Steve Kerr is “worried that we’re going to end up in another war.” The Warriors coach spoke at length, asking for everyone to “do their homework before we all just blindly wave the flag.” pic.twitter.com/yB9SCgvtQB
— KNBR (@KNBR) January 5, 2020
Steve Kerr is using whatever platform he has available — Twitter, excerpts of news conferences that follow ponderings about Jordan Poole — to keep the United States out of “unwinnable, unnecessary wars.”
The Warriors head coach spoke for about two minutes before Saturday’s game against the Pistons in an effort to implore the country to research the facts — and not absorb those given by the government — before jingoism takes hold.
President Trump made the decision to airstrike and kill Iran general Qasem Soleimani on Thursday night. Kerr’s Twitter was soon filled with words of caution because, as he said, “I’m worried that we’re going to end up in another war.
“I try to use my Twitter platform to remind people to do their homework before we all just blindly wave the flag and get ourselves into another mess like we did with Iraq,” Kerr said after the U.S. took out the second most powerful man in Iran.
Kerr referenced the fervor that took hold in the months and years after Sept. 11 that resulted in the U.S. entering a war in Iraq over alleged weapons of mass destruction, which the George W. Bush administration stated were being produced and stockpiled in the country. Those claims were found to be misleading, and no WMDs were found.
One thing I've learned in my lifetime is to not believe our government when it comes to matters of war. Johnson and Nixon lied about Viet Nam. Bush and Cheney lied about WMD's in Iraq. Now Pence is lying about Iran/Soleimani's supposed involvement in 9/11. https://t.co/jm3oex867A
— Steve Kerr (@SteveKerr) January 3, 2020
“I remember the patriotic fever that kind of swept the NBA. Since that time, we do a great job in our league and the other leagues supporting our veterans, bringing them to games and giving them ovations, which I wholeheartedly support,” said Kerr, after Iran vowed revenge. “But what I think would be even more supportive is to not get involved, not send soldiers overseas to unwinnable, unnecessary wars in the first place. That’s how we can best support the men and women who are representing us.”
Kerr, who spent much of his childhood in the Middle East, more than anything urged Americans to question the government and do their own research before they chested their way into a war.
“We have a history in this country — all you have to do is read [about] Vietnam, Iraq — people are misled by our government,” Kerr said. “It happened in Vietnam, we know that. The facts were not facts. We have to be very careful right now with what we’re being told.
“If we’re led into another war, the implications for so many families, so many people, are so drastic that we all need to understand what’s happening and support our troops by making sure we press our government to do the right thing.”