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Collateral Damage

We can not talk clearly about the ‘war on terrorism’ without talking about the terrible price of ‘collateral damage’. Yet ‘collateral damage’ is largely ignored in all discussions in the media and in the speeches of pundits and politicians.

As a result, there is little awareness that the pain Americans feel about the casualties caused by the 9-11 and the death and maiming of our children in uniform is the same pain Afghanis and Iraqis feel from the casualties inflicted by American bombings on innocent civilians.

We have to see ourselves as one people, regardless of what race, religion or country we may live in. We need to redefine "us:"

The attack on New York is an attack on us. The US bombings in Afghanistan and Iraq are falling on us. The suicide bombs in Israel are killing us. The oppression and the killing of Palestinians are oppressing and killing us. The hunger around the world is happening to our people, “us.” When we’re under attack like this, what should we do? We certainly shouldn't go to war against more countries (like Iran or Syria) where we’ll end up attacking "us" and killing ourselves. It doesn’t make sense.