To the Editor:
September 11th's terrorist attacks in Washington and New York brought us all a horrifying reminder of the tremendous suffering that occurs when a city is bombed. This tragedy must not be repeated. Anywhere.
I was saddened and disturbed recently to hear Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld say that "We have to drain the swamps where [the terrorists] live."
His words were chillingly reminiscent of the Cold War military doctrine of "drying up the sea" which was used to justify the massacre of civilians by U.S. troops in Vietnam and by U.S. client states in Latin America in order to root our guerillas. Equally disturbing is the racist implication that the people of Afghanistan and other countries that the U.S. might attack are creatures of the swamp, somehow less than human.
Terrorists killed civilians in New York and Washington because they were outraged at actions of the United States government. If we attack a nation because its leaders are suspected of supporting terrorism, we are using the same logic and committing the same crime.
An invasion of Afghanistan or a massive bombing campaign would result in the deaths of countless civilians. The people of Afghanistan, especially the women of Afghanistan, have no say in the actions of their government. They are already suffering from repression, poverty, and starvation because of the actions of the Taliban. Will we make them suffer more?
The Dartmouth community has a responsibility to be a "voice crying out in the wilderness," speaking out for sanity and compassion in the face of hatred and rage. I urge anyone who is interested in organizing against military retaliation to contact me. We must end the cycle of violence; too many have died already.
