The story in Paul Krugman's latest column should be headlining every news outlet you could possibly read, watch, or listen to today. Strangely, I'm not hearing much about it. So, I feel compelled to talk about it.
As a white guy, I'm allowed to say this: White guys are the problem. Who was responsible for the Oklahoma City bombing? A white guy. Who went on a shooting spree in a Jewish Community Center in Los Angeles and killed a U.S. Postal worker? A white guy. Who bombed the 1996 Olympics, a nightclub in Atlanta, and a Women's Clinic in Birmingham? A white guy. Who was the unabomber? A white guy. Who killed 16 children and their teacher at a school in Scotland? A white guy. Or in Columbine Colorado? Two white guys. It's not often someone is crazy enough to take a shot at a U.S. President, but who shot Lincoln, Kennedy, and Reagan? Three white guys. Quick! Think of four notorious serial killers! First to come to mind for me were these four white guys (Berkowitz, Bundy, Dahmer, De Salvo, Gacy, Manson all good answers).
And now we learn that yet another white guy in Noonday, Texas had "a weapons cache containing fully automatic machine guns, remote-controlled explosive devices disguised as briefcases, 60 pipe bombs and a chemical weapon -- a cyanide bomb -- big enough to kill everyone in a 30,000-square-foot building." But you didn't hear about this terrorist because he doesn't fit the profile that General Ashcroft wants you to fear.
While actually dangerous individuals like this white guy are ignored, the Ashcroft Justice Department spends all its efforts questioning and detaining anyone with an Arab name or brown skin.
9/11 was an anomaly as far as terrorism in the United States goes. When we realize that, we might also realize that we should not allow 9/11 to change anything about our fundamental values. America has long been committed to individual freedom and privacy, to due process rights, to that nutty innocent-until-proven-guilty thing, ostensibly to the notion that we don't start wars, but most certainly to the idea that it is wrong to torture people. We shouldn't give these things up. 9/11 changed nothing about the importance of these principles. But neither the Ashcroft Justice Department nor the Bush administration in general, understands this. We need people in these positions of power that are committed to true American values.
Posted by Brian at June 22, 2004 09:13 PM | TrackBackBrian, while I agree with you that we, as white males, must be willing to look at our own demographic in the light that you mention. We, as educated, free-thinking people cannot fail to acknowledge the reality that our primary concern is a group that fits a different profile. You mentioned the Texas militant with all of the weapons. Why have we heard little regarding him? He was caught, that's why. However, our primary concern is what may happen, what intelligence tells us might occur. Unfortunately, the thing for which we as Americans should be most concerned is another terrorist attack (detecting such an attack is largely intelligence-dependent). While white men are capable and have carried out attacks in the past, I charge that any one with the smallest capacity to think analytically will recognize and acknowledge that our biggest threat at this time comes from Islamic fundamentalists. Had this Texan been allowed to conduct an attack without being detected, I would agree with you that we should be looking at another profile. However, he was caught because AG Ashcroft does require that Agents under his authority are investigating groups other than potential Islamic terrorists. I know this first hand.
Posted by: WN at July 1, 2004 08:53 AM