I remember when Bush proclaimed the Iraq war to be over. Remember the cheesy suit? The carefully staged fighter pilot wannabe setting? He took a page out of Top Gun and unbelievably enough, people swallowed it.
The Iraq war, needless to say, was nowhere close to finished that day. Friends are still going to the front lines - recently a good friend's husband of a few months went to Iraq, leaving her behind -- and war goes on. There is a proverb: It is easy to light a fire, but hard to put it out. That is the truth behind war. It seems that we never learn.
Here are Kiplinger's predictions for the war in 2007. The death of Saddam Hussein changes nothing, according to Kiplinger. It was just another act of barbarism in a senseless world, according to Yellow-Dog Democrat. A lynching, according to Baghdad Burning. Today we reached a death toll of 3,000 U.S. troops. My prayer for 2007? For peace, for an end to occupation, for an end to U.S. Imperialism and for a new beginning.
Let there be peace, and let it begin with me...
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Barbarians
Saddam Hussein was hung today, after a “fair trial” for the deaths of 148 Iraqis. Death toll from Iraq war to date: 52,139 (min. count). Who will hang for this? And will there be a “fair trial”? War is the stupidest thing on earth, only to be bested in its stupidity by our politicians who put our brave men and women’s lives on the line for political bullshit.
Friday, November 17, 2006
Words I Wish I'd Written Myself
From Barak Obama, senator from Illinois:
The pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I’ve got news for them, too. We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don’t like federal agents poking around our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and have gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported it. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Making Strides
I believe in feminism; I believe in women having rights. But road signs that eliminate sexism? I don’t think this is the sort of thing to worry about. Let’s focus on something a bit more substantial; spousal abuse, perhaps?
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Network Neutrality
Here's an article about the current fight in Congress about keeping neutrality on the Internet. Moveon.org, of course, has a campaign going as well.
Another great post...
from Baghdad Burning:
Today they [Iranian clerics] rule the country. Over the duration of three years, and through the use of vicious militias, assassinations and abductions, they’ve managed to install themselves firmly in the Green Zone. We constantly hear our new puppets rant and rave against Syria, against Saudi Arabia, against Turkey, even against the country they have to thank for their rise to power- America… But no one dares to talk about the role Iran is planning in the country…
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Cowards
I have been reading a lot about retired generals and their comments about both the Iraq war and Donald Rumsfeld and this is what I have to say about them.
Cowards.
Yes, I mean cowards. I find it unbelievably offensive that these men, with all their power and influence, waited three years to express their opinions. They waited until public sentiment turned against the war before they stood up to say something. They didn’t get any backlash from friends or family or the public in general for openly stating their opinions before this Vietnam-like mire of a war. Oh no. They waited three years. They retired. They waited for public opinion to turn. So, essentially, now that it is basically too late to really change anything, they are standing up to say, “Wow, this war was really poorly planned and we should never have done it, but (wait, what did Newbold say?) ‘while I don’t accept the stated rationale for invading Iraq, my view–at the moment–is that a precipitous withdrawal would be a mistake.’”
So why bother saying anything at all?
This is what I have to say to these generals:
Where were you in the fury of patriotism before the war, when any dissent would have been a death knoll to your career?
Where were you when General Shinseki risked his?
Where were you when protesters lined the streets, saying this was a bad idea?
Where were you when so many people suggested that Iraqi culture was very different from ours, and that keeping tribes and warlords and religious sects from killing each other might be more difficult than shouting “Hoowah” and bombing the heck out of the place?
Okay, so you don’t want to do anything about the war, you just want Rummy out. And your ideal replacement is — Joseph Lieberman? Are you insane? Lieberman is Jewish. Have you not noticed there is, um, a little bit of rancor between Jews and Arabs in the Middle East? Or that some saw this war as “pro-Israel” before it even started? What better way to unleash a fury from Palestine and other Arab countries, who would see that a Jewish leader was directing the Iraqi war.
Here are a few comments I received when I stated that I did not think the Iraq war was a good idea back in 2003 (and my thoughts regarding those comments):
“If you don’t like our country, go back to Japan.” Never mind that I was born here
“Stop sending me anti-American e-mails. I believe our president is a God-fearing man who prays and God is directing his actions.” Of course, thinking comes secondary to prayer.
“Please tell Missy not to send me any more unpatriotic articles. They are just upsetting.” I find 2,000 dead soldiers upsetting, too.
