https://www.austinchronicle.com/columns/2001-10-12/page-two/

Page Two

By Louis Black, October 12, 2001, Columns

This war is wrong. Worse than wrong, it is stupid. I say this not from a pacifistic nor moralistic point of view. By any agenda our invasion of Afghanistan doesn't have easily accessible political nor military goals and, ultimately, plays into the terrorists' hands. Blowing up abandoned terrorist training camps and dismantling the air capabilities of a 19th-century country are signs of a tantrum more than a sophisticated strategic response. The fundamentalists envision a war between the righteous and the unholy, and if this isn't a giant step in that direction, I don't know what is. Not only have we invaded an Islamic country but are entering into a war that is likely to be protracted. Support of Islamic governments will fade as the protests of the people grow louder.

The great failure of imagination on the part of progressives and the left is their knee-jerk anti-Americanism that manages to recast complex issues into truly dull terms. "The U.S. did this. The U.S. is bad. This is bad." In this case we've seen the remarkable Disneyfication of terrorists. Rather than endowing forest animals with cute and noble characteristics, terrorists have been given a cogent, understandable, and addressable moral philosophy. If we would just get our troops out of Saudi Arabia, if we abandoned our support of Israel, if we just treated the people of the world better, this wouldn't have happened. Damn it, this is about the past against the future, about new ideas versus repressive anxieties. It isn't that they like certain parts of the future -- they don't want anything to do with it. This includes free speech, equal rights, education, and equality. If we should make policy changes to avoid future terrorist confrontations, we shouldn't only include the left's favorite issues but also we need to abandon free speech, equal rights for all, feminist ideology, freedom of religion, and so on. This is neither to blanketly defend U.S. foreign policy nor to argue against a constant and comprehensive rethinking. But the automatic condemnation has recast a cogent anti-war movement as more traditional, everything-America-does-is-wrong whining. Regardless of what happens over the next few days, months, years, next up is remaking the world. If the left and progressives would only rethink their semantic strategies, they should be among the most important players in this crafting.

The terrorists are not receptacles of friendly humanist ideology distorted in response to brutal American acts. They are a disease, birthed by the modern world and, unfortunately, aided by a free society. The only way to wipe them out is not only long-term strategic planning and action but a vigorous defense of democracy, not just at home but around the world. Closing down the society and restricting rights is the terrorists' victory. This war, which may make some of us feel good temporarily, in the long run is not only against our best interests but a serious misstep in any long-term campaign to wipe out terrorism.

On the home front, resistance is to continue our lives and not give in to fear. This weekend the nationally renowned Heart of Film Screenwriter's Conference and Austin Film Festival kicks off. The festival's offerings are as always excellent, including local heroes Richard Linklater's Waking Life and Guillermo Del Toro's The Devil's Backbone. Lots more information elsewhere in this issue.

Tonight, the Chronicle is hosting an open forum to try and make sense of recent events, featuring Rahul Mahajan, James Galbraith, Molly Ivins, Sarah Cleveland, Frank Gavin, and the Rev. Sterling Lands, to be moderated by Michael King, the Chronicle's News editor. In light of these extravagant military actions, this discussion should be even more relevant and thought-provoking. It will be at the Bass Lecture Hall at the Thompson Center at the LBJ School, tonight, Thursday, Oct. 11, from 7 to 10pm.

Tomorrow, Friday, Oct. 12, there will be a Chronicle Open House from 11am to 2pm: Come check out the Chronicle, and meet the staff. There will be refreshments.

On Saturday, Oct. 13, we will be sponsoring a Drag Ball at Le Privilege.

Soap Creek Saloon Reunion. At La Zona Rosa on Sunday, Oct. 14.

Eat Drink Watch Movies. This is the incredible pairing of film with restaurants evening dinner planned by Virginia B. Wood with the Alamo Drafthouse. This is in November, but early ticket purchase is suggested. Tickets are available online at www.drafthouse.com/north/north.html .

Check for ads for all of these in this issue.

We have received so many letters about recent events that we have created a special home for them on our Web site (austinchronicle.com). Any and all letters and comments we receive on these events will be posted to the site.