Screaming at the radio
Facsimile
To: Dr. Laura
Fax: 818/461-5140
Pages: 2, including this cover sheet.
Date: September 11, 2002
Dear Dr. Laura,
I listen to you almost every day. I’ve only agreed with you twice: When you said that the children of divorced parents should live in one house and the parents should have to move back and forth according to custody schedules and when you said that when a person makes a statement and then puts a “but” in the middle of it, everything that preceded the “but” was false. That’s it. The only reason I listen so regularly is that you’re good for me when I’m working. I am so often infuriated by your contradictions and inconsistencies that you get my adrenaline going and I work harder and faster.
However this is the first time I’ve been moved to call or write. You’ve gone on at length questioning how people could possibly want to understand how America could be at fault in what has happened. If you care at all to listen, I will attempt to explain how I can feel this way.
First, anytime I am confronted with an interpersonal conflict in my life the first thing I do is ask myself how I got into the situation. I try to assess not only my responsibility and/or fault but if any of the circumstances are under my control. I am not fond of folks who, under the same circumstances, would immediately blame another without any self examination. If I had children I would teach them when faced with conflict not to point fingers first but to pause, question and then try to reason.
So all I ask is what might America have done to make these people so angry? And that makes you call me a hater of America. In my view I am trying to understand my personal responsibility in this tragedy. Not in the attack, because I don’t have a personal responsibility in the unreasonable actions of the attackers. However, I am asking myself if we have any responsibility in the tragic events leading up to the attack. How long ago was it that we were giving money to Bin Laden? To Hussein? Why are we still allies with nations in the region who oppress women? Did our inconsistencies in policy infuriate their leaders to the point of their feeling helpless and suicidal? Honestly, I don’t know. But I don’t believe that asking the questions makes me any less of a patriot than you.
Sincerely,
Jane Doeglas