By Bill Maher/ Guardian UK
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Comedian, activist Bill Maher (photo: HBO)
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New rule: 12 years after
9/11, and amidst yet another debate on whether to bomb yet another Muslim
country, America must stop asking the question, "Why do they hate
us?" Forget the debate on Syria, we need a debate on why we're always
debating whether to bomb someone. Because we're starting to look not so much
like the world's policeman, but more like George Zimmerman: itching to use
force and then pretending it's because we had no choice.
Now, I'm against chemical weapons, and
I don't care who knows it. And there's no doubt a guy like Bashar al-Assad
deserves to get blown up: using toxic chemicals on unsuspecting civilians is
purely and profoundly evil.
But enough about Monsanto. When it
comes to Syria, I do understand the appeal of putting the world on notice that if
you use poison gas, the United States of America will personally fuck you up:
we will seek out the counsel and support of the entire family of nations, and
then, no matter what they say, we will go ahead and fuck you up.
But however valid that argument may be,
it is, I believe, outweighed by the fact that we have to stop bombing Muslim
countries if we ever want to feel safe from terrorism in our own. The Chemical
Weapons Convention is important, but to the jihadi in the street, it just looks
like we're always looking for a new reason to bomb them. We keep calling this
part of the world a tinderbox - and we keep lighting fires there.
Even worse, bombing seems to be our
answer for everything.
Since 1945, when Jesus granted America
air superiority, we've bombed Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Lebanon, Grenada,
Panama, Iraq, Serbia, Somalia, Bosnia, the Sudan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya
and Yemen. And Yemen only because the tenth one was free.
How did we inherit this moral
obligation to bring justice to the world via death from above? Are we Zeus? It
doesn't make any sense. Our schools are crumbling, and we want to teach
everyone else a lesson?
And look, like I said, I'm no fan of
Assad. And I say that openly: I don't care if it costs me jobs in Hollywood. I
think he's the worst kind of sociopath - the kind who commits unspeakable acts,
but who looks like a menswear salesman.
I'm just pointing out that in recent
years, our foreign policy debates look like the Facebook page of a loner who
shot up a McDonald's. We're the only country in the world that muses out loud
about who we might bomb next:
Iran, yeah we might bomb you ...
thinking about it ... maybe, depends on my mood.
We did this with Iraq after 9/11, even
though they had nothing to do with 9/11. We do it with Iran every day. And now,
it's Syria's turn. We're like a schoolyard bully who's got every kid in the
class nervous they're going to be next - and I don't know if anyone should have
that power. Can you imagine going to work and sitting at the lunch table in
front of ten people and saying:
Hey, you think we should ... kill Bob?
It would send a message to Steve.
Who acts like this?
People in other countries don't talk
like this. Probably because, if they did, we'd bomb them. Is there no
self-awareness about how arrogant it looks to sit around politely pondering who
needs a good bombing?
And,we're the only nation - as we have
seen in this Syrian fiasco - who threatens to drop bombs on you while telling
you we don't want to get involved!
We're just bombing, please, don't get
up - no boots on the ground, just a little light bombing, we'll be out of your
hair in a week.
I remember being on the Howard Stern
show 12 years ago this week, right after 9/11, and Howard said that, in
retaliation for 9/11, America should bomb a Muslim country, any Muslim country,
it didn't matter which one. And yet somehow, I was the one on trial for talking
crazy.
And I thought to myself, really? Bomb any
Muslim country - that's the policy? Get a map of the Middle East and just throw
a dart at it?
Well, apparently George W Bush was
listening that day because that's exactly what we did.
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