Race "Matters" (Part I)

(I started this post on August 24, 2006, when I refer to "this morning", I am referring to the morning of the 24th.)

It will come as no surprise to those who know me that I was listening to NPR this morning while I was getting ready for work (a long process, so I am able to listen for a while). Although I promised my baby sister that I would not post commentary related solely to political and social issues (after all, the last post elicited a "Debbie Downer" comment), in recent days listening to local and national news media and surfing the same on the internet, I have been bombarded with stories fully confirming the extent to which the issues of race continue to beleaguer our nation. And, as with so much of the current state of our society—local, national and international—it wounds my heart.

The story this morning was about the Minutemen Civil Defense Corps, a private organization that espouses a “mission” of US Internal and Border Civil Defense. The story related that the Minutemen are moving beyond the borders to the interior of the nation; to states like Iowa, South Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Missouri. In these states the group is offering training workshops for initiate chapters, imparting their “ideals” and mission of protecting this Nation from “invasion by enemies foreign and domestic”. A gentleman in the story stated his belief that the “illegals” are a threat to “America’s national culture and security.” (America’s national culture?) In the workshops members are trained to “monitor and report” employers who hire “illegals”. This was only conveyed to the NPR reporter second-hand. The reporter was not allowed to attend the workshop, ostensibly because the organization does not want to “give away our battle plan.” Members of the group make no effort to hide the fact that they believe, and act as though, they are at war.

One of the methods the Minutemen use is to visit sites where presumed illegals gather, awaiting work. They also visit businesses where they believe illegals are already working. The Minutemen then photograph individuals at the sites. Restaurants are a prime target, as Greg Thompson, one of the trainers interviewed for the story, related, “Restaurant workers are a health risk. Many are from Third World countries who’ve not had vaccinations. They bring diseases that are rampant [I’m guessing he meant that the diseases are becoming rampant here?] and people don’t realize it.” Of course he used the stock argument that the illegals are clogging our hospitals and emergency rooms, places where the Minutemen are also visiting and taking photographs.

One of the fallacies of their logic and methods (well, actually one of many) lies in their determination of just who is illegal. How do they decide who to photograph? It does not take long to arrive at the conclusion that the color of one’s skin, hair and eyes, and one’s general appearance are likely the primary criteria they use. Would it ever dawn on any of them that the brown-skinned, dark haired worker may be a United States citizen? Simply by dismissing him as some “Macaca” and photographing him, the Minutemen have already, astonishingly, discerned the impossibility that he could be one of us.

Searching the group’s official website, a visitor is informed, in so many words, that the Minutemen are not a bigoted group. The official pledge includes a statement in which they vow, “A Minuteman believes that just as ethnicity, race, religion and all such factors are incidental and do not affect our God-given, constitutional equality as American citizens, such factors are also irrelevant in the debate over illegal immigration. There is no tolerance among Minutemen for racism or bigotry - E Pluribus Unum - Out of Many, One.” Perhaps in making such statements they are attempting to deflect such criticisms to the contrary. Or, perhaps they are trying to convince themselves. Or, perhaps they actually believe this. I sometimes wonder if this last possibility is not one of the most insidious aspects of racism—the fact that so many people who evidence racist opinions and beliefs in their daily words and actions sincerely profess their lack of racial biases and bigotry; ever iterating public statements of belief in tolerance and love of diversity.

Of all of the issues raised by the actions and creeds of groups like the Minutemen, the one that most confounds me is the dissonance between the ideas and opinions they express in relation to immigrants and the affirmation they find in a supposed moral superiority. In the United States, clearly the latter is most often ascribed to a deep abiding Christian ethos. But where in his ministry does Jesus teach that it is okay to dislike, disdain, be biased against, treat badly or simply hate those who are different? My understanding of his words is that he taught that his followers should love all men (and women) and embrace all of God’s children. I understood that he commanded his followers to assist the downtrodden, to pick up the fallen, to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and give comfort to the sick and weary. How does that doctrine get convoluted with the anger and resentment exhibited throughout history against the immigrants in this country? How does one reconcile basic Christian charity with the calls to resist this so-called “human flood” or, as if they were vermin, this “swarm of migrants”?

Perhaps just as they use patriotism to shroud their provincialism, they use the law to cloak their hate. It inoculates them against any overriding sense of justice or sympathy they might otherwise harbor deep within their Christian conscience.

