This interview was conducted online with an activist from Ohio who has requested to remain anonymous. If you have questions for him, please send those comments to me at info@wordsasweapons.com and I will forward them and then send you any replies received. The following quote is from the interview and is attributed to the interviewee.

What was your reaction, personally to the events of 9/11?

Immediately, I was overcome with shock and disbelief. Looking back, it’s still hard to conceive of the events as anything but a scene from a movie. It took a while for things to sink in; to comprehend the death, and I still struggle to make this event real in my mind.

Things were very frightening, but I didn’t have family or friends directly affected, so I wasn’t confronted with tragedy on a personal level. I just wanted to talk about the events and try to make sense of things. A few days later a friend of mine who is in Chile pointed out that 9/11 was the 28th anniversary of the CIA/US overthrow of Allende’s democratically elected government and installation of Pinochet—a war criminal on par with Henry Kissinger who was a major player in that event.

I realized, that for a brief moment, people in the US experienced the fear and confusion that is the everyday reality for the majority of people on earth.

I remember reading an email letter of solidarity and a call for peace from community organizations in Cacarica, Colombia, and it was powerful considering the devastating role of the United States has there. The outpouring of international solidarity was inspiring. It didn’t take long to grasp the fact that 9/11 has indeed ‘changed everything’; from the way I live and think to the movements and groups that I organize with. My reactions continue to evolve as events unfold.

What is the current reaction in your local community in terms of nationalism and support of the continuing attacks on Afghanistan? Is there a difference between the reactions of the students at your school and the people in the rest of the community?

Our community and campus seem to be supporting the violent military response. Interestingly, it’s probably the first non-apathetic student-wide response to any event or issue I’ve seen here in 4 years.

Students wanted to do something, and putting up flags and vocally supporting the government has provided an outlet. It is amazing to see how people have come together and expressed solidarity with victims and fellow citizens, but it’s unfortunate that it ends at our borders and often has racist and vindictive undertones. There also has been harsh criticism of people calling for peace and justice. There was even a letter to the editor chastising the student newspaper as ‘anti-American’ for simply covering a peace rally.

The ‘progressive/activist’ community immediately came together to issue more rational responses to 9/11, condemning terrorism and war (state terrorism), racism and scapegoating, and demanding justice with lasting peace—which requires a critical evaluation of US foreign policy.

Fortunately, as far as I know, there hasn’t been any bias or hate incidents. As for the community, my limited interaction outside peace and justice organizations is with coworkers who seem to be slightly critical of the US response in terms of its effectiveness in stopping terrorism.

But, since the 11th, things have generally seemed to have settled back down. The campus atmosphere has always been insulated from the ‘real world’ and aggressive patriotic fervor appears to be subsiding. The only thing that seems to excite people, is when we hold actions against the ‘war’—then we’ll see a flurry of criticisms in the newspapers, which usually aren’t that persuasive when the main argument rests on accusations that we are ‘anti-American.’

In regards to the anthrax scare currently going on-what are reactions to that like where you are?

My perception is most people don’t really see it as a threat here, because this is such a small town and college life is generally removed from reality. Of course, the thought of a widespread anthrax attack is horrifying. It’s appearing that the people responsible probably are right wing groups in the US.

What have you done to soothe your own fears which have arisen as the result of 9/11?

In terms of fearing a terrorist attack, I personally continue to feel safe at the moment. But a general feeling of comfort and safety has been altered, probably on a psychological level. Terrorism on US soil just wasn’t a real issue for me before 9/11.

Just being a part of a community here was helpful, because were able to come together and talk about events. A lot of class time has been geared towards discussions of the events as well.

I think what I fear most is the responses of the US government here and abroad. I’m terrified of US reactions that continue to take innocent lives, as well as the elimination of civil liberties domestically. To soothe those fears, I’ve been working with local groups, and trying to keep myself educated and up-to-date on current events and government responses—which can tough considering all the official propaganda that has to be sorted through.

Overnight, Bush earned unlimited political capital and tremendous popularity because of a violent tragedy that is a small reflection of the pain and suffering caused by US policies. There is backlash against dissenting opinions, and even support for furthering the conservative agenda (oil drilling in ANWR) as the tragedy will be fully utilized to advance corporate interests by repressive elements in society. Tax cuts/rebates that benefit the rich, Fast Track, etc, promote inequality that drives people to desperation and violence, but logic no longer seems to matter.

The challenges facing progressive movements are great, at a time when peace, justice, and fundamental economic changes are most needed.

What are your thoughts on the role death and the awareness of death play in our culture?

On a political level, I think that the mainstream media exemplifies how our society selectively values life. While nearly 4,000 deaths at the WTC are horrifying and unjustified, it’s roughly equivalent to the amount of Iraqi children killed in one MONTH due to the sanctions. Media and society differentiate between the value of life for a US citizen and ‘foreigners’—and I think there is an obvious racist component to this distinction, as it can also be made within the US. I have a teacher who sarcastically tries to calculate the number of non-white deaths it takes to equal the death of one white person. There has to be a massive death toll before we even become aware of suffering and death happening outside of our borders.

Within our culture, I think nature of our society is based on a system that encourages violent and isolating competition in order to survive. Of course death is the obvious result of ‘failure’—a fear of which theoretically motivates us to ‘succeed’--at any cost.
At the same time though, maybe this awareness of death is only sub-conscious, since we in the US tend to have an aura of invulnerability—although that may have been shattered after 9/11. If death does represent failure, there may be an added incentive to ignore it, because failure is supposed to be embarrassing—a sign of weakness, to be concealed.

