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Who Said What
Retired Admiral Mike Mullen, Seventeenth
Chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff
It sickened me yesterday to see security personnel --
including members of the National Guard -- forcibly and violently
clear a path through Lafayette Square to accommodate the
president's visit outside St. John's Church. I have to date been
reticent to speak out on issues surrounding President Trump's
leadership, but we are at an inflection point, and the events of
the past few weeks have made it impossible to remain silent.
Whatever Trump's goal in conducting his visit, he laid bare
his disdain for the rights of peaceful protest in this country,
gave succour to the leaders of other countries who take comfort in
our domestic strife, and risked further politicizing the men and
women of our armed forces.
There was little good in the stunt.
While no one should ever condone the violence, vandalism, and
looting that has exploded across our city streets, neither should
anyone lose sight of the larger and deeper concerns about
institutional racism that have ignited this rage.
As a white man, I cannot claim perfect understanding of the
fear and anger that African Americans feel today. But as someone
who has been around for a while, I know enough -- and I've seen
enough -- to understand that those feelings are real and that
they are all too painfully founded.
We must, as citizens, address head-on the issue of police
brutality and sustained injustices against the African American
community. We must, as citizens, support and defend the right --
indeed, the solemn obligation -- to peacefully assemble and to be
heard. These are not mutually exclusive pursuits.
And neither of these pursuits will be made easier or safer by
an overly aggressive use of our military, active duty or National
Guard. The United States has a long and, to be fair, sometimes
troubled history of using the armed forces to enforce domestic
laws. The issue for us today is not whether this authority
exists, but whether it will be wisely administered.
I remain confident in the professionalism of our men and women
in uniform. They will serve with skill and with compassion. They
will obey lawful orders. But I am less confident in the soundness
of the orders they will be given by this commander in chief, and
I am not convinced that the conditions on our streets, as bad as
they are, have risen to the level that justifies a heavy reliance
on military troops. Certainly, we have not crossed the threshold
that would make it appropriate to invoke the provisions of the
Insurrection Act.
Furthermore, I am deeply worried that as they execute their
orders, the members of our military will be co-opted for
political purposes.
Even in the midst of the carnage we are witnessing, we must
endeavour to see American cities and towns as our homes and our
neighbourhoods. They are not "battle spaces" to be dominated, and
must never become so.
We must ensure that African Americans -- indeed, all Americans
-- are given the same rights under the Constitution, the same
justice under the law, and the same consideration we give to
members of our own family. Our fellow citizens are not the enemy,
and must never become so.
Too many foreign and domestic policy choices have become
militarized; too many military missions have become
politicized.
This is not the time for stunts. This is the time for
leadership.
Website:
www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca
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