Speech by Cardinal Bowman
The speech by Cardinal Bowman
September 13, 2004
Why Are Americans Hated?
**Letter to the President of the United States Robert Bowman, Archbishop of the United Catholic Church **
**| The author served as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force (USAF); he was director of the US Missile Defense Program under Presidents Ford and Carter. He is currently president of the Institute for Space and Securities Studies. The original text was delivered in a sermon at the time of President Clinton, on August 23, 1998, then quoted in a longer text for President Bush in September 2001. |
|---|
Mr. President,
Tell the people the truth about terrorism. If the illusions about terrorism are not destroyed, then the threat will continue until our complete destruction. The truth is that none of our many nuclear weapons can protect us from these threats. No Star Wars system (no matter the cutting-edge technology, nor how many billions of dollars will be wasted in these projects) will be able to protect us from a nuclear weapon transported in a boat, a plane or a rented car.
No weapon, neither from our vast arsenal, nor a single cent of the 270 billion dollars wasted each year in the so-called "defense system," can prevent a terrorist bomb. It is a military fact. As a retired lieutenant colonel and in frequent lectures about national security, I have always quoted Psalm 33: "A king is not saved by his powerful army, as a warrior is not saved by his strength."
Mr. President, you did not tell the truth about the "why" we are the target of terrorism, when you explained why we would bomb Afghanistan and Sudan. You said that we were the target of terrorism because we defend democracy, freedom and human rights in the world.
That is absurd, Mr. President.
We are the target of terrorists because, in most of the world, our government has defended dictatorship, slavery and human exploitation. We are the target of terrorists because we are hated; and we are hated because we have done hateful things. In how many countries have agents of our government driven out leaders elected by their peoples, replacing them with military dictators, puppets eager to sell their own people to American multinational groups?
We did this in Iran, when the Marines and the CIA deposed Mossadegh, because he intended to nationalize the oil industry. We replaced him with Shah Reza Pahlevi and we armed and trained his hated national guard, the Savak, which enslaved and brutalized the Iranian people, to protect the financial interests of our oil companies. Since then, is it difficult to imagine that there are people in Iran who hate us?
We did it in Chile, we did it in Vietnam. More recently, we tried to do it in Iraq. It is clear! How many times have we done it in Nicaragua and in other republics in Latin America?
Time after time, we removed popular leaders who wanted to distribute the wealth of their land so that the people could manage it. We replaced them with murderous tyrants, who sold their own people so that – by paying enormous sums to fatten their private bank account – the wealth of their own land could be seized by companies such as Domino Sugar, United Fruit Company, Folgers and others like them.
From country to country, our government has obstructed democracy, stifled freedom and trampled on human rights. That is why we are hated in the world and that is why we are the target of terrorists.
The people of Canada enjoy freedom and human rights, as do the people of Norway and Sweden. Have you heard of Canadian, Norwegian or Swedish embassies being bombed? We are not hated because we practice democracy, freedom and human rights. We are hated because our government denies these things to the peoples of third-world countries, whose resources are coveted by our multinational groups. This hatred, which we have sown, turns against us by frightening us through terrorism, and, in the future, through nuclear terrorism.
Once the truth has been told about the reasons for this threat and once it has been heard, the solution becomes obvious. We must change our practices.
Freeing ourselves from our nuclear weapons (even unilaterally if necessary) will improve our security. Drastically changing: our foreign policy, will consolidate it.[ ... ]
In short, we should be good instead of bad. Who, then, would try to stop us? Who would hate us? Who would want to bomb us?
That is the truth, Mr. President. That is what the American people need to hear.
Robert Bowman
Cardinal Archbishop of
the United Catholic Church
Mr. President,
Tell the people the truth about terrorism. If the illusions about terrorism are not destroyed, then the threat will continue until our complete destruction. The truth is that none of our many nuclear weapons can protect us from these threats. No Star Wars system (no matter the cutting-edge technology, nor how many billions of dollars will be wasted in these projects) will be able to protect us from a nuclear weapon transported in a boat, a plane or a rented car.
No weapon, neither from our vast arsenal, nor a single cent of the 270 billion dollars wasted each year in the so-called "defense system," can prevent a terrorist bomb. It is a military fact. As a retired lieutenant colonel and in frequent lectures about national security, I have always quoted Psalm 33: "A king is not saved by his powerful army, as a warrior is not saved by his strength."
Mr. President, you did not tell the truth about the "why" we are the target of terrorism, when you explained why we would bomb Afghanistan and Sudan. You said that we were the target of terrorism because we defend democracy, freedom and human rights in the world.
That is absurd, Mr. President.
We are the target of terrorists because, in most of the world, our government has defended dictatorship, slavery and human exploitation. We are the target of terrorists because we are hated; and we are hated because we have done hateful things. In how many countries have agents of our government driven out leaders elected by their peoples, replacing them with military dictators, puppets eager to sell their own people to American multinational groups?
We did this in Iran, when the Marines and the CIA deposed Mossadegh, because he intended to nationalize the oil industry. We replaced him with Shah Reza Pahlevi and we armed and trained his hated national guard, the Savak, which enslaved and brutalized the Iranian people, to protect the financial interests of our oil companies. Since then, is it difficult to imagine that there are people in Iran who hate us?
We did it in Chile, we did it in Vietnam. More recently, we tried to do it in Iraq. It is clear! How many times have we done it in Nicaragua and in other republics in Latin America?
Time after time, we removed popular leaders who wanted to distribute the wealth of their land so that the people could manage it. We replaced them with murderous tyrants, who sold their own people so that – by paying enormous sums to fatten their private bank account – the wealth of their own land could be seized by companies such as Domino Sugar, United Fruit Company, Folgers and others like them.
From country to country, our government has obstructed democracy, stifled freedom and trampled on human rights. That is why we are hated in the world and that is why we are the target of terrorists.
The people of Canada enjoy freedom and human rights, as do the people of Norway and Sweden. Have you heard of Canadian, Norwegian or Swedish embassies being bombed? We are not hated because we practice democracy, freedom and human rights. We are hated because our government denies these things to the peoples of third-world countries, whose resources are coveted by our multinational groups. This hatred, which we have sown, turns against us by frightening us through terrorism, and, in the future, through nuclear terrorism.
Once the truth has been told about the reasons for this threat and once it has been heard, the solution becomes obvious. We must change our practices.
Freeing ourselves from our nuclear weapons (even unilaterally if necessary) will improve our security. Drastically changing: our foreign policy, will consolidate it.[ ... ]
In short, we should be good instead of bad. Who, then, would try to stop us? Who would hate us? Who would want to bomb us?
That is the truth, Mr. President. That is what the American people need to hear.
Robert Bowman
Cardinal Archbishop of
the United Catholic Church
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