Dear HCN,
It’s clear that Ben Long
simply used his impression and interpretation of something that
happened nearly 60 years ago to write an article about an
unfortunate event in American history that, I’m sure, all Americans
wish had never occurred (HCN, 10/8/01: Lessons of an intolerant
past).
Was it wrong to intern those Japanese and
Japanese-Americans? Maybe, maybe not. With the benefit of 60 years
of hindsight, it is easy for Long to say it
was.
Certainly it was sad. Certainly it was
harsh. Certainly, in some ways it was similar to being in prison,
but certainly not in all ways. They were permitted to socialize,
worship, cultivate small gardens, move about within the camps. They
were not treated as criminals.
On the other hand,
can Long say for certain that every interned Japanese supported
America? The fanaticism of the Japanese empire, whose citizens
revered their emperor as a deity and who were told that since he
was divine, they could not fail in their quest to rule the earth,
did not really become apparent to America until Pearl
Harbor.
Given the circumstances at the time, I
feel the internment is an understandable, if not entirely
supportable, reaction to the potential
threat.
There is not much of a parallel today.
The crimes in America against real or perceived Muslims and/or
Arabs that have occurred in the wake of Sept. 11 were perpetrated
by small-minded criminals who should and hopefully shall be
prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
No
one can seriously believe that there is a potential for internment
of these people in our country today. There are simply too many of
them. And if they were ever a threat to America, it would have been
known a long time before now.
Like all other
crime victims in this country, they will have to do what they can
to protect themselves. Unfortunately, police are a reactive, not
proactive, force in our society. Prevention of a crime by police is
a one-in-a-million long shot, and that goes for everyone, not just
Arabs and Muslims.
Long’s time and effort would
have been much better spent on an article concerning perhaps the
internment of everyone with a rap sheet who is not currently in
prison. Such action would not only protect American Arabs and
Muslims, but all Americans. If writing such as Long exhibits in
this article is all it takes to be a paid journalist, where do I
sign up?
Chris
Messner
Colorado Springs,
Colorado
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Long’s speculations unhelpful.
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