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The Catch Phrase of a Tyranny

Chas Andres

'The War on Terrorism'. You cannot escape it. For the past few months, it has been a catch phrase used so often that it permeates every aspect our daily lives. Every American has heard it, and every American will have to live with its implications. On every radio and TV network, and in every newspaper and magazine, you are force-fed this catch phrase 24-7. You are given up-to-the-minute updates on the latest US aggression toward 'hunting down those responsible for the incident on September 11th' and furthering 'The war on terrorism'. However, what the news doesn't tell you is how our Constitutional rights as American citizens are in severe jeopardy due to this elusive 'war'.

On a most basic level, it seems like the right thing to do. Terrorists destroyed our World Trade Towers, smashed our Pentagon, and killed thousands of innocent civilians. After the initial shock and sadness, the next emotion most people felt was anger - anger toward the people who committed this heinous crime. So they went into their garage and pulled out their barely-used Fourth of July flag, and taped it onto the back window of their Ford Excursion. They drove a block down the street and bought a 'Don't mess with the US' bumper sticker so that no one had a doubt that they supported US actions completely and fully. They watched all of Bush's speeches and all the gaudy tribute shows, and in their minds their duty as an American was fulfilled. They could go to sleep guilt-free again.

However, very few people actually thought out the implications of a 'war on terrorism'. Terrorism is such an abstract word. If I burn an American Flag, is that terrorism? Maybe not today, but perhaps tomorrow it will be. Fighting a war on terrorism is like fighting a war on drugs. You keep making and enforcing laws, but you will never end the war. A war needs two known enemies to have a conclusive beginning and end. Terrorism is a great unknown, for even if we do capture Osama Bin Laden, there will be other terrorists who will challenge the United States. It will be a never-ending war fought between the United States and whatever country they feel is harboring terrorists on a given day.

And the people of the United States may not even be allowed to have their constitutional right to speak out against it.

A few weeks ago, a judge in Charleston, South Carolina ruled that a high school sophomore could not wear a shirt opposing the US bombing in Afghanistan because it would 'disrupt school'. She was suspended, and told she could not wear anything 'like that' anymore. I thought that the reason we were fighting this war on terrorism was to protect our rights as Americans, rights that are supposed to be given to us in the First Amendment of the Constitution. Instead, we are forfeiting our rights to further, yes, 'The War on Terrorism'.

The real issue here is not the validity of the war, or even all the innocent people that are being killed by US bombs in Afghanistan, but the fact that, slowly but surely our country is taking away the basic freedoms that made it great to begin with. And the American people are letting it happen, even welcoming it if it means forwarding 'The War on Terrorism'. Our real duty as citizens of the United States is to make sure that our Constitutional rights remain the core of our government. Giving up our rights for the sake of war is doing exactly what the terrorists want ­ it is making our country weaker, and making our people more oppressed. We need to take a stand, and let our government know that we, the people, are committed to staying free.

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