It has been stated repeatedly in news accounts of the "misguided hatred" shown by the shootings of 6 Sikhs at their gurdwara in Wisconsin by a neo-nazi who was a former member of the U.S. Army. It is not "misguided hatred". There is nothing misguided about this gun violence. It is simply hate. And every time it happens, it is said to be an isolated incident. It is not isolated. It happens constantly in our country towards various ethnic groups that are considered to be "different" from most Americans.
The day after the Sikh shooting, an Islamic mosque was burned to the ground in Missouri, after the first arson attempt to do so failed on the Fourth of July. In May, the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro, Tennessee was denied an occupancy permit and a Federal District Court had to overrule the denial, thus allowing the opening of the Center for the start of Ramadan. In August of last year, a former TSA employee (federal Transportation Security Administration) pleaded guilty to a hate crime for assaulting an elderly Somali man because he thought he was Muslim and yelled at him to go back to Africa. In February of last year an Arlington, Texas man pleaded guilty to the Church Arson Prevention Act by setting fire to a children's playground at a mosque. Three Columbia, Tennessee men pleaded guilty to spraypainting swastikas and "white power" on a mosque, and set an arson fire that burned it down. A man pleaded guilty to sending email and voice mail threats to the Director and staff members of the Arab American Institute in Washington DC. A Burbank, Illinois man pleaded guilty to blowing up a van of a Palestinian family when it was parked in front of their home. A man pleaded guilty to throwing a "Molotov Cocktail" at the Islamic Center of El Paso where children were playing, but luckily it did not ignite. In Sacramento, CA a man pleaded guilty to shooting and wounding a Sikh postal carrier. In Salt Lake City, a man pleaded guilty to pouring gasoline on a wall of a Pakistani-American restaurant in an attempt to burn it down. There have been hundreds of violations of discrimination in education, employment, housing, public facilities, public accommodations, and religious land use throughout the country.
All of these and more can be found on the website of the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division. None of these were misguided. They were "guided" directly against people who do not look like us, whose religion differs from ours, who are what??? Trying to practice their religion? Trying to carry on their home country's traditions? Trying to cook their traditional foods?
These were acts of hate, and they are all too common in our society. I suppose I should be happy that my Grandmother was not assaulted for baking Croatian nutrolls, or my grandfather was not shot at for playing bocce, or my aunt was not attacked for cooking pierogies at the SNPJ club.
It is hate that is destroying communication and understanding of our fellow citizens.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Saturday, August 4, 2012
More divided
Yes, we are becoming more divided in this country, and this wasn't how it was supposed to be. We were supposed to come together and make our society better than it was. At a minimum, better than it has become. Instead, we have given in to the irrational fear that our lifestyle is threatened by various changes in our country and in the world, and by the irrational non-belief in changes that actually do threaten our lifestyle.
Look at the concept of American superiority. We constantly hear from politicians that America is the "best country in the world." A politician could never get elected to national office who did not utter that phrase at every political rally. Is it true, or is it comparable to Mother, Baseball, and Apple Pie?
As a former expat, I have heard the same said from Australian, British, New Zealand, and Canadian politicians about their respective countries, and the same is probably said by politicians in many countries. Do the people in those countries and their leaders believe it? Of course, and just as sincerely as Americans do. But you don't hear it constantly in other countries as you do in America. Ask any other expat you may know, and they will probably tell you the same story.
When it comes to military superiority, there is no doubt that the USA leads the world. Of the over $1.7 trillion of the world's total military expenditures, 41% is by the USA. Approximately the same spent by the next 14 countries--combined. Does that alone make America the best country in the world? No, it just buys us the best military. We are continually fed the line that if we cut any military spending, we are putting our country at risk. From what? Oh, various and sundry irrational threats. It used to be the USSR, so we had to build thousands of nuclear weapons and be able to use them at a moment's notice so we could wipe out the civilized world if we detected the thread of attack on us. It was called Mutually Assured Destruction, or appropriately enough, MAD. Because it was. Or the risk was from China, or Vietnam (now both strong trading partners), or North Korea or Iran.
