your better tendencies.
This piece was reprinted by Truthout with permission or license. It may not
be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.
David Swanson
David Swanson is the author of "War Is A Lie."
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