Category: Political

Recovered from the Wayback Machine.

With the President’s speech Monday night and the ultimatum, which we know is only a prelude to war, it’s tempting to feel that we’ve failed in our efforts to find a peaceful solution to the Iraqi conflict. All day Monday, I felt dragged down by the knowledge that we’ll most likely invade Iraq within a few days. I felt I had failed. Not me as one of a number of American citizens, but me personally.

I went for a ride to get my car washed and ended up on the freeways and in the back country of the Ozarks not even sure where I was, so caught up was I in this personal sense of failure. Time to blow out the candles, put away the signs. What purpose the fight for peace when we face certain war?

But Monday night, as so many of my virtual neighbors were quiet, I went out to the more well known warblogger sites. I was curious to see their reaction to the President’s speech. Would there be rejoicing? Would they be as quiet? One site I I went to was Little Green Footballs and read this web site’s coverage of Rachel Corey’s death.

Regardless of whether you think Rachel was a foolish young woman or a brave soldier of faith, her death should be worth more than ridicule and disdain. What did one person say, in response to hearing that Rachel burned a mock flag? “Thankfully, the tractor was not mock.”

Yes, thankfully this 23 year old idealistic woman is dead, because a photo showed her at a demonstration, burning a mock American flag. As the LGF crew said, that will teach her for ‘lack of support for freedom’.

(Note to self: go out and buy 365 paper American Flags. Burn one per day, starting tomorrow.)

Thank you, the small, the petty, the frightened, the ignorant, the hate filled, the bigoted, the self-serving, and the racist that take such delight in bathing their hands in the blood of the ‘enemy’. Thank you for pulling me out of my funk, and giving me new purpose again. After all, if we give up the fight now, the only voices that will be heard will be yours – and that would be another tragedy.

No, now is not the time to give up. In fact, it’s more critical then ever that we keep the peace movement going, if for no other reason then to let Bush know that we are watching him.

Every time a missle hits a civilian target, we must shout out the news, so that Bush knows we are watching him. For every soldier who gives up their life, for every Iraqi civilian, blaze the number of dead in the sky so that Bush knows we are watching him.

Every time civil rights are abrogated in this country in the name of ‘war’, we must point a finger and cry ‘Shame!’ so that Bush knows we are watching him.

And especially, when this ‘war’ is over, if we can call this mockery a ‘war’, we must let Bush and Halliburton and all of those who seek to capitalize on the suffering of the Iraqi people that we are watching them.

Yes, it’s time to blow out the candles; time, instead, to light a blow torch bright enough to be seen in Washington DC. Yes, it’s time to put away the signs, because they’re too small. Let’s write a sign that the President can’t miss. One that he sees first thing in the morning when he gets up, and last thing in the evening before going to bed.

As the President and his cabinet and the Congress have chosen not to give the world peace, we’ll do the same. Now more than ever, we need to watch and speak out and disbelieve and yell and protest and demonstrate and let the President of the United States and those who would profit from this war know, we are watching them.

President Bush has spoken, “No peace!” So be it. No peace. Not a moment’s peace will be given until this battle is over, and until we leave that region, and give the Iraqi people true peace.

More:

bumr.net Lose few Troops
bumr.net Which definition of accident?
Full text of Robin Cook resignation speech
Scott Rosenberg’s Eve of Destruction
Kevin Sites weblog

The organization Instead of War in St. Louis is planning an all night wake the first night bombs are released on Iraq.

Recovered from the Wayback Machine.

The Republicans and the White House have called Democrats “unpatriotic” for speaking out against the upcoming battle with Iraq. Senator Kennedy asked the question that still waits answer: How much is this going to cost. Senator Daschle declares that Bush has failed diplomacy. Both are declared to be unpatriotic.

But then, I’m also unpatriotic, because I think Bush has an agenda that doesn’t serve this country. That’s speaking out, so therefore I’m unpatriotic. In fact, I’m a traitor, which is what one of the people called those of us who participated in the candlelight vigil on Sunday.

I have a poster I’d like to hang in my window. It shows a peace sign with a yellow ribbon, with the words “Bring them home now”. I like it because it shows that I support the military, but not the war. I won’t display it, though, because I have a cat; I’m concerned that if I put the poster up, someone will throw a brick through the window and my cat will get out, and get lost or killed – she has no commonsense at all.

After President Bush’s speech yesterday, from one moment to next, the stakes have changed for those of us who continue to protest the President’s actions, in Iraq and at home.

Recovered from the Wayback Machine.

It is better to light a candle
than to curse the darkness.

Mother Teresa

Over 300 people showed up to light a candle for peace. They lined both sides of the street and stretched a couple of blocks. For the most part, those in the cars who passed between raised their thumbs and honked in support; however, there were a few that were emphatically Bush supporters.

About half way through the hour long vigil, one lone dissenter showed up – a middle age man who stood across the street, holding up a Marine Corp flag. He nodded pleasantly at the people holding the candles; they waved back.

The people were smiling, but quiet, subdued. That moment of truth weighed heavy, as we stood shoulder to shoulder in an unbroken line of flickering light, sending a message of hope as ephemeral as the flame.

Reading a Sydney Morning Herald report from reporters in Baghdad. The author writes:

In 1991, the coded messages gave us 1 hours’ to 2 hours’ notice. But for now, the next best indication of imminent action will be the UN’s withdrawal of the weapons inspectors and the evacuation of the last remaining members of the diplomatic community.

In a story at ABC News

The United Nations flew most of its helicopters out of Iraq on Sunday, and Germany advised its citizens to leave the country immediately amid mounting fears of war with the United States.

Iraq is now on war footing, with Saddam Hussein vowing to take this war everywhere, and Bush issuing a global ultimatum:

Tomorrow is a moment of truth for the world.

Yes, but whose truth?

When we lived in Vermont, my cat once caught a tiny deer mouse. You know the kind of mouse I’m talking about – tiny little body and huge ears and eyes. Zoe played with it and batted it about and tortured that little thing until we forced it from her, and put it out of its misery.

If we’re going to have this war then let’s have it so that we can face the aftermath. Let’s stop with the pretenses, and the phony summits, and the press releases, and Powell saying one thing while Cheney says another. If we’re going to rain bombs on Baghdad, let’s do so and quickly, rather than leave the people of that city in terror. Let’s stop toying with Iraq and move in for the kill.

In two hours I’m going to join a couple of hundred people holding up candles against the warm spring breeze, murmuring words of peace. But inside there’s a part of me that wishes the war would just start, so it could be over.

I will be attending one of the MoveOn.org candlelight vigils tonight. I was surprised, and heartened to see how many there are in St. Louis. There’s three in my immediate vicinity, alone.

I won’t be holding a candle though as I’ve volunteered to try and get some photos of the event. I say ‘try’ because I’ve not had the best of luck with my digital camera in low-level illumination. I have a flash, but I’m concerned it will be too bright, and will ruin the effects of the candles. Oh well, will do my best.

I think one thing we’ve learned since the last major global anti-war demonstration is that these demonstrations aren’t for everyone; neither is some or even all aspects of the anti-war movement. We must remember to respect each other’s beliefs and choices, if what we say in these demonstrations means anything at all.

We’re heading into tense, difficult times. Regardless of what each of us believes, we have to keep in mind our respect for each other. Our service people in the Middle East deserve our respect. So do the people of Iraq. It just breaks my heart to see two groups who deserve respect having to kill each other because a few men, deserving of no respect, have demanded it in their arrogance.

Sorry. Sorry. Candlelight vigils and hope. That’s the ticket. Hope.

Today will only be about hope.