President George W. Bush should not profess to care about people
against whom he is about to deploy an army.Â
Time and again, Bush has claimed (most recently in last
week’s State of the Union Address) that the Iraqi people will
welcome the United States to their country because we will be their
liberators. But he is careful to avoid explicitly drawing the
connection between the reason to go to war and the welfare of the
Iraqi people.
Bush fails to make this connection because he does not really
care about the Iraqi people. He cares about nuclear weapons,
chemical and biological warfare, and oil. Bush does not care to
create that vital link in people’s minds: the tie between his
now-imminent action and the humanity and worldliness of liberating
Iraq.
He has obviously failed to convince Iraq that the United
States’ motives are pure (because they
aren’t). So, since he probably never will, he should do
more to convince the world that he actually cares. He should
inspire through positive action, not through empty promises and
grand gestures.
And to show the world he really cares, Bush should focus on
clean-energy research. It’s a matter of beating Saddam
Hussein at his own game. Hussein knows the United States is
ultimately driven by oil. If we were to put the same resources and
fervor into our energy independence programs as we will put into
planning and executing Bush’s so-called
“reluctant” war, we would find a lasting solution to
our oil conflicts ““ a problem that will only grow as we
proceed into the century. If Bush and scientists rallied the nation
to support an energy research program, perhaps the space-race zeal
of the 1960s would be rejuvenated.
The space race provided Americans with hope and excitement in
the ’60s. With the right focus the, “energy
independence race” ““ to be fought against our own greed
and need for an unlimited oil supply ““ would help our country
positively channel its energy. The world, not just the United
States, would benefit as a result.
Rallying around a cause other than war would be healthy for the
country. The last time we banded together was to fight the
terrorists. Now we have banded together to mourn the victims of the
incomprehensible Columbia disaster. But this time we have no
enemy to hold responsible and fight against. There is no Osama bin
Laden or al Qaeda to lash out against. We should put our
energy into turning our sadness and anguish into the real, tenable
goal of becoming energy independent.Â
We must also realize that space is no longer the new frontier,
nor the final frontier. There exists a new frontier right here
on earth. Understanding a new and complex globe requires a type of
intelligence that most of us lack. Forgetting our ignorance
and supporting a new cause ““ one that will benefit our
country in innumerable ways ““ is a step toward healing
wounds.
The seven astronauts did not die in vain. They were
proponents of the greatness of science and symbols of why it is
important to keep dreaming, imagining and exploring. Those
very ideals should be put to work here on earth so that they may
further not just the space race, but the human race as well.
Singer is a second-year political science student. E-mail her
with your comments at msinger@media.ucla.edu.