Robert Bowman flew 101 combat missions in Vietnam.  He is presently
 (1998) bishop of the United Catholic Church in Melbourne Beach, FL.
 Originally printed in The National Catholic Reporter, Oct. 2, 1998.

 The "Security" Charade
 by Robert Bowman

 If deceptions about terrorism go unchallenged, then the threat will
 continue until it destroys us.

 The truth is that none of our thousands of nuclear weapons can
 protect us from these threats. No Star Wars system no matter how
 technically advanced, no matter how many trillions of dollars are
 poured into it, can protect us from a nuclear weapon delivered in a
 sailboat or a Cessna or a suitcase or a Ryder rental truck. Not one
 weapon in our vast arsenal, not a penny of the $270 billion a year we
 spend on so-called defense can defend against a terrorist bomb. That
 is a military fact.

 As a retired lieutenant colonel and a frequent lecturer on national
 security issues, I have often quoted Psalm 33: "A king is not saved
 by his mighty army. A warrior is not saved by his great strength."
 The obvious reaction is, "Then what can we do?" Is there nothing we
 can do to provide security for our people?"

 There is. But to understand it requires that we know the truth about
 the threat. President Clinton did not tell the American people the
 truth about why we are the targets of terrorism when he explained why
 we bombed Afghanistan and Sudan. He said that we are a target because
 we stand for democracy, freedom, and human rights in the world.
 Nonsense!

 We are the target of terrorists because, in much of the world, our
 government stands for dictatorship, bondage, and human exploitation.
 We are the target of terrorists because we are hated. And we are
 hated because our government has done hateful things.

 In how many countries have agents of our government deposed popularly
 elected leaders and replaced them with puppet military dictators who
 were willing to sell out their own people to American multinational
 corporations?

 We did it in Iran when the US Marines and the CIA deposed Mossadegh
 because he wanted to nationalize the oil industry. We replaced him
 with the Shah and armed, trained, and paid his hated Savak National
 Guard, which enslaved and brutalized the people of Iran, all to
 protect the financial interests of our oil companies. Is it any
 wonder 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.

 And, of course, how many times have we done it in Nicaragua and all
 the other banana republics of Latin America? Time after time we have
 ousted popular leaders who wanted the riches of the land to be shared
 by the people who worked it. We replaced them with murderous tyrants
 who would sell out their own people so the wealth of the land could
 be taken out by the likes of Domino Sugar, Folgers, and Chiquita
 Banana.

 In country after country, our government has thwarted democracy,
 stifled freedom, and trampled human rights. That's why it is hated
 around the world. And that's why we're the target of terrorists.

 People in Canada enjoy democracy, freedom, and human rights. So do
 the people of Norway and Sweden. Have you heard of Canadian embassies
 being bombed? Or Norwegian, or Swedish?

 We are not hated because we practice democracy, value freedom, or
 uphold human rights. We are hated because our government denies these
 things to people in Third World countries whose resources are coveted
 by our multinational corporations. That hatred we have sown has come
 back to haunt us in the form of terrorism and in the future, nuclear
 terrorism.

 Once the truth about why the threat exists is understood, the
 solution becomes obvious. We must change our ways. Getting rid of our
 nuclear weapons unilaterally if necessary will enhance our security.
 Drastically altering our foreign policy will ensure it.

 Instead of sending our sons and daughters around the world to kill
 Arabs so we can have the oil under their sand, we should send them to
 rebuild their infrastructure, supply clean water, and feed starving
 children. Instead of continuing to kill hundreds of Iraqui children
 every day with our sanctions, we should help Iraquis rebuild their
 electric power plants, their water treatment facilities, their
 hospitals, and all the things we have destroyed and prevented them
 from rebuilding.

 Instead of training terrorists and death squads, we should close the
 School of the Americas [Ft. Benning, GA.]. Instead of supporting
 insurrection, de stabilization, assassination, and terror around the
 world, we should abolish the CIA and give money to relief agencies.

 In short, we should do good instead of evil. Who would try to stop
 us? Who would hate us? Who would want to bomb us? That is the truth
 the American people need to hear.