Simpich writes: "We only know one thing about this attack. This wave of mass mailing of pipe bombs and fake anthrax was done to get Americans to hate each other."
Northern Alliance soldiers eye the crest of hill that serves as a front line December 7, 2001 in the Tora Bora area of Afghanistan. The Afghanistan War is a military conflict that began in 2001 in response to 9/11. (photo: Chris Hondros/Getty Images)
We Don't Need Civility - We Need Humility
28 October 18
The goal of this attack: Get Americans to hate each other
e only know one thing about this attack. This wave of mass mailing of pipe bombs and fake anthrax was done to get Americans to hate each other.
Don’t do what the liberal and conservative wings of the media are already doing.
MSNBC is using this mass bombing attack as a liberal opportunity to discuss the importance of civility. That argument advances the Democrats’ attack on Trump.
Fox News is using this mass bombing attack as a conservative opportunity to discuss false flag theory – the misspelled envelopes support the argument that this bombing was done to help the Democrats win the election.
Both of those things may be true. Both of them may be false. It’s utterly irrelevant.
The best way to respond to an act of terrorism? Listen. Ponder. Don’t be manipulated. Push back against demagogues that try to use the attack for political gain.
The reaction to the attack is the biggest danger. Reactionaries almost always prosper from a terrorist attack. Terrorist attacks are designed to elicit a reaction.
Many of us know about the “Reichstag fire”: after the German parliamentary building was supposedly set on fire by a communist, Hitler used the moment to consolidate his grip on power.
What was the result of JFK’s shooting? War with the USSR had to be avoided – and the Warren Commission coverup was the result. The war on Cuba was over; LBJ and the public no longer had the stomach for it. But the masters of war turned their focus to Vietnam – and got their way.
The result of 9/11? Endless war on Afghanistan, then Iraq, now pretty much the entire Middle East.
The anthrax attacks? After the deadly powder appeared in the offices of Democrats Tom Daschle and Patrick Leahy, the repressive Patriot Act marched through Congress.
After the Paris attacks, many people jumped up in reaction and said: “I Stand with Charlie Hebdo.” What good did that do, with Jewish and Islamic people both demonized by people trying to score points for their respective teams?
Progressives should avoid using this attack for political gain. This attack was designed to sow hatred. Is the bomber a right-winger backing Trump’s rhetoric? Is the bomber a left-wing Berniecrat trying to make Debbie Wasserman Schultz look bad? This is the discussion that terrorists – and reactionaries – try to engender.
Don’t buy into it. Stand against hatred. Don’t jump to any sudden conclusions. The biggest danger at this moment is a wave of reaction.
What is more important than civility? Humility. Realizing that it is really easy to be manipulated. Be determined to not be manipulated.
Over the next weeks, let’s focus on maximizing election turnout. Building our social movements. Not jumping to conclusions.
Bill Simpich is a civil rights attorney who knows that it doesn't have to be like this, but it will continue unless people speak out against these grand juries. His next article will discuss how a new Supreme Court case means that anti-war activists can be subpoenaed by grand juries for nonviolent action - after all, it might free up someone's resources to take violent action.
Reader Supported News is the Publication of Origin for this work. Permission to republish is freely granted with credit and a link back to Reader Supported News.
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