Fear makes people stupid.
It makes us unable to think straight. And it makes us give up our power to tough-talking authoritarians.
War Is Stupid
And
since the "war on terror" is now being expanded to Yemen, it is worth
remembering that experts state that the "war on terror" has been counterproductive for
keeping us safe. For example, a leading advisor to the U.S. military,
the hawkish Rand Corporation, released a study in 2008 called "How Terrorist Groups End: Lessons for Countering al Qa'ida".
The report confirms what experts have been saying for years: the war on terror is actually weakening national security (see this, this and this).
As a press release about the study states:
"Terrorists should be perceived and described as criminals, not holy warriors, and our analysis suggests that there is no battlefield solution to terrorism."
Torture Is Stupid
And, purportedly, some are again pushing torture in response to the underwear bomber.
As president-elect of Psychologists for Social Responsibility, Roy Eidelson, points out - most Americans supported the use of torture because they were deceived into thinking that it works and was a necessary tool in a life-or-death war on terror.
In fact, overwhelming evidence and the opinion of the top experts in the field prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that:
- Torture does NOT work to produce intelligence or prevent terrorist attacks
- Torture HARMS national security
- Most of those tortured were INNOCENT
(For religious people, you could thus say that torture is evil, as it inflicts harm for no beneficial purpose. For Christians, fear also goes against the basic teachings of Jesus).
The Repeal of Constitutional Rights Is StupidFinally, the Bush administration claimed that we needed spying on Americans, the loss of basic constitutional rights, and more presidential power because of 9/11. In truth:
- The government's spying on Americans began before 9/11 (confirmed here and here)
- The Patriot Act was written before 9/11
- Cheney advocated strengthening the powers of the White House to the point of monarchy before 9/11
Have We Learned Anything?
Remember the words of one of America's founding fathers and one of the fathers of philosophy:
Those who would trade safety for freedom deserve neither.
Thomas JeffersonCourage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees the others.
- Aristotle
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