Works In Progress - June 2003 - National Security? Why Not TRUE Security?

TRUE security can't be won by weapons. It's rooted in social and economic justice, civil liberties, a vibrant democracy, a healthy environment, and humane values.

The American people are afraid of terrorists.

But they also have deep, troubling fears about the crumbling economy, the loss of civil liberties, the deteriorating environment, and the future our kids and grandkids will inherit.

The Bush regime is escalating the first kind of fears deliberately and the second set of fears unwittingly.

Bush's so-called "war on terrorism" fails to address the underlying causes of terrorism. Instead, the Bush regime exploits the September 11 attacks to frighten the American people into supporting more militarism, giving up our constitutional rights, and letting the government claim dictatorial powers - all in the guise of "protecting" us. Militaristic and repressive reactions only turn more people into enemies and escalate the cycle of violence.

When the public opposed attacking Iraq without actual evidence, the Bush regime lied about evidence in order to frighten people into supporting his war.

In short, the Bush regime is escalating and manipulating the American people's fears in order to increase its own power and serve the US's global empire.

But ironically, while the Bush regime promotes militarism and the centralization of power as solutions to the things that frighten people, these are actually the root causes of people's real fears in the first place!

On the other hand, the public really is justified in fearing for their economic security, health security, environmental security, civic security, etc. Current and anticipated laws and policies are pushing most Americans downward, threatening our retirement plans, reducing our access to health care, worsening our quality of life, degrading our food supply, ruining our environment, restricting the media, corrupting our political processes, and so forth.

This is not a partisan rant about a particular administration, but rather a hard look at changes that have been accumulating over a few decades, including the Clinton years. Clinton, after all, maintained the brutal and deadly Iraq economic sanctions, illegally called large parts of Iraq "no fly zones" and bombed them repeatedly, bombed several other countries illegally, dismantled the welfare safety net, vastly expanded the death penalty and reduced defendants' appeal rights, promoted horribly undemocratic "free trade" agreements, etc. Such trends were well underway before the Bush regime accelerated the pace of these abuses and carried them out more brazenly than ever before.

In any debate, whoever frames the terms of the debate has a tremendous advantage. If security means more guns and wiretapping, then Bush is provid

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can public across many social and political categories (age, religion, race, class, occupation, political spectrum, etc.) into an electoral majority. Current policies threaten everyone's security, but progressive alternatives offer TRUE security for the American people. This bottom-up approach deals with many kinds of security, including (but not limited to):

• Economic security: Job security, living wages, job safety, cures for poverty, help during hard times, protection from child labor, secure retirement income, etc.

• Food security: Safe and nutritious food, locally grown food, freedom from hunger, etc.

• Health security: Access to affordable health care, respectful treatment, choices in health care options, focus on preventing diseases, strong public health services, etc.

• Environmental security: Sustainable ecosystems, enough water, clean water, clean air, freedom from toxics, healthy forests, land use planning for sustainability, etc.

• Personal security: Thoughtful and sensitive policies and services for domestic violence, child abuse, gender issues, human dignity, substance abuse, etc.

• Community & cultural security: Respect for all cultures and languages, freedom to practice any religion or no religion, corporate accountability, limitations on corporate power, removing the underlying causes of crime, comfort in walking anywhere at any time, ways to heal and reconcile when someone hurts another person, etc.

• Political security: Freedom from governmental oppression or abuse, support for civil rights and civil liberties, meaningful opportunities to participate in democratic political processes, etc.

The accompanying table contrasts the typical American way to achieve national security with this better way to achieve TRUE security.

I invite each reader to incorporate this kind of strategy within your respective issues and movements. How can you reach out to the public with this welcoming and supportive approach?

I also invite your feedback. Please feel free to contact me at (360) 491-9093 or glen@olywa.net