Wizard writes regarding Louis King's comments:
> He's asking the question I hate the most in the world. What
> will we let the Army do (remembering Viet Nam where Louis
> and I appear to have been on opposite sides of the American
> turmoil).
> Truth to tell, Army guys make me nervous... I am however
> a conscientious objector. So was my father, an army clerk
> during W.W.II. So was my grandfather, WWI, and my
> great....
> What is it the army needs to do to finish this? Nuke the
> planet? I trust you to a certain extent, Louis, but I don't
> know Colin Powell from Adam's off ox so why should I trust
> my brother's babies to him? I didn't have any choice when
> they took my brother to Viet Nam, do I have a choice now?
> I don't know how far is far, Louis, so I can't answer your
> question.
> ...But it is the question every one of us is being asked at
> this very moment. If this isn't a Minneapolis issue, nothing is.
These comments represent the essence, the beauty, of America... freedom to
think and speak one's mind. Wizard is right! Soon our friends, family and
loved ones may be sent off to distant locations, their lives at risk, in an
effort to put a stop to the worldwide terrorism that takes innocent civilian
victims around the world. It gives us pause to reflect.
As I told David off-list, I feel this is a valid issue to be discussed on
Mpls. issues, because city residents will undoubtedly soon be involved in
the effort-- family members, relatives and neighbors-- members of the US
military establishment. Some of these city residents (fathers, mothers and
children) will leave and may never return home to their loved ones here in
Mpls. as a result of these US military actions. It's not your everyday
issue. It's an issue people fear and they avoid discussing. However, it
gets real personal real quick. Local folks will get called up, bid their
families farewell, and depart MSP for destinations unknown.
Bringing it home again, I'm not clear on Wizard's dilemma. Wizard says,
"Army guys make me nervous..." How about the terrorists, Wizard? Do they
make you nervous? On Tuesday we witnessed an attack on a domestic US
military installation, resulting in hundreds of deaths. In addition, the
Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, a non-military target, are no more!
We will soon be getting confirmation of 5,000-10,000, maybe 20,000 or more
deaths/MIAs in NYC, as a result of these terrorist acts. What are we to do?
What would a good conscientious objector recommend in this situation. I
really don't think we will 'nuke the planet' as a remedy, but I think we do
bear responsibility for bringing the perpetrators, and those that
facilitated their actions, to justice. I also believe that, as a powerful
nation, a leader of the free world, we bear responsibility for reducing the
terrorist threat to civilian populations globally. What are the moral and
philosophical dimensions to such a policy? What are our alternatives? What
are our risks? Should we just sit back and wait-see?
Louis raises good, valid points. As we move forward, our personal freedoms
will increasingly face new challenges and limitations in order to preserve
public safety. What are we willing to do, and to give up as a society, in
order to preserve public safety in the future. Should our public spaces be
designed in new ways, given these new realities? Do we need new operational
parameters and revised operating budgets in our public and private
facilities? What are the cost-benefit tradeoffs? How far are we willing to
go as a society?
Several weeks ago I stood atop the World Trade Center with my daughters and
surveyed the Manhattan skyline; we took that long elevator ride; we flew the
skies, and returned home safely. We are Mpls. residents-- this is a Mpls.
issue for me. Were it not for fate, faith, good karma, or whatever... most
of my family (possibly yours) could be in that pile of rubble right now. We
should be so lucky? Others so unlucky? I am a person of conscience. I've
seen death, destruction and war up close; and, what happened this past
Tuesday made me numb. It made me cry. And I'll be damned if I'll sit back
and turn the other cheek! This was an act of war... but who is the enemy?
Terrorist attacks on civilian populations must be fought globally, by
whatever means possible. War between military forces is one thing, but
purposefully using military force against civilians is unconscionable. I
suggest we put some faith in our national leaders to do the right thing, and
support their actions. And I think it's proper to ask our local public
officials for their perspective on these global/national events that can
turn local so quickly and easily.
So, what is a conscientious objector to do in the 21st century, where wars
are fought with terrorist groups and their supporters around the world;
where the war can so easily be brought home, to our cities and streets, no
longer just a viewing event on TV ? What is the role of our local
government as we move forward in this 'new world order?'
Michael Hohmann
13th
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