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--> --> It seems our defense industry must be appeased at all costs By Isaac Walker Ashland In this time of fear, grief, pity, confusion, and outrage, it's heartening that we are beginning to hear the occasional voice of reason amid the clamorous cries for war and vengeance. What these quiet voices tell us is what we surely already know, or should know: Terrorism does not appear out of nowhere, for no reason. It is an act of hopelessness, of desperation, of last resort - an attempt to be heard when no one will listen, when reasoned negotiation and hope of justice have been denied. It shouldn't be surprising, however, if these facts about terrorism seem hard for Americans to grasp. Even though we are the world's only superpower - with our multi-national corporations, directly or indirectly, controlling most of the world's resources, and with our military power dominating the globe to protect these corporations - we are among the most poorly informed nations of the world. Most Americans have just been too busy over the last two generations or so enjoying their consumer's paradise to be aware that their good life was made possible, largely, by very bad lives for most of what we still call the Third World (as opposed to our First World), not to mention the terrible toll on the world's environment. And the mass media has been no help in educating us. Owned by a handful of giant corporations, the media has found it very profitable to keep the masses numbed by mindless and often degrading entertainment, a historical replay of the decadent "bread and circuses" of ancient Rome. Generally, keeping people dumb and well fed and preoccupied with trivia such as sports and sitcoms and game shows is a policy ruling classes have always used to stay in power. It should not then be surprising that when terrorism from abroad came to America, most Americans were very surprised. When their TV screens suddenly shifted from full-time trivia to full-time horror, many discovered for the first time, perhaps, that maybe the decades-long party was over - that this over-fed, over-consuming, over-amused, under-educated society may be in for some changes. The vast numbers of excluded and exploited appear to insist on it, and have made their voice heard, finally, even if forced to do so in a rude, violent, and destructive way. They certainly got our attention, and what we will do with it is the question. The fact that practically the first response of millions of Americans to this attack was to reach for their flags - perceived as a talisman, no doubt, against a faceless enemy - is not promising. And the fact that our elected leaders have acted as rabble-rousers rather than as statesmen - though not surprising - is also disheartening. It would seem obvious that what is most needed are serious questions about why we are hated, the causes of this hatred, and what can be done to address it. At the moment, it looks as if our government, under the leadership of a would-be cowboy, can think of nothing but an armed response, probably to bomb Afghanistan, a country already virtually destroyed by war and famine and which our military planners lament is lacking in bombing targets. This, however, based on our past practice, will be no deterrent to "Bombs away!" We spend 80 times more on our military than the next country, and are planning to spend a great deal more. We've got to use these weapons someplace to justify buying more, and the gods of war - our "defense" industry - must be appeased at all costs. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing