Reality Liberation Front

I’d like to tell you a quick story about a very troubled, yet beautiful place. And I hope that this story will serve as an allegory to help make clear what has so far been SO misunderstood, by SO many of us.The place is called Ireland, and the year is 1972. Back in 1923, Ireland’s neighbor, the island of Great Britain, had seen fit to divide Ireland into two parts…in the north of the country were citizens mostly loyal to the British crown, and a majority of them were Protestant in their faith. In the south of this green and beautiful isle, most folks were determined to release their country from Britain’s control, and they were mostly Catholic. This description is considerably over-simplified, but will suit our purposes.

This division would result in bloody conflict that would last generations. In 1972, one of the dominant militant forces for Catholic Nationalists in Northern Ireland was the Provisional Irish Republican Army…and the pro-British unionists in the North had the Ulster Volunteer Force. These groups waged a nearly incessant campaign of bombing, assassination, and other terrorist activities.

But not everyone thought that violence was the answer. Ivan Cooper, a member of the Northern Ireland Parliament, had been inspired by the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. Cooper saw the power of organized marches, protests, and other peaceful demonstrations. He planned one such march of protest for January 30th, 1972…its purpose: to protest internment and advance civil rights. The march was carefully organized. Cooper even contacted the Provisional IRA to make sure that no one would bring weapons to the march…British soldiers would be watching and must be given no excuse for violent action. The British Government responded to the notice of this peaceful march…by banning all marches.

On the appointed day, some 15, 000 peaceful protesters came and marched with Cooper; they carried signs calling for peace and change and sang songs like, “We shall overcome.” If young rabblerousers joined their ranks they were quickly identified and controlled. Meanwhile thousands of elite British combat troopers waited behind barriers…and you can see what is coming. The soldiers had blocked the planned route of the march, so at the last minute, Cooper and the other organizers changed it to a secondary location. A few young protesters…upset with the barricaded route…began to shout and throw stones….and a British soldier opened fire.

But it didn’t stop there…soldiers all over the parade route, in other locations, opened fire and continued firing even after the cease-fire order had been given. They fired hundreds of lethal rounds into the fleeing civilians…by the time it was over thirteen were dead and fourteen were wounded…many of them shot in the back while either fleeing or attempting to aid the fallen.

In the interviews to follow, Ivan Cooper was quoted as saying: “I just want to say this to the British Government…You know what you’ve just done, don’t you? You’ve destroyed the civil rights movement, and you’ve given the IRA the biggest victory it will ever have. All over this city tonight, young men…boys will be joining the IRA, and you will reap a whirlwind.”

Why did I choose NOW to tell you this story? Because Al-Qaeda has “endorsed” John McCain and I need everyone to understand WHY. It’s not because he’s a bad man…he’s not. It’s not because he’s a friend of terrorists…because he’s not.

It’s because John McCain’s policies will make it easier for Al-Qaeda to recruit more terrorists and gain more support. Period.

If Barack Obama were to restore our image with the world, extend our diplomacy, and make certain that efforts to stop terrorists ONLY targeted terrorists…then Al-Qaeda is going to have a rough go of things. And the world believes that he will do exactly these things.

However, if McCain is elected and chooses to pursue George W. Bush’s failed, hawkish doctrine of large-scale, unprovoked invasion based on disinformation and ulterior motives (ie. oil, defense contracts, et cetera)…well then, that means more non-combatants (ie. civilians, children, people’s family and friends) will be killed…it means further strain on our economy…it means fewer countries will ally with us…and therefore, it means Al-Qaeda will have a very good four years.

So…what’s it going to be? Can we learn the lesson that Great Britain has tried to teach us? The lesson that says that massive, unjustified force that results in the death of innocents, doesn’t stop terrorists…it creates them.

Here is Keith Olbermann’s discussion with Richard Clarke, the former Counter-Terrorism Advisor on the U.S. National Security Council: