I remember the pictures of John Walker Lindh when this hit the news. Knowing his age at the time, I just hoped that he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. After listening to the speech by Frank Lindh, I still lean toward that conclusion. My knowledge of the situation is limited, because I haven't studied it very deeply. I am glad that he was given the reduced 20 year sentence, because from what I remember and from what Frank Lindh states in his speech, the media*** as a body were ready to hang this guy. Politicians weren't too nice either. I think if they could have held a public execution at Yankee Stadium, you'd have a sell-out crowd and some massive profits for scalpers.
In the chaos that emerged around 9/11, it's was hard to really get a bearing on what was going on. I remember waking up to 107.5 The End thinking it was a prank. I was half asleep and couldn't make out everything they were saying. I finally tried another station the second or third time the alarm went off and realized something was really going on. I had to go to another apartment, because we were TV free, to actually see the footage. I think the events for the next several months are similar what I experienced that morning. John Walker Lindh became an easy target due to the inflamed emotions at that time and many did rush to judgment.
Frank Lindh portrays his son as a sincere seeker of Islam; somebody who had a deep connection with the religion and wanted to serve the nobel goals it espoused. His reason for being in Afghanistan was to help people he felt needed his assistance. His original destination was Pakistan, but after being there for a time, he joined a cause he felt was nobel. Frank indicates that John had support for going to Pakistan, but went to Afghanistan without informing his family (Frank stated that had John contacted him about it, he would have said no).
I am left with the question as to why John did not discuss going to Afghanistan with his parents, where he's had a practice of doing so. Was it because he knew what they would say and he felt strongly about going? Did he know he was getting involved in something he knew he shouldn't be? Was he dragged into something without time to think or act? From the speech it's not entirely clear, what the exact story is. We may have to wait before we get the full story of what happened.
Frank gives a vivid accounting of what happened based on what he knows and does a good job of setting up the historical context of the events. Even though he criticizes the media, he acknowledges the motivation and spirit of the time the events took place. It's possible that had John Walker Lindh been found at a later date, the media would have handled things differently, but still with severity.
My biggest issue with the speech came during the Q&A session. A few questions were asked containing the implied assumption the John was a terrorist, or at least along those lines. Frank seemed to tackle setting that straight more than answering the question. I don't have a problem with him correcting what may be a misconception, but the way he did so came across a little too defensive for my taste. Overall the speech was interesting and I could tell this was told by a passionate father who cares deeply for his son. The question is whether that passion and love has clouded his judgment.
I do hope that the story told by Frank Lindh is accurate. It's hard to say for sure. Considering one statement John made in an email regarding the Cole bombing where he stated that the US ship being in the harbor was considered an act of war and it was justified. That statement isn't that helpful without the proper context. John might be better of to remain in prison. I think that it will be hard for him to earn a living and some nut will try to pull something. That would be tragic, if he is innocent of being a traitor.
* I know the common way to say it is American Taliban, but that's plural and John Walker Lindh is only one person.
**You can access the Commonwealth Club of California on iTunes as a podcast. The podcast is the regular weekly radio show. They invite speakers from all areas and interests (Naomi Klein, PJ O'Rourke, Anthony Bourdain, etc...). It's a worthwhile podcast to check out. I recommend that along with the Authors @ Google series that can be found on You Tube.
*** According to Lindh there were numerous headlines and articles condemning his son. I couldn't find much, except for place that charge money. Maybe more to be updated.
1 comment:
I didn't know that Taliban was the plural form of Talib. How interesting.
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