Driving through ‘intersections’ has become a hobby of mine;
our landscape is my therapy and inspiration. On the eve of 9/11 and for the
President’s address to the Nation, however, I chose the confines of my
cluttered and somewhat dusty home fitting for the speech and reminiscent of the
subject and an ancestral land long gone to the hyenas.
Mr. Obama wove a fine tale with his professionally scripted
speech but at the end of it, I had more questions than answers and I was laden
with a sickening feeling that this conflict we will bear for generations to
come.
He outlined his strategy to ‘degrade and ultimately destroy’
ISIS; he will maintain his airstrikes and expand them, too late, into Syria, he
will help consult on ground operations by sending an additional 475 ‘military advisors’, he will protect the minorities
and send them aid, and he will do all that with the support of his allies and
puppet states while arming an undisclosed Syrian opposition group. Oh, I forget
to mention that “our technology companies and universities are unmatched”
bolstered by the ongoing influx of brain drain and “our manufacturing and auto
industries are thriving” shipping their productions offshore while drowning
under safety recalls.
The President has spoken; long live the President!
The speech garnered support on both sides of the debate and
although no implementation details were uncovered, it did reignite our bravado
and patriotism. The speech was heard all over the parched land of Iraq, Syria,
and beyond too. It comforted the oppressed majority in their unseen plight and
it emboldened the minorities at the forefront of the extremists’ inhuman
attacks.
What was said and what is planned, however, do not address
the fundamental root cause. In my humble opinion, the internet connected youths
of these nations are hopeless in their quicksand and their despots are reigning,
with archaic iron fists used discriminately, thus feeding the ISIS like groups.
If ISIS is destroyed, other acronyms with the same twisted agenda will pop up
because like seeds, they are sown and watered by the fascist like regimes under
which they germinate. If they are simply driven out of Iraq and Syria, as they
have been from Afghanistan, they will find roots in Libya’s top soil and other
countries on the verge of collapse. This is already happening.
What we need is to gradually pull the carpet from underneath
the current serpents of the Middle East and to instead dump a fraction of the
current billions, used to polish their scales, on those who deserve it most; the
jobless, futureless, hopeless, angry and yet internet savvy youths. Investing
in factories overseas, even if the output is disposed of, is better and cheaper
than the constant shipments of armaments. Forming outreach syndicates to engage
the youth and inspire them is better than getting in bed with their cavity.
Planning for the long term with our interest in mind is better than the
Band-Aid used to cover a wound needing stitches.
