Blood on Our White Hat
Re: "Knee-jerk Nation" by David Bramer (Nov. 15-21)
I was disappointed to see a usually intelligent Weekly Planet join the St. Pete Times and other media in parading out supposed "peaceniks" who have now seen the light and the error of their ways in the face of Sept. 11 and the current U.S. military response. Personally, I've had it with attacks in the media on Americans who either question the strategy of saturation carpet-bombing in Afghanistan or who offer possible explanations for the motivations of terrorists. Americans need to be awakened to the fact that we are not always the guys in the white hats, and there are lots of reasons people overseas wish us ill. Those of us who understand the realpolitik aspects of terror also understand that none of it could ever justify the murder of civilians. Just because some of us are vocal in our opposition to a strategy that dismisses Afghan civilian casualties as an unfortunate, unintentional or regrettable part of war (or just sweeps the issue under the rug by referring to it as "collateral damage") that doesn't make us soft on terrorism or indicate a lack of love for our country. Yes, we have to confront terrorism, but America's white hat is dirty enough without the blood of innocent civilians on it, too. It's obvious we are now also engaged in a battle for the soul and true spirit of America.
Louis Claudio
Safety Harbor
This article appears in Nov 29 – Dec 5, 2001.