Recently on my way through the security zone at the airport I had a moment of a panic. “Damn,” I thought, “I forgot to take the dull two inch pocket knife off my set of keys, there goes another 20 bucks.” My last trip through security had cost me a similar knife, even though the officer recognized my last name from having played pee-wee football with my uncle.
But my distress and annoyance were alleviated when I realized that in the rush to get to the airport I’d left my keys at home. Fortunately for me I had the forethought check my other banned carry-on items. My collection of blasting caps, my brass knuckles, and of course the box cutter I never leave town without, were safely stowed in the baggage compartment.
A cyclist in Ohio was not as lucky. He had the unhappy experience of having his bike torn apart by the bomb squad because of his allegiance to a Florida punk outfit called “This Bike is a Pipe Bomb.” While the band will undoubtedly reap benefits from this act of lunacy, it is a sad state of affairs when the fear of terror leads to the destruction of a perfectly innocent bike. After all, every terrorist knows that a TNT laden vehicle will deliver a much greater wallop—and thus more front page coverage—than a Shwinn filled with gunpowder and rusty nails. But I suppose you can’t be too careful anymore.
Yes, terrornioa is in full bloom across the formerly Free World. Every day citizens are spied upon in greater numbers. Those with the wrong religious beliefs and/or stamps on their passport are sent overseas for a form “questioning” that involves electric shock and the removal of finger nails, not to mention all human dignity. Forgive me for if this sounds naive, but doesn’t it all seem like a bit of over-kill?
While it was tragic to lose thousands of lives on that fateful day in September 2001—and in all the scattered attacks worldwide before and since—will torturing people, suspending civil liberties and confiscating corkscrews ever bring an end to terrorist tactics?
Can the “War on Terror” be won by wantonly attacking states because their ruler double-crossed your dad? Or will such actions bring your nation and its nobler intentions into disrepute among your friends and enemies?
Granted, America’s done superb job of selling its war to the domestic audience. By forecasting the level of paranoia people live in on a handy colour chart, and blaming it all on former business partners, they’ve created a very successful brand. Come to think of it its sounding more and more like how things are done on Madison Avenue.
However, in declaring all bets off in the “War on Terror” Bush and his buddies have placed the entire franchise of Liberal Democracy in jeopardy. If it’s okay to torture, spy and invade indiscriminately, in the name of a threat that cannot be seen nor contained, how can America—formerly the beacon of light for tyrannized nations worldwide—hope to sell a progressive and enlightened model for society abroad?
The power of Western civilization, or so I’ve been led to believe, is the notion that justice, equality, freedom of expression, and increasingly, tolerance for people of all races and creeds is its ultimate goal. Of course in practice we have a long, long way to go; but for a while there it seemed like every new generation was getting hipper to these ideals. Even if folks later abandoned their humanistic principles in favour of a fully equipped BMW and a comfortable retirement, there was always hope that their children would carry them forward.
Will future generations be given the opportunity to learn that Liberty and love are the greatest gifts any person can receive on Earth? Will they know that the forecast for terror, whether red, yellow or green, does not make their lives more or less safe from harm; that they are far more likely be killed crossing the street, or by way of cancer, than by anyone boarding an airplane with a pair of scissors?
Much as we crave security in our lives it should not trump our greater responsibilities. According to my understanding of both the Christian and Islamic religions—along with the secular humanism I subscribe to— these are to try and love and respect one another for the brief time we are here, and to make sure this little planet is still a place our descendants can call home.
Ryan Kinrade will be distributing bumper stickers for his new band “This Car Will Explode in 22 Minutes” via his blog at: disclaimerinc.blogspot.com.
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