Imagine U.S. complicity with Saudi bludgeoning of Yemen's cities, towns, and critical infrastructure and link that with construction, in Marinette, WI, of four Littoral Combat Ships which Lockheed Martin has arranged to build and sell to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Saudis use these ships to blockade Yemen's ports, causing even more starvation in a country on the brink of famine. Yes, the construction of the ships provides greatly needed jobs. But, are there other, better construction projects that privileged people could demand be given immediate priority in our war-torn world? Could Marinette's engineers, designers, welders and builders work on projects that would help rebuild communities devastated by declining infrastructure and racist neglect within the United States?
Jillian's poem says the revolution will be a complete overhaul, not just a quick fix. We should join her in settling for nothing less. White people who are among the privileged "haves" in our unjust society must look long and hard into the mirror of our privileged history. Why should people who already have so much be entitled to get more? And if we're to learn how to live together without killing one another, how can we dismantle and re-purpose the vast killing machine that protects our unfair white privilege?
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