OUR LEADERS´ WAR MENTALITY
By Amparo Jaramillo-Restrepo
I write from Colombia, a country at war, about some of our
world’s leaders “War mentality”, that insane notion that economy
improves during war periods (look at today’s economy), and every
human problem could be fixed by war, from larceny, to drug use, and
obviously, terrorism.
In a rare intelligent remark, Mr. Bush said after the Afghanistan
invasion, that he won’t send a multimillion plane against a two
dollars tent. I would like to ask him and his advisers, why, if
“Terrorism” is today’s lethal way of war, his country
keeps building huge, expensive, and useless weapons
like atomic submarines, gigantic war planes and destroyers, big as a
city, which by the way, will be soon museum pieces, for running one
of them needs as much oil as a round trip to the moon, according
with Discovery Channel.
I wish, they’ll remember for a moment, while they squander
America’s resources, and keep sacrificing human lives, that the
terrorists who blew up the twin towers didn’t need nuclear weapons
to destroy one of America’s most beloved symbols. And in Colombia
terrorist acts are done using a bicycle, a car, a doll, or even a
poor donkey packed with explosives; the reason why handmade land
mines have mutilated thousands of children and innocent people not
only in Colombia but around the world is this: THEY ARE CHEAP AND
EASY TO MAKE!
That’s why we need visionary leaders, with their priorities in
order: Strong enough to say NO to the military monster, and start
doing justice to every citizen by providing them with the best
health system, job, housing and education they deserve.
Compassionate leaders, who care about our troubled minority
youngsters, and instead of housing them in jails for years, have the
heart to save them, by providing rehabilitation and job training
programs to turn their lives around and help them rebuild their
lives.
I always remember John XXIII’s
words: “WITHOUT SOCIAL JUSTICE WE’LL NEVER HAVE PEACE.”
BUGA Colombia,
March, 2008
