wrote this last week sometime...thursday or friday. it's long.



I’m having a hard time with this whole war thing. I am very highly against war, in any case. I don’t understand how peace can be achieved through war. I think hateful acts perpetrate hateful acts, and I think that in this day and age it’s not worth the risks because of the fact that warfare today would be so technologically advanced. I can’t stand the thought of thousands of innocent deaths – I can’t justify that in any way.

These are thoughts I wrote in my journal last night, when I couldn’t sleep because my mind was racing with all the information I took in yesterday. In addition, I started watching Tony Blair and Mr. Spanish President guy speak on CSPAN at 1:30MST.

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We have to have international support. It is an absolute must, in whatever we do, to have international support. They were just talking on CSPAN about nation building and what a monstrous task it is. It requires a massive amount of time and money and manpower. EX: Bosnia, where we were planning on being for one year while a government was established. We’re now in our 7th year there, and the National Guard is in charge. The average tour of duty in Bosnia is 6 months. We now have the same thing going on in Afghanistan (which is a whole other issue I need to tackle later – why is no one talking about the war we’re already waging?). Right now these people are OK with being there for 6 months; away from their families and away from their employers. What happens when we have to extend that to a year? Or when they serve their 6 months and are then diverted to Iraq? Nation building is an extreme endeavor, and it’s a relief to see our senators and congressmen addressing this issue finally.

The mistreatment of people…
What Mandela said about the U.S. being the biggest perpetrator of atrocities in the world really hits home. It started when I saw Bowling for Columbine, as it has a very insightful montage on the massive casualties the U.S. has been the cause of, and of all the corruption we have single handedly put in place everywhere around the world. We are the only nation to have dropped not just one but two nuclear bombs. I just read an article in Time about the U.S. military’s use of uranium tipped bullets in Iraq that release toxic chemicals into the air when they hit any surface. These chemicals have finally made their way into the food chain and the results can be seen in the new generation of children. We are the “superpower” that arms counties to serve our purpose, and then backs out on them, leading to regimes like the ones in Afghanistan and Iraq. We, too, have used chemicals on our own people. Nuclear bombs were tested above ground, and while effects to these small near by communities are largely ignored, cancer rates have in fact gone up a frightening amount. We let companies get away with polluting rivers and entire water supplies in the name of not pissing off big business and their political interests. We fed radioactive chemicals to people in mental institutions to study their effects. We have no room to be on some moral pedestal here. Saddam is evil. A terrible, terrible tyrant. There’s no getting around this. But we have to look at all aspects of war, especially now. We cannot be hypocrites, we cannot be tyrannical and we must listen to the international community. Their support is the most important thing. We do not want to even chance spurring a third world war. We very well might not survive it.

As far as Iraqi links to Al Quaeda…
Give me a fucking break. Most of the hijackers were Saudis. I’m sure the scope of countries who have “something” to do with Al Quaeda is a fact we really don’t want to look into, because if that’s our justification for taking out Saddam, we’ve got quite a few regimes to overthrow and then rehabilitate. I’m sure it involves some of our own. Right now our actions and foolish bullying are probably driving Saddam more towards helping “terrorists” than anything else. If he’s gonna make a deal with someone, he’ll do it. Or he’s done it. Yeah, that’s scary. But let’s not fool ourselves into thinking that disarming Saddam will stop Al Quaeda. They’re a massive problem. But if we go into a war that is not supported fully by the world, they will have all the fodder they need to rally the masses against us.

People keep drawing all these parallels to Hitler and Nazi Germany. Some are character flaws both Hitler and Bush possess. Some are actual familial ties. It’s all rather frightening, and discouraging to see. What I’m thinking about right now, though, as I watch the Spanish president and Blair speak is how some pretty “important” countries backed Hitler as well. It’s a shame because I really like Tony Blair.

That said, I’ll take this moment to digress…Oh, Tony. How I love thee. What a wonderfully concise, articulate speaker you are. I love that man. I trust him. No rhetoric, no beating around the bush (HA!). He presents the case clearly and articulately and sticks with facts he has and is passionate and just…I TRUST what he says! He explains things. He doesn’t avoid and doesn’t get lost in threats and abstract phrases and rhetoric. He knows what he’s talking about, which is a quality our little leader is severely lacking. He even just addressed the issue of North Korea. Congratulations, Tony Blair. You’ve made me see your point, and it is an admirable one and I’m willing to back you up.