I have never understood why opposing a war is unpatriotic. We have learned the hard way that starting a war is easy and ending it is hard. I have always felt, and will continue to feel, that starting a war is not something to be done blindly because the lives of many, many people are at stake. If I think my country’s leaders are entering into war for the wrong reasons, or even if they choose not to justify their reasons to me, then it is my patriotic duty to oppose them.
Yes, I marched against the war in the spring of 2003. Yes, I wrote letters to my friends and family, urging them to oppose the war. Yes, I wrote to my congressman and whoever else I thought would listen, asking for them to stop, to wait, to gain support from our allies, to make sure the war was justified, and I did all of these things at cost to myself and to my reputation in the eyes of my friends and family, many of whom are military or former military. And, after the war started, I stopped protesting, because there was nothing left to be done. Nothing. And why beat a dead horse? I had my say and it was ignored, and three years later, all I could possibly do now is to say is “I told you so.” Which doesn’t mean a whole lot when people are dying over there, and thus I don’t bother saying it.
It’s easy to jump on the bandwagon now. I agree that we cannot simply withdraw from Iraq — it would be too dangerous to leave an unstable country in that region. But I don’t think changing the guard is going to change anything — except perhaps salve the consciences of those who said too little, too late.
Cowards.
Yes, I mean cowards. I find it unbelievably offensive that these men, with all their power and influence, waited three years to express their opinions. They waited until public sentiment turned against the war before they stood up to say something. They didn’t get any backlash from friends or family or the public in general for openly stating their opinions before this Vietnam-like mire of a war. Oh no. They waited three years. They retired. They waited for public opinion to turn. So, essentially, now that it is basically too late to really change anything, they are standing up to say, “Wow, this war was really poorly planned and we should never have done it, but (wait, what did Newbold say?) ‘while I don’t accept the stated rationale for invading Iraq, my view–at the moment–is that a precipitous withdrawal would be a mistake.’”
So why bother saying anything at all?
This is what I have to say to these generals:
Where were you in the fury of patriotism before the war, when any dissent would have been a death knoll to your career?
Where were you when General Shinseki risked his?
Where were you when protesters lined the streets, saying this was a bad idea?
Where were you when so many people suggested that Iraqi culture was very different from ours, and that keeping tribes and warlords and religious sects from killing each other might be more difficult than shouting “Hoowah” and bombing the heck out of the place?
Okay, so you don’t want to do anything about the war, you just want Rummy out. And your ideal replacement is — Joseph Lieberman? Are you insane? Lieberman is Jewish. Have you not noticed there is, um, a little bit of rancor between Jews and Arabs in the Middle East? Or that some saw this war as “pro-Israel” before it even started? What better way to unleash a fury from Palestine and other Arab countries, who would see that a Jewish leader was directing the Iraqi war.
Here are a few comments I received when I stated that I did not think the Iraq war was a good idea back in 2003 (and my thoughts regarding those comments):
“If you don’t like our country, go back to Japan.” Never mind that I was born here
“Stop sending me anti-American e-mails. I believe our president is a God-fearing man who prays and God is directing his actions.” Of course, thinking comes secondary to prayer.
“Please tell Missy not to send me any more unpatriotic articles. They are just upsetting.” I find 2,000 dead soldiers upsetting, too.
I have never understood why opposing a war is unpatriotic. We have learned the hard way that starting a war is easy and ending it is hard. I have always felt, and will continue to feel, that starting a war is not something to be done blindly because the lives of many, many people are at stake. If I think my country’s leaders are entering into war for the wrong reasons, or even if they choose not to justify their reasons to me, then it is my patriotic duty to oppose them.
Yes, I marched against the war in the spring of 2003. Yes, I wrote letters to my friends and family, urging them to oppose the war. Yes, I wrote to my congressman and whoever else I thought would listen, asking for them to stop, to wait, to gain support from our allies, to make sure the war was justified, and I did all of these things at cost to myself and to my reputation in the eyes of my friends and family, many of whom are military or former military. And, after the war started, I stopped protesting, because there was nothing left to be done. Nothing. And why beat a dead horse? I had my say and it was ignored, and three years later, all I could possibly do now is to say is “I told you so.” Which doesn’t mean a whole lot when people are dying over there, and thus I don’t bother saying it.
It’s easy to jump on the bandwagon now. I agree that we cannot simply withdraw from Iraq — it would be too dangerous to leave an unstable country in that region. But I don’t think changing the guard is going to change anything — except perhaps salve the consciences of those who said too little, too late.
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