Over Three Years Later

I have been thinking about the war since before it started when we (I and other dedicated and foolhardy souls) were soulfully and sorrowfully marching in the streets of San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego. It is never far from my consciousness, both because of who I am, and because I live in an area populated by marines and naval personnel. As I drive down local streets and highways, I encounter cars with, of course, the typical "Support the Troops" signs and ribbons, while there are very few of a counter-view, except for my SO's (who has a "Coexist" sticker on his car). Lately I’ve seen "Welcome home, Daddy, we missed you" sprayed on vehicles. Others I've seen recently include "You are our Knight in body armor," and "Honey, you are mine tonight" . Based only on the number of cars I've driven by with such writings, I would guess that a large contingency of troops recently came home. It is so difficult to manage the anger and the sadness that I feel when I hear about the war, read about it, or remember how hard we tried to prevent it. Two of the most memorable occasions were when I traveled overnight, once on a bus and once by car, to San Francisco to march in the streets downtown with tens of thousands of individuals—once over two hundred thousand—gathering together, unified in their distress and their impotence. Individuals who did not know what else to do, but who had to do something, even if it was only to make their voices heard. We tried so desperately to halt what, in retrospect, was clearly inevitable.

The memories and associated feelings are coursing through my mind now more than they often do, in part because I am reading Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq by Thomas E. Ricks. I am a voracious reader. I have to have one or two books in progress and usually more lined up waiting. And I like to read at night before bed. I get so enraged reading this book, however, I might have to change my practice.

This morning I looked through some old computer files and documents (old=Year 2003) and found the following letter, a letter I wrote to some of our Congressmen. I think I faxed it to Senator Feinstein and others, but, honestly, I don't really recall. I wrote it shortly after the initial bombing raids on Iraq—the “Shock and Awe”. I remember so clearly how I felt. I remember feeling the acid burn at the bottom of my stomach, feeling helpless and hopeless, outraged and defeated. I remember watching the bombs, the “precision bombs”, bursting and throwing shrapnel and fire at unknown targets and bystanders. I remember thinking about the brutal effects of the bombs. I read that it is likely that anyone within 300 plus feet of the blast, which creates pressures of several thousand pounds per square inch and 8,500-degree heat, will not survive. Shrapnel and debris can fly nearly three-quarters of a mile. I read that the pressure can literally pull a limb off of someone. Everything in its range is obliterated. My throat tightens and the acid in my stomach builds just remembering.And now, over three years later, the bloodshed continues. To what end?

"March 21, 2003
Dear Senator:

I am horrified by what I am seeing in Baghdad and in other areas of Iraq. I desperately wanted to believe that those who represent us would succeed in stopping this war and today’s horrific bombing campaign before it started. Regardless of whether you believe the war to be just or unjust, the magnitude of the damage and destruction we are bringing to bear upon the people of Iraq under the pretext of removing a dictatorial regime—one that we aided and abetted for many years and helped to put into power—is reprehensible, unethical,and immoral. It violates international law and, quite simply, the most basic sense of right and wrong. The imbalance of military and economic power between the two states is immeasurable; and I fear that the complete devastation that we are causing will indeed be judged, as was so eloquently stated by Pope John Paul II, by our “conscience, history, and God.” It is far too easy to label those of us who object to this campaign and who are demoralized by what is happening as partisans, leftists, reactionaries, Marxists, hippies, and unpatriotic malcontents. I cannot help but wonder where the rhetoric stops and what you truly believe about the people you represent begins. Many of us are caring, patriotic, thoughtful, intelligent and educated people who oppose what is happening based on greater principles. Those who oppose this war are from so many different organizations; organizations that include the National Council of Churches, women’s groups, minority groups, students, professionals, working class people and children. Indeed, the World itself is against what we are doing.

The Administration and others can couch it in whatever language they please and call the actions of our country and some affiliates the actions of a “Coalition of the Willing”, speaking of the 45 countries who support what we are doing. But reality is visible to those who choose to look. Those “Willing” are countries who depend on our country for economic support and other aid, and many can certainly be characterized as anything but bastions of democracy and protectors of human rights. Many of the Central Asian countries on the list are among the worst violators of human rights against their people. Listening to Donald Rumsfeld and others speak about this war as liberating the Iraqi people is offensive and disturbing. Our nation’s recent track record in Afghanistan doesn’t support an purported commitment to protecting the people of the countries that we “liberate.” I listen to the news, watch what is happening, and I listen to what those in the Administration and its supporters are saying, and I truly wonder how they manage to sleep at night. The only just war would be one of self defense. And while there are many who are willing to believe that this war is being fought in defense of the American people, there are many who are aware of the fallacies involved in that argument (The ties to September 11 lead to countries allied with us in this ‘endeavor’--not Iraq.). There are many of us who cannot help but note the inconsistencies of our position with regard to our dealings with other countries, countries who we know harbor members of Al-Quaeda (e.g., Kuwait, Pakistan, Uzbekistan…).

The violence of this war has already ignited additional violence around the world. It is difficult to believe that it will end here. The violence that protestors (and the police) are experiencing in Egypt and other countries is unconscionable. We are beginning a period of violence and fractionalization that perhaps only history will be able to judge, because it appears to be a period that will last beyond the lifetimes of many of us. I sincerely hope that those responsible for this misguided endeavor pray to whatever God they believe in that they are not wrong; and I hope that they are judged with more mercy than they have shown their fellow world citizens."

May we all be judged with mercy.