Learning Stories
by
Mario deSantis

mariodesantis@hotmail.com

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I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, and free to choose those who shall govern my country.” - -The Rt. Hon. John Diefenbaker, Canadian Bill of Rights, 1960

The whole judicial system is at issue, it's worth more than one person.”--Serge Kujawa, Saskatchewan Crown Prosecutor, 1991

The system is not more worth than one person's rights.”--Mario deSantis, 2002


Ensign Stories © Mario deSantis and Ensign

 


We are living at time when our humanity problems are becoming the most urgent problems facing our societies. In the aftermath of the September 11 atrocities, we have witnessed a resurgence of patriotism as the American freedom has been challenged and as a call for vengeance has been permeating all our minds. Many, many countries have come together with the United States for combating terrorism, yet a military retaliatory strike against Osam Bin Laden has not been launched.

There is a fear that this fight against terrorism can evolve into a clash between civilizations, and set western countries against Muslim/Islamic countries; and this clash can have dramatic consequences for our own survival as each side has access to means of mass destruction: nuclear weapons, chemical and biological agents.

We cannot colonize anybody anymore, and we cannot have the luxury to turn our back to international affairs and look after our own self national interest either. The game to use military force to coerce our own wills to others, rightly or wrongly, has greatly been diminished in light of the present type of warfare and terrorism occurring around the world. The dual game that "I can do this harm to you because I predict that you can only answer in this way" doesn't work anymore. In today's global yet divided world, we cannot live in a world of prediction anymore. The mentality of 'divide and conquer' which sustained the Roman Empire as a slave state has gone for ever. This dual game of exclusion, either I win or lose, is no more.

The new game is one of inclusion, one in which we all get together as individuals and societies to fight not for our national or western freedom, but for the freedom of us all around the world; rather than fighting for the freedom to have a swimming pool in the backyard of our homes, we must fight for our freedom against poverty, freedom against ignorance, freedom against illnesses, freedom against injustices!

We have had people killing each other in the Middle East since the state of Israel was established in 1948. What we call terrorists can be the passionate martyrs of the other warring faction, and this never ending warfare is caused because we are fighting violence with violence, and we cannot do it anymore as we cannot predict the outcome of this spiral of violence in the long run! We cannot have the luxury to have a military victory against Osama Bin Laden only to have more terrorism and more violence at a later time.

We need a victory for all the people as we need each other and as a consequence we need justice before we take Osama Bin Laden dead or alive. President Bush coalition against terrorism in Afghanistan has become more cautious in launching an overall military attack as the coalition is becoming more aware of the possibility of additional terrorist attacks in the United States and Europe. We need a change of social policies, economic policies and above all we need to change the current way to support our capitalistic freedom by the combined use of military interventions and food donations to poor countries.