The Wolf Barack Obama Feeds
copyright © 2009 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org It was 11:22 Ante Meridian, on January 21, 2009. I did as I rarely do. I stood silently and watched television. As one who listens to what is aired, and does so from another room, this was an unusual occurrence. However, the Cherokee wisdom of wolves, an illustration that represents the internal strife within every human being beckoned me. Then, at the very same hour on the very next day, again I was compelled to do what is odd for me. I did not say a word as I glared at humanitarian actions took place on the screen. President Barack Obama proclaimed, by Executive Order, the United States would not torture. Nor would we, as a nation, detain presumed "combatants" without a just trial. On each occasion, I was in awe as I gazed upon what I had not imagined would come to pass. Upon reflection, the two events seem to be related.
What you are entering now, Mr. President and Mr. Vice President, will tend to draw you away from your ethical center. But we, the nation that you serve, need you to hold the ground of your deepest values, of our deepest values.
Beyond this moment of high hopes, we need you to stay focused on our shared hopes, so that
we can continue to hope, too.We will follow your lead.
There is a story attributed to Cherokee wisdom:
One evening a grandfather was teaching his young grandson about the internal battle that each person faces."There are two wolves struggling inside each of us," the old man said.
"One wolf is vengefulness, anger, resentment, self?pity, fear . . .
"The other wolf is compassion, faithfulness, hope, truth, love . . ."
The grandson sat, thinking, then asked: "Which wolf wins, Grandfather?"
His grandfather replied, "The one you feed."
The congregation was spellbound. The camera showed a meditative Barack Obama. The President, with his head in his hand, seemed to consider the parable. He looked as if he might ponder the parallel. Minister Watkins continued.
The frank Theologian furthered the thought when she said, "There are crises banging on the door right now, pawing at us, trying to draw us off our ethical center - crises that tempt us to feed the wolf of vengefulness and fear."
President Obama, from his facial expressions, understood. He knew the weight placed on his shoulders. As he oft expressed, the decision to serve the public was his, and he would do so to the best of abilities. Yet, Barack Obama often proclaimed, he could not do the nation's work alone. Indeed, he would need help from the public. The Reverend was ready to lend a hand to the Commander-In-Chief. In service to her country, and perchance, more significantly to the Almighty and the people, planet-wide Sharon E. Watkins submitted.
We need you, Mr. President, to hold your ground. We need you, leaders of this nation, to stay centered on the values that have guided us in the past; values that empowered to move us through the perils of earlier times and can guide us now into a future of renewed promise.
We need you to feed the good wolf within you, to listen to the better angels of your nature, and by your example encourage us to do the same.
In the hours before the erudite religious leader spoke, much laid in the balance. Doctor Watkins likely heard the whispers; President Obama might not close Guantanamo Bay Prison as quickly as he had promised. When asked of the possible release of detainees Barack Obama was hesitant. He discussed what logistically would be difficult.
Doctor Sharon E. Watkins seemed to inquire as an ABC News interviewer had not. Mister President; which path will you choose? How will ethical principles shape your policies President Obama?
She too may have marveled at the statement a pious man offered just prior to the inauguration. On "This Week" with George Stephanopoulos, Barack Obama stated, homeland security is his top priority. The "need" to fight back when terrorists threaten would be prominent features in an Obama Administration. "We are going to have to stay vigilant, and that's something that doesn't change from administration to administration," the then President Elect said.
Hence, in her homily Sharon E. Watkins invited the newly installed President Obama to obey the sacred principles he had oft professed to believe.
On Thursday, perhaps he did honor the ethical traditions. As I again, listened to the television from afar, the baritone sounds that echoed in the next room were recognizable. Barack Obama addressed a small audience of onlookers, each anxious to see him sign three Executive Orders. Indeed, Commander-In-Chief Obama decreed that this country act on the "some" of the ethical standards the Minister spoke of only twenty-four hours earlier.
President Obama signed directives that authorize a Review and Disposition of Individuals Detained at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base and Closure of Detention Facilities. A Review of Detention Policy Options, and he approved an order that would Ensure Lawful Interrogations.
