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Tell me why my son and daughter-in-law should go to fight in Iraq. |
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12/10/2002 Since I have been involved with the peace movement for over a year now, I have heard both sides of the fence on many related issues and I would like to address those issues here. I am not claiming I have all the answers, but I am continually learning. Please hear me out, as the lives of my son and daughter-in-law, as well as hundred of thousands of other young men and women around the globe hang in the balance, as the Bush administration pursues this 'either you are with us or against us' strategy when it comes to foreign policy. The few minutes you spend reading this are nothing compared to the long hours military personnel will spend in battle if the U.S. goes to war and you can do it from the safety of your computer. So to start with, to say there are only two sides of the fence is really misleading and totally inaccurate. Those that support war fall in many different categories (from hawks to those that believe in a just war theory). Those that are against war also fall in different categories (people from all walks of life; age groups; different philosophies; rich and poor; educated and uneducated; religious, spiritual or atheist; pacifist and those believing this is an unjust war; anything from democracy to socialism to anarchism). To be very honest there is a large body of folks that fall outside either of the above and make up different categories (some want to remain neutral, other's are disconnected, and some are too busy with their own lives to care). There are those above in all the main categories that want to pursue all other peaceful options first. After September 11, 2001 there was an understandable surge of patriotism but rationalism has not kicked in, at least not in the Bush administration. The problem is, in the U.S. we heard only one way to solve terrorism and that is attacking the source. There was no real attempt to find other more peaceful solutions. If your child came home from school with a bloody-nose and a black eye what would be your response? Would you ask your child what happened? Once you heard your child's version of the story would you follow up to find out the other child's version? Would you approach the other child, his parent or even the police, in an accusatory way or would you do it in a manner to find the truth before passing judgement? Maybe the other child punched your child in self-defense and if you never sought out the truth you would never really know. At first the U.S. demanded Bin Laden be turned over to stop an attack on Afghanistan. When a turnover of Bin Laden failed, in part because there were no real negotiations for a settlement, only demands. Now a year later there are accusations against Saudi Arabia, you have to question why it took over a year to explore that possibility and why at this time. Also you have to ask did the U.S. accomplish its goal of capturing Bin Laden? The answer is no and he is no longer the focus, Iraq is. Even during the war with Afghanistan the goals kept changing- first get Bin Laden, break up al-Qaeda, then get Omar, then save the Afghani women from oppression (that was a long stretch from a war on terrorism). The U.S. is beating the war drums again, this time against Iraq. On one hand it is because they 'maybe' developing or 'may' possess weapons of mass destruction. On the other hand it is because of their human rights violations. Well which one is it or is it not really either of the above? Personally, I want answers not hype. I want to know why I should accept the fact that my son and daughter-in-law (and all the other young men and women) may get called to serve in a war shrouded in questions and uncertainty. War could end with hundreds, thousands or possibly millions of dead soldiers and civilians littering the battlefield and countryside, for what reason? A war could spread or possibly start WWIII. I want to know they are defending our shores, not creating an empire. I want to know that their actions are going to create a safer world for all humanity. A world free of 'weapons of mass destruction'. I want to know the U.S. is not going to use 'weapons of mass destruction'. I want to know that the U.S. actions are stopping terrorism, not creating more (using Israel as an example, we can just see this spiral of violence spinning out of control). I want a world where people will be able to chose there own course- including type of government, monetary system, and religion; not have it force upon them. I want to know the U.S. is not going to commit atrocities and then not be held responsible. I want the U.S. to treat the prisoners held in Cuba by the conditions laid out in the Geneva Convention because if my son or daughter-in-law (or any of the other young men and women in our services) were captured I would want them treated fairly. I want the U.S. to release the hundreds of detainees being held in the U.S. without due process or to start treating them the way we want our citizens treated overseas. I want the U.S. to stop supporting and training terrorists [we trained and bank rolled Bin Laden, we currently train foreign soldiers that commit atrocities in their own countries (www.soaw.org)]. I want the U.S. to stop selling arms around the world, our corporations are making billions selling death and destruction around the globe and then our soldiers end up being sent to some far flung place to fight against U.S. built weapons and U.S. puppet regimes. I want the U.S. to demand Israel follow the UN resolutions it is ignoring, along with other countries in similar circumstances. I ask you as my fellow Americans, family members and friends to not shrug off the faults of our own country because those faults are part of the cause of our problems. We teach our children to be responsible for our own actions, then in cases of war totally ignore our responsibility. I ask my fellow Americans to quit saying they support a war when they are working in the safety of civilian jobs, or I'll fight if I'm called (knowing we don't have a draft and they won't be called). I ask my fellow Americans that spout the party line or listen to just one or two national news network (ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN), to realize they are not educated on the issues. I'm tired of seeing 'God Bless America' signs all over, when Jesus Christ was a pacifist. I want you to think how much goodwill could be spread around the world if the U.S. spent the money it spends on the military and wars, on helping developing and third world nations. I want Americans to say ENOUGH! There has to be a better way to a better world. Today is HUMAN RIGHTS DAY and there will be protests, demonstrations, rallies, teach-ins and vigils around the world today, to say no to war. Below are just a few sites I think will help educate all of us on the issues. At the bottom of this email, below my signature is the link to Military Families Speak Out site, where you can find additional links to check out. Before you support any war and especially war with Iraq, please read a variety of sources and speak with knowledge and truth.
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