In reference to relations between Europe and the U.S. he just said we have to remember that what unites us is infinitely more important than what divides us. Hell yes.

Now, what about what Blair said made sense to me? He stuck with the actual, written-on-paper reason we may have to use force against Iraq: because that’s what the resolution which was unanimously passed by the UN said would have to be done should he not fully comply with inspections. The inspectors are not meant to be detectives, and Iraq knows exactly what they have to do to fully comply. We won’t use force because there might be links to Al Quaeda. Not because we have oil interests. Not because Saddam may or may not possess “Weapons of Mass Destruction”(a term which I might just go insane from hearing). Not because we have “clear evidence” or “startling proof” that is not being shared with the public at all that these weapons exist. Not because we want Saddam out of power (no matter how much this might be true). We can’t get lost in all these other issues that cloud and confuse people’s judgment. But we have to look into this because they aren’t complying. We need to be firm with Iraq, and set a precedent, otherwise all resolutions passed by the UN will be laughed at. We need to seek a peaceful resolution with a timeline agreed upon by everyone.

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It angers me so much that the Bush administration went about things the way that they did. It angers me so much that they made the threat of a unilateral war so out there in the open without the support of other nations and without the support of their own country. I just watched Colin Powell speak, and I don’t understand why none of his speeches previous to this one have been as clear and have made as much sense. Instead of throwing out ambiguous threats and undocumented proof, he actually referred to resolution 1441 or whatever the hell it is. The U.S. completely overstepped its boundaries and acted like a high school bully. They should have remembered that these days, the high school bully is the one that gets massacred.

Bush should not be allowed to speak in public. He is a simple-minded idiot who is engaged in a very involved game of cowboys and Indians. I don’t doubt that he truly believes that he must oust the bad guy and that his cause is a righteous one. However, his brain cannot bend around the importance of foreign policy. He is an ignorant, ill informed, idiot who is too easily encouraged by parties that with to influence him for their own means. He is worse than my worst nightmares of what would become of the world should he be elected. I think the Democratic Party should be thrown out for being such a weak, worthless excuse for a political party. Shame on us for not voting to stop this insanity and shame on our leaders for crumbling behind the fingers pointing, telling them they are unpatriotic. This could have all fallen into place much differently.

Shame on my generation for being so indifferent and so pathetically uninvolved. And shame on those in my generation who were taught to rally around their leader and that to do differently is unpatriotic.

The desire for peace should not have to be defended. We shouldn’t have to search for proof that we need peace. War should be the last way out. It is the most horrifying and wrong thing humans can do to one another. You shouldn’t have to defend yourself for wanting to keep peace a priority. We live in such an ignorant country where somehow people are able to overlook the costs of war, until it affects their pocketbook (which it will, I guarantee. We’ve already spent billions of dollars getting troops over to the Middle East, and for each month their kept there, another billion dollars is spent. Ad that to Genius’ tax-cut plan, and we’re gonna be hurting for a long, long time). Massive amounts of people die. I keep hearing people say that American casualties will be kept low. How arrogant and selfish can we get? The people dying over there are every bit as innocent. They want no part of a war. UN estimates place Iraqi casualties at half a million. That is a lot of death. It gives me chills just thinking about it. These are people who have not done anything to us or to anyone else and who have seen nothing but suffering in their lifetime. The effects of these wars we perpetrate last for decades and decades. And we also overlook what battle does to our own soldiers. I was reading an article in Newsweek yesterday that was talking about how most soldiers with battle fatigue and post traumatic stress disorder are ready to go back into the field after 3 or 4 days of rest. “Only” 15% are completely “broken.” That’s a pretty big number if you ask me. Not to mention the fact that many return home only to beat their wives and have other emotional problems. When we’re advertising “hey! Joining the army is a fantastic way to get a career and go to school!” we’re completely overlooking the fact that war causes serious mental problems in its participants. We’re not preparing these kids for reality. We should have hardcore proof and support before we throw them into battle. I don’t care how “prepared” they are. 15% of soldiers piss their pants when faced with the enemy. Nothing can prepare you for slaughtering other human beings.

Hate perpetrates hate. In life, you pay for the things you do. I have to be convinced that war is the only way out. Because by supporting it, I’m helping to perpetrate that hate. And who wants that on their head?