If there was a healthy awareness or acceptance of death in our culture, I don’t think that consumerism and materialism would be able to survive, because they play off of our fears. When I feel isolated, alone, or frightened, the void can coincidentally be filled with the purchase of a wide variety of products! I mean, there are companies using 9/11 to market all sorts of products. I think it shows just how inhumane our system can be. The only way for it to survive after 9/11 is to sensationalize, market, and ‘commodify’ death-- and of course now we’re told that consumerism is patriotic.

I suppose we are well aware of death when it’s profitable.

Could you talk a little bit about the work you are doing in terms of activism at this time (attending or organizing rallies, flyering, etc) in terms of the 9/11 response?

Within a week of the attacks, a bunch of students got together to (re) organize a group for peace and justice, and held a rally and march with the theme ‘no more innocent lives.’ After reading our organizational statement, there was an open mic, which was really amazing. Different people spoke out against a war and racism and there was an honest and emotional dialogue. We were also able to raise money for victims and families.

We’ve been working in coalition with a new chapter of a national professors organization called Professors for Peace, and a well-established community peace group. There have been forums and panel discussions (on Islam, terrorism, US foreign policy), and people have been writing letters and op-eds in local newspapers. We’ve also adapted Global Exchange’s ‘No Hate’ campaign posters. The professors are organizing a critical film series on US foreign policy that will be integrated into next semesters’ course work. We’re been tabling and having visible public actions. This week we are sponsoring a presentation by 2 Vietnam Vets against the war. It’s a really challenging environment in which to criticize war and the government, but we’re hoping to really create a space in which people feel comfortable doing so, and one that provides alternative viewpoints, and real dialogue—not just flag waving and fanaticism.

What seems to be the lasting (and intended) legacy of the ‘war’ is the attack on civil liberties, so we’ve re-focusing a bit on the USA Patriot Bill and the use of military courts, which both crush the Bill of Rights. We’ve put together an info packet containing Afghanistan fact sheets, articles on civil liberties, the CIA, Henry Kissinger and US war criminals, and resources for alternative media sources.

For me, the focus on US policy isn’t to excuse the tragedy of 9/11, but rather to put it in a context that right now doesn’t exist due to media and educational blackout of international issues and US policy criticism. I hope that people will respond more rationally if they can understand why there is so much hatred towards the United States government.

While changes in oppressive US foreign policy probably won’t resolve the current crisis, this focus does give people a tangible course of action beyond flag waving. It’s essential that US citizens use their power to change unjust policies, especially in the Middle East. These issues have to come to the forefront of the domestic political agenda in the US if we ever want lasting peace.
While the current situation is different, we must keep in mind the history of US imperialistic behavior and recognize possible ulterior motives (such as oil) behind an international intervention.

Even if we assume that the US is fully justified in foreign intervention in light of 9/11, it is still important to be familiar with our history, in order to evaluate what is going on. Like the War on Drugs, the current ‘war on terrorism’ creates a euphemistic enemy obscuring the fact that innocent deaths result in a war against a problem whose roots are domestic (drug demand, repressive foreign policy). Without rational, open, and direct criticism, there is leeway for military and government actions to go awry.

We must ask ourselves: Will unilateral bombing of an impoverished nation (declared a ‘humanitarian emergency’ by the UN) end terrorism, create peace, and bring to justice international terrorist criminals responsible for the attacks? If the answer is no, then we have our work cut out.

It’s also important that citizens critically examine the government and media propaganda. The contradictions are apparent and need to be challenged. What struck me is the ability of the US to claim to be giving ‘humanitarian’ aid in Afghanistan. In Orwell’s 1984, government propaganda was so refined that ‘doublethink’ was possible: “the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them.” Here, we had the forcing shut of the borders of Afghanistan to drop very limited food aid into a minefield. This effectively ended sustained and substantial aid from international organizations on the ground, as millions may starve to death this winter. Then there’s fact that food aid was being dropped by the very military that has already killed civilians, UN workers and destroyed Red Cross facilities (twice!).

Meanwhile, Bush becomes a champion of a humanitarian cause, and the public is forced to acknowledge it by news reports practically written and read by the Pentagon. In Orwell’s world, a proper government slogan might be: ‘Humanitarian aid is murder.’

There are other glaring contradictions that the public seems to be willing to accept. For example, we are fighting for democracy and freedom by destroying civil liberties at home, censoring the media, and continuing support for dictatorial regimes as we build our ‘coalition’ for freedom.

It’s absolutely necessary for citizens to be critical of US actions. Dissent is patriotic, and now is a crucial time for patriotism; civil liberties are being destroyed left and right, innocent people are being bombed, and more terrorists are being created. For more information about some of the things I cited above, check out the following links:

Iraq sanctions links:www.nonviolence.org or www.peace-action.org or www.progressive.org

Kissinger as a war criminal: www.thirdworldtraveler.com
 
Kissinger in Chile - an amazing article about the hypocrisy in the war on terror, by Eduardo Galeano
 
Attack on Civil Liberties (ACLU info, including stuff on the USA Patriot Act)
 
Also, this really isn't related to the interview, but I found this about kissinger being sued for the death of a commander who opposed Pinochet's coup--what is interesting about it, is this came out on September 12, 2001...of course, we never heard about it, because of 9/11, even though it should have been even more important because of it!