Anti-abortion murderers, white supremacists and al-Qaida have one thing in common: They justify their violence by appealing to the same tortured logic. The ends justify the means.
It is the terrorist’s creed.
We deplore the killing of innocent people, even when it is for a cause that we consider just, because as Americans we believe in the ideal that means matter. We believe in the rule of law and a process for enforcing those laws. As long as the process is just, then, whatever the outcome, it too will be just. Similarly, we believe in democracy. As long as the democratic process is followed, then whomsoever is elected is the rightful heir to power.
Unfortunately, since the attacks of Sept. 11, and the beginning of the war on terrorism, the terrorist’s creed has gained increasing popularity in our political system. The USA PATRIOT Act codified the new philosophy that the end (i.e. freedom from terrorism) justifies almost any means (i.e. loss of freedoms and privacy).
Actually, this way of thinking predates the Bush administration. One could go back to the 2000 election, where Katherine Harris and Jeb Bush felt the ends (electing George Bush) justified the means (illegally disenfranchising thousands of black voters). Or one could go even further back to the impeachment of President Clinton .Now that the terrorist’s creed is alive and well in Washington, D.C., it is slowly destroying our political system. Last year Texas Republicans were so intent on winning seats in the U.S. House of Representatives that they circumvented the established process and tried to force a ridiculous redistricting plan through the Texas Legislature. Texas Democrats were so intent on stopping this that they fled the state to avoid a quorum necessary to pass the plan. Partisan gerrymandering is happening all over the country.
The current administration is so set on changing laws from the bench that they have marched an endless parade of conservative activists posing as judicial nominees before Congress. Intent on stopping this, Democrats have taken the extreme step of filibustering a handful of these judges, bringing the nominating process to a grinding halt.
Often controversial bills are being voted on and passed late at night to avoid media attention. For example, cuts to veterans’ benefits were passed in the House of Representatives by a margin of three votes at 2:54 a.m. on the morning of March 21, 2003, according to Mother Jones.
The war in Iraq, however, wins the prize for the ultimate manifestation of the terrorist’s creed. For President Bush, the goal of removing Saddam Hussein was justification for anything, including misleading the American people. The administration has cycled through the excuses for going to war: first, to get the WMDs; second, to stop terrorism; now, to create democracy in the Middle East. For all the myriad questions that remain about the rush to war and the continuing violence, the answer is always the same: Iraqis, Americans and the people of the world are better off now than when Saddam was in power. In other words, the end justifies the mess.
Then came the prisoner abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib where we ended up looking like the terrorists. Our shift to a policy where the ends justify the means is responsible for all of this. That is why we abandoned the Geneva Convention. If torturing innocent Iraqis meant stopping one attack against our troops, then those in charge of our military felt justified. That is not the America I know.
The rules and laws that keep our democracy working are being abandoned. We have entered a lawless political state where the winners are the best liars and cheats.
As a nation we must relearn what we once knew: that it is the means that truly matter. You cannot achieve peace through preemption. You cannot achieve security through fear. You cannot achieve democracy through occupation. And you cannot fight terrorism by embracing the terrorist’s creed.