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David Spates Justice or revenge? Which do you prefer? The best part about last Tuesday was that
my 4-month-old daughter spent the entire morning grinning at
me as I watched thousands of innocent people die. Blissfully unaware that she inhabits the same
planet as Osama bin Laden and his army of gutless terrorists,
Anna spent the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, as she spends most
mornings -- playing with her toys and grinning at Dad. What was the worst part about last Tuesday?
That my 4-month-old daughter spent the entire morning grinning
at me as I watched thousands of innocent people die. I was at home that morning, where I am most
mornings these days, going through what to some may seem as a
rather dreary routine. Get the baby out of her crib, change her
diaper, feed her squished squash and milk, and then amuse ourselves
with her playthings until she gets tired enough for a nap, after
which the process starts again. It may not be as action-packed
as playing Beat the Clock in the Chronicle's newsroom, but it's
a life I've embraced and enjoy. Anna's Mom was home that morning, too, and
as I was in another room folding baby blankets or some such task,
Shelia ordered me to come into the living room and see what was
happening on TV. Like human-guided missiles, planes had slammed
into the World Trade Center towers. A few minutes later, another
hijacked plane smashed into the Pentagon. A few minutes after
that, the towers began falling, all the while Anna was flashing
us her goofy, toothless grin, and I was thankful she isn't 5
or 6 or 7 years old. I'd hate to have to explain to her why people
kill other people. I'm 31 and I don't understand it. How do you
explain it to a little kid? As soon as it became apparent that terrorists
were behind these crashes, I should have rushed downstairs to
my computer and pecked out this week's column. I was full of
rage, and now, Sunday, as I write this, that rage has subsided
somewhat. It's been reduced to mere jaw-clenching anger. Full-blown
rage is more appropriate under these circumstances, don't you
think? Rage's fire has died down to anger, and rage is what I
needed to fully express my reaction to this tragedy. So, using anger rather than rage as my canvas,
allow me to express a few thoughts on what is without a doubt
one of the darkest, if not THE darkest, days in American history. First, and I'm not ashamed to say this, I
was ready to beat somebody to a pulp by Tuesday afternoon. If
I could have gotten my hands on anyone even remotely responsible
for what happened, my rage would have found an appropriate outlet,
and let's just leave it at that. I'm not a violent man. I was
never even in a school yard fight as a kid. (Always being one
of the biggest kids in the class probably had something to do
with that, I grant you.) But my heart had prepared my head for
violence that day. Of course, none of the terrorists' supporters
presented themselves to me, and my rage subsided. And as I said, that leaves with anger, but
the desire to avenge the deaths of my countrymen remains. That
is what we're talking about, right? Revenge? Or is it justice? I find myself considering
those two words. Revenge vs. justice? They're two very different
words that convey two very different feelings, but the distinctions
between them are rather blurry. Revenge suggests retaliatory
punishment and brutal vengeance. Justice, on the other hand,
connotes fairness, moral correctness and righteousness. So what am I and my fellow Americans looking
for? Do we expect justice or do we demand revenge? Last Tuesday,
if you would have asked me that question, I would have unabashedly
demanded revenge. Now, a week later, I probably would say that
we're entitled to justice. I'm not sure there will be a significant
difference in the outcome between a vengeful action and a just
action, but I suppose it shows that a measured response should
prevail. Also, our "measured response" should
include a tight focus. There are a finite number of recognizable
people responsible for what happened, but the religion of Islam
is not the culprit here. Bin Laden and his misguided supporters
have bastardized their religion into something twisted and evil. True Islamic beliefs condemn violence, just
as true Judeo-Christian beliefs do. Having bin Laden represent
Islamic faith is like as having the Ku Klux Klan represent Christian
faith. (Or, possibly even worse. Jerry Falwell, who
said Thursday, "I really believe that the pagans, and the
abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians
who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle,
the ACLU, People For the American Way, all of them who have tried
to secularize America. I point the finger in their face and say,
'You helped this happen.'" Jerry, if you honestly believe
God employs terrorists to hijack planes to kill innocent people,
then I think we need to take a good look into your carry-on bag
every time you board a 757.) Finally, I'd like to urge our readers to do
whatever they can to help the victims, their families and our
country. Donate some blood, kick in a few bucks to the Red Cross.
For all its faults, this country has been good to you. The hanging
chads, dimpled chads and pregnant chads seem so silly and stupid
now. George W. Bush is your president, he's my president, and
he and your country need your support. It's time that we, the
people, give to the people who need it. As far as revenge or justice or whatever you want to call it is concerned, be patient. Rage has leveled off into anger, and anger will level off into quiet resolve. We will do what needs to be done. Until then, don't forget to grin a little. Your parents will appreciate it. · · · |