「新英語教育」2007年9月(457号)
September 11, 2001 - Six Years Later
6年後の9月11日 Dr. Chuck Overby
Hello friends in Shin-Eiken New English Teachers' Association (1)Let me start this piece by sharing a few of the words taken from an article that I wrote on this 9/11 tragedy. This article was published in the 26 October 2001 issue of the Ohio University newspaper, The Post. First let me share a few of these 2001 words and then complete this little paper with some of my current thoughts and reflections on this tragedy -- and the subsequent tragedy of six years of war and violence. Here are the first two paragraphs of the OU Post commentary that was titled "Military Solution A Mirage." (2)"I have been climbing out of a deep well of anger and depression at the loss of innocent lives on 9/11/01. Those persons responsible for this atrocity must be found and brought to justice. However, rather than an arrogant unilateral military rampage as presently being carried out by the Bush administration, I would have preferred cooperative international police work to bring the perpetrators to justice before the World Court or the International Criminal Court (ICC). Unfortunately, the United States frequently thumbs its nose at the World Court and has yet to support the ICC, perhaps for fear of having its own leaders one day charged for their war crimes and crimes against humanity. (3)War is an atrocity that devastates innocent human beings everywhere. My experience as a combat pilot in the Korean War helps me understand that Asian anguish when their loved ones are killed is as painful and real as that in New York City and Washington. This is why I am so interested in Japan's law, its constitution's Article 9 renunciation of war. Article 9 implies that non-violent means be used to resolve our inevitable conflicts. We need to adopt this kind of law in all nations' constitutions." Some Current Observations (4)In the above six year old words I have underlined and highlighted two sets of words to describe my country's response then as an arrogant unilateral military rampage in contrast to what I would have preferred it to be, one of -- cooperative international police work. (6)If you would like to read the official document that outlines and justifies this arrogant unilateral militarist behavior - please type into your web browser the following words - "National Security Strategy of the United States of America." You will find a 31 page Bush neo "con-men" created document, published on September 17, 2002 - that nowhere asks the important question - Why do so many people around the world hate the US government and what might we do about this problem? Rather, you will find a clear cut arrogant statement of military force and power - including the right to preemptively use all means of force if necessary. (7)In my opinion, there is no military solution to the 9/11 atrocity, any more than there is a military solution to the huge demand for illicit drugs in America, or for the USA's, and the world's profligate wasteful consumption of oil and other of earth's resources, -- or for global warming, or for most all of the problems we, as a species, face on our beautiful Planet Earth. And yet, most unfortunately, what have we seen demonstrated by the world's only super-power, my country the USA, in these past six years? We have seen a USA that is addicted to war and violence. (9)Since 9/11 we have seen a unilateral, preemptive war against Iraq based on Orwellian like lies and intelligence information, cooked up to suit neo "con-men's" dangerously flawed ideological biases - also reflecting their ignorance about that region of the world. Our war on Iraq is dominantly an "oil-resource war" - much complicated by a lack of balance in favor of Israel in the awful Palestinian --Israeli conflict. Sadly our government never seriously asks the important questions as to why we are such a profligate and resource wasteful culture, and what we might be able to correct this real problem, "our oil-addiction problem," so that we need not fight "oil or other resource wars." (10)We in our unilateral militarist arrogance prefer to use our military fist to keep other peoples oil flowing into our profligately wasteful and poorly designed technology systems - rather than seriously asking our creative engineers and scientists to give us orders of magnitude more energy and other resource efficient technology systems, and new energy systems such as solar related ones - all of which also do not pollute the ecosphere and that do not produce global warming. Most unfortunately we do not ask this of our technological people - especially is this true in the United States. I call these kinds of technology, "Green Technology By Design" [GTBD] and have been promoting these ideas rather unsuccessfully for almost 40 years. Billions of dollars are available from the weapons industries and the US Department of Defense (DOD) for [1] research and development and [2] engineering and science graduate education - but practically nothing is available for GTBD related work. Please see our book, A Call For Peace
The Implications of Japan's War-Renouncing Constitution, for much more on GTBD. Also see my web site www.article9society.org. (11)Let me end by saying that I am a non-violent critic of my nation, for whom I have twice voluntarily placed my life on the line in two of its wars - World War II and the Korean War. I think the United States of America has currently lost its way as a beacon of hope to many people. I am concerned that we are losing the essence of democracy in contemporary USA. I love my country, and I along with millions of my fellow citizens seek a United States that we can once again be proud of - an America that treats all people on Planet Earth with dignity and respect, rather than as "collateral damage" - an America that maximizes democratic, community, non-military, non-violent, ethical, ecological, caring, and loving relationships on Planet Earth Chuck Overby チャック・オーバビー (田中 安行 訳・注) --------------- ARTICLE 9 of the Japanese Constitution Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes. In order to accomplish the aim of the preceeding paragraph, land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained. The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized. 第2章 戦争の放棄 第9条 日本国民は、正義と秩序を基調とする国際平和を誠実に希求し、国権の発動たる戦争と、武力による威嚇又は武力の行使は、国際紛争を解決する手段としては、永久にこれを放棄する。 2 前項の目的を達するため、陸海空軍その他の戦力は、これを保持しない。国の交戦権は、これを認めない。 |
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