Iran's nuclear threat is very interesting. How did they obtain it? In 1957, the U.S. and Iran signed a nuclear cooperation agreement. In 1967 the U.S. supplied Iran with fissile isotopes of uranium and plutonium for their reactors. In the 1970, plans were completed to build up to 20 nuclear reactors with U.S support and backing. In 1975, MIT signed a contract to train Iranian nuclear engineers. So we helped create our own threat, rational or not. Somewhat ironic.
Let's get back to American superiority, and the irrational fear that we are losing it. Most of these fears concern cultural issues: non-white illegal immigrants, African-American political power, gay rights, abortion rights, religious tolerance or intolerance, class warfare, environmental issues, etc. Fear of those who differ from us, or who have beliefs that differ from ours. The fear that "real Americans" (read: white, Christian) will no longer be the majority and will lose power. The fear that those who presently have advantages (read: the old boy network), may lose those advantages. The fear that one's hatred of niggers, spics, fags, rag-heads, tree-huggers, and bat-shit gun nuts may become illegal. All irrational fears. Although that last part sounds somewhat desirable.
Our leaders say we have the best health system in the world, yet every study shows we do not. Our leaders say we have the best basic educational system in the world, yet every study of elementary and secondary education systems show that we do not. Did we ever have the best of these systems? Probably, but we do not now, and for some strange irrational reason, we do not fear this loss. Neither do we fear our impact on the environment and the harm it causes our country and the world.
Fear is being used to further divide our country. It was not supposed to be this way. America, where are you now? We were once travelling down the right road. I wonder how we got lost.
Look at the concept of American superiority. We constantly hear from politicians that America is the "best country in the world." A politician could never get elected to national office who did not utter that phrase at every political rally. Is it true, or is it comparable to Mother, Baseball, and Apple Pie?
As a former expat, I have heard the same said from Australian, British, New Zealand, and Canadian politicians about their respective countries, and the same is probably said by politicians in many countries. Do the people in those countries and their leaders believe it? Of course, and just as sincerely as Americans do. But you don't hear it constantly in other countries as you do in America. Ask any other expat you may know, and they will probably tell you the same story.
When it comes to military superiority, there is no doubt that the USA leads the world. Of the over $1.7 trillion of the world's total military expenditures, 41% is by the USA. Approximately the same spent by the next 14 countries--combined. Does that alone make America the best country in the world? No, it just buys us the best military. We are continually fed the line that if we cut any military spending, we are putting our country at risk. From what? Oh, various and sundry irrational threats. It used to be the USSR, so we had to build thousands of nuclear weapons and be able to use them at a moment's notice so we could wipe out the civilized world if we detected the thread of attack on us. It was called Mutually Assured Destruction, or appropriately enough, MAD. Because it was. Or the risk was from China, or Vietnam (now both strong trading partners), or North Korea or Iran.
Iran's nuclear threat is very interesting. How did they obtain it? In 1957, the U.S. and Iran signed a nuclear cooperation agreement. In 1967 the U.S. supplied Iran with fissile isotopes of uranium and plutonium for their reactors. In the 1970, plans were completed to build up to 20 nuclear reactors with U.S support and backing. In 1975, MIT signed a contract to train Iranian nuclear engineers. So we helped create our own threat, rational or not. Somewhat ironic.
Let's get back to American superiority, and the irrational fear that we are losing it. Most of these fears concern cultural issues: non-white illegal immigrants, African-American political power, gay rights, abortion rights, religious tolerance or intolerance, class warfare, environmental issues, etc. Fear of those who differ from us, or who have beliefs that differ from ours. The fear that "real Americans" (read: white, Christian) will no longer be the majority and will lose power. The fear that those who presently have advantages (read: the old boy network), may lose those advantages. The fear that one's hatred of niggers, spics, fags, rag-heads, tree-huggers, and bat-shit gun nuts may become illegal. All irrational fears. Although that last part sounds somewhat desirable.
Our leaders say we have the best health system in the world, yet every study shows we do not. Our leaders say we have the best basic educational system in the world, yet every study of elementary and secondary education systems show that we do not. Did we ever have the best of these systems? Probably, but we do not now, and for some strange irrational reason, we do not fear this loss. Neither do we fear our impact on the environment and the harm it causes our country and the world.
Fear is being used to further divide our country. It was not supposed to be this way. America, where are you now? We were once travelling down the right road. I wonder how we got lost.
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