They Can See It Coming (washingtonpost.com)
Washington Post asked various people to predict the things that people may not see coming but that may well come in 2003. Among the fun and silly entries (better cup holders, fruit at fast food restaurants, etc.) is this insightful and hopeful gem from Usula K. LeGuin:
How can we see clearly before us a year darkened by the shadow of imminent war? Under this shadow, what seems important to me is the knowledge that resistance to this war is vital and growing.
It took years for resistance to the Vietnam War to gather momentum. This time, the peace movement is broad and strong, though the killing hasn’t even started yet. But, as they did in the ’60s, the media are failing to take it seriously. They’re undercounting demonstrators, marginalizing dissent, and discounting or diminishing popular opposition to radical policies such as the "preemptive strike."
Maybe the easy story is war abroad, but the real story is going on here at home.
We’re told that we’re terrified by terrorists, eager to trade our liberties for "security." I don’t meet this cowardice in the streets of my city (Portland, Oregon, which, after meeting some opposition here, the Bush family refers to as Little Beirut). What people felt after 9/11 was grief and anger, but not, I think, fear, hatred, vengefulness. To the extent that the president doesn’t grasp this distinction, his war is already a miscalculation. Maybe the big question of 2003 is, will he be able to hear the voices of dissenting patriots?