However, what the President has yet to act on the poignant matters that affect every American, in truth all human beings every day. War. As I situated myself before the screen to watch the invocation, I saw a pensive man. Barack Obama, unlike most in the National Cathedral congregation seemed to study Reverend Doctor Sharon E. Watkins' every word.
The Commander-In-Chief appeared to recognize the depth of the sermon Reverend Watkins delivered. Indeed, that is what captured my attention. While Doctor Watkins had command of her language, she commanded the person who is perhaps, the most powerful human being in the world. This articulate Minister stood before the President, and eloquently presented parables and scriptures that spoke to the less than honorable and moral issue of vengeance.
This uncommon; yet commoner, cleric addressed a reverent Barack Obama. She welcomed reflections on stark realities in a manner that few might. Doctor Reverend Sharon E. Watkins essentially confronted the new Commander and asked him to evaluate his ethics.
Solemnly she said, "In international hard times, our instinct is to fight - to pick up the sword, to seek out enemies, to build walls against the other and why not? They just might be out to get us. We've got plenty of evidence to that effect. Someone has to keep watch and be ready to defend, and Mr. President - Tag! You're it!"
The congregation laughed. The air for them was light. However, for Doctor Sharon E. Watkins, there was no humor in her words.
G-d's representative spoke of the change she, and I could, believe in.
While most Americans delighted in the news of today's Executive Orders, I wonder if Reverend Doctor Watkins worried as I do. Later, on Thursday afternoon, at 3:10 Post Meridian, when once again, I stood frozen in front of the "tube." I felt the futility of fight would be America's fate.
The baritone, Barack Obama boomed, as if defiant of the deities. "The world needs to understand that America will be unyielding in its protection of its security and relentless in its pursuit of those who would carry out terrorism or threaten the United States."
I wondered. Had Reverend Doctor Watkins heard the statement? Does she now know as I do, which wolf Barack Obama will feed.
Update . . .
Two U.S. missile strikes kill 17 in Pakistan, sources say,
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Seventeen people were killed Friday evening in two U.S. missile strikes in Pakistan's tribal region, said one government and two military officials.
They are the first such strikes since President Obama took office Tuesday.
Both hits were near the Afghan border, said local political official Nasim Dawar. The Pakistani military sources asked not to be named because they are not authorized to release such information.
The first strike, which killed 10 people, occurred about 5:15 p.m. (7:15 a.m. ET) in a village near Mir Ali in North Waziristan, the officials said. Seven people died in the second hit at 7:30 p.m. (9:30 a.m. ET) near Wana, the major town in South Waziristan, 17 miles (27 kilometers) from Afghanistan, they said.
References for realities, real, and those imagined by vengeful, fearful, humans . . .
- Harmonies of Liberty, Isaiah 58:6-12, Mt 22:6-40. Reverend Doctor Sharon E. Watkins. National Prayer Service. January 21, 2009
- Obama Orders Secret Prisons and Detention Camps Closed, By Scott Shane. The New York Times. January 23, 2009
- Obama Promises New Destiny, Work Begins Today, By Joe Klein. Time. January 21, 2009
- Executive Orders. WhiteHouse.gov.
- Review and Disposition of Individuals Detained at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base and Closure of Detention Facilities. WhiteHouse.gov.January 22, 2009
- Review of Detention Policy. WhiteHouse.gov. January 22, 2009
- Ensuring Lawful Interrogations. WhiteHouse.gov. January 22, 2009
- Reverend Doctor Sharon E. Watkins. Disciples World. November 9, 2009
- Obama to Explore New Approach in Afghanistan War, By Karen DeYoung. Washington Post. Tuesday, November 11, 2008; A01
- Obama: Guantanamo center might not close within first 100 days, By Jill Zuckman. Baltimore Sun. January 2009
- 'This Week' Transcript: Barack Obama, George Stephanopoulos' Exclusive Interview with President-Elect Barack Obama. ABC News. January 11, 2009
- Obama Pool Report Thursday, January 22, 2009. Time. January 22, 2009
Posted by Betsy L. Angert on January 22, 2009 at 03:33 PM