Commentary on America’s 9/11
From brown.edu
“The war has been long and complex and horrific and unsuccessful… and the war continues in over 80 countries,” said Catherine Lutz, co-director of Costs of War and a professor of international and public affairs at Brown. “The Pentagon and the U.S. military have now absorbed the great majority of the federal discretionary budget, and most people don’t know that. Our task, now and in future years, is to educate the public on the ways in which we fund those wars and the scale of that funding.”
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President Joe Biden 8/31/21 – Address to the Nation
“We no longer had a clear purpose in an open-ended mission in Afghanistan,” Biden said. “After more than $2 trillion spent in Afghanistan, costs that Brown University researchers estimated would be over $300 million a day for 20 years — yes, the American people should hear this… what have we lost as a consequence, in terms of opportunities? …I refuse to send America’s sons and daughters to fight a war that should have ended long ago.” – President Joe Biden
War is insanely profitable, especially for us, the superpower of the world in regards to our 51% revenue over the rest of the world in 2022. Without question, that’s one of the truths surfacing when we review our history of wars. And, the profit is so large, that it could be considered a requirement in our flow of capitalism that the billions of dollars gained needs to keep making reasons for wars. (Amnesty.org, AirUniversity.af.edu – highlight: Economic Considerations pgs 106-108). Another truth, is that “mistakes” are made, or maybe intentional targets are hit for reasons not shared timely or widely. It could lead one’s mind to what some might call conspiracy theories because the truth could sound too big to be true. Is a capitalist society THAT heartless…not a question for me but putting it out there… So we must choose to uphold the stories we think are true or pull the curtain away from stories that are manipulated by our politicians, arms-producing companies, money-power leaders and lobby groups who have a hidden/not so hidden agenda. (sipri.org 2022)
Today was the 23rd anniversary of 9/11 and it is now a new uplifting date for those who live in the humanitarian world – “‘A Historic Moment for Us’: Palestinians Take Unprecedented Seat at UN General Assembly” – Haaretz.com, TRT World – YouTube
This was a moment of incredible recognition of the Palestinian State for the world to acknowledge, at least those who recognize the United Nations. “Egyptian Ambassador Osama Mahmoud Abdelkhalek Mahmoud spoke to the media after the assembly, saying, ‘This is not merely a procedural matter. This is a historic moment for us.'” – Haaretz article. Unsurprisingly, Foreign Minister Israel Katz presented a case for slamming the UN: “The absurd decision taken today at the UN General Assembly highlights the structural bias of the UN and the reasons why, under the leadership of UN Secretary-General [Antonio] Guterres, it has turned itself into an irrelevant institution.” That’s the best way to try and wiggle out of having to accept something that feels contrary to your mission – to bully and attempt to delegitimize any action that would cause you to have to reflect on your own biases and actions.
It’s become so transparent for me, such clear gaslighting and entitlement with all that I’ve seen from the corruption of the military state of Israel. I don’t fault my friends living there or any Israeli who simply hopes for peace. But, I also wish that more could be understood around the consequences of thinking there is a status quo to go back to. The mask of Zionism as a disguise for Judaism is no longer a trick that can be played for those who have even kept up weekly with current news of Israel’s genocide on Gaza. The deaths in the West Bank, which were no part of the attack on October 7 adds yet another blatant excuse for Israel to be claiming to act in self-defense. To keep blaming Hamas and the exaggerations from October 7 is to successfully win over what typically happens in world news – fatigue, confusion, disbelief. It takes quite a bit of work to clear through the static, to accept that the leaders lie and manipulate truth, then feed the media and generate hype to create an emotional response. Yet, with social media and reporters on the ground in Gaza, it doesn’t take as much as other wars to understand what’s actually happening. It takes making the choice to see and pay attention versus be sentimental and not want to upset your friends or family who aren’t able to hear the truth.
I was honored to speak at an IfNotNow rally this past Tuesday in front of the JCRC. I spoke of my Jewish upbringing, attending Yavneh Hebrew Day School in Cincinnati from 1st to 6th grades, learning to read and write Hebrew, Friday Tzedakah days of giving money (often just bringing coins to give at school) as a way to learn about charity and making efforts for equity and balance in the world. My Jewish upbringing helped me build my connection to Israel, Judaism and also a misunderstood allegiance to Zionism. My speech shifted to reflect on my trip to Cairo, Egypt and Amman, Jordan in 1999 and 2000 (just before 9/11/01) when I was with the Joe Goode Performance Group , how I realized I had a deep seated fear of going to an Arab country. I felt fear for my life for the first time, but also a clever sense that being mixed race and with my Japanese last name, no one would know! I realized not only was I raised with Jewish values, but also Jewish Fears – it’s “them or us” type of mentality and we’re the victim of all victims. I spoke about breaking through this simply by meeting the people I had “othered” and how I then, began to question what I had been taught. I concluded my speech with what my Yoga practice has offered me – an additional lens to view the purpose and values of life. Yoga philosophy aligned with my Jewish upbringing. Since October 7, the practice has been – how to keep my Jewish values and actually recognize it is because of these that I can name the genocide of the Palestinians in Gaza, while being able to drop the Jewish fear and see that as the indoctrination.
JCRC is the leading pro-Israel voice in the Bay Area that supports the funding of arms to Israel and denies the genocide of Palestinians. Before 10/7, I likely would have stayed in the dark about their actual agenda and felt, hey, they’re promoting peace and security for Jews here and abroad – that’s good! But what I’ve learned, is they’re aligned with the mission of AIPAC, which to me, is not good (read critique of AIPAC from TheNation.com and Haaretz.com). Returning to the previous topic – the profiting of arms-sales often “Trumps” the real effort to maintain security and equity for humans on this planet. It creates jobs and inspires our economy but at what actual cost in the large picture? Great article by the Berlin Information-center for Atlantic Security HERE).
While we were in the midst of the War on Terror after 9/11, the protests and rallies were pushed off the main radar as the media kept our attention on the “bad guys”. Which, similar to the crimes of the Vietnam war and what’s happening now with protests for Palestinian liberation, we understand the historical parallels and paradox. It always takes and unbelievable number of murders/deaths and years of reflection until we consider something went wrong. There are plenty of articles expressing the mistakes of war. PewResearch.org, Forbes.com, WarOnTheRocks.com
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The parallels between America’s repression of Muslim student activity back in the 2000s and administrator attempts to stamp out pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses today are striking. In both cases, university and government officials have worked to silence Muslim and Arab students whose families have been directly impacted by U.S. support for military violence abroad. In both cases, students who object to America’s role in fueling that violence have been slandered as terrorist sympathizers (and, today, as antisemites). And in both cases, these violations of students’ First Amendment rights have been justified on the spurious grounds that peaceful protesters and student groups present some unspecified but grave “threat” to their wider student communities. – Time Magazine Article – 9/6/24
We’re safe because: 1. We have the most weapons. 2. We’ve created the best narrative and a racial profile for crime and terrorism, 3. We’ve done this over and over again and again to normalize racism. 4. We believe the illusion that it’s us versus them. We wage war so we can have peace. We obliterate people so we can be safe. We have Presidents who say we need a ceasefire but continue to say Israel can defend itself and we send more millions of dollars for arms. I’m happy it looks like Trump won’t be making it the White House, so at least there’s that…but we know it’s not and is never a time to just sit back and hope for the best. Take care and stay prepared for the long-haul. Make time to down-shift your nervous system, relax your body and calm your mind. Sustain any practices that support you, and to your best knowledge, are not at the expense of someone else’s well-being.
Let’s stay connected,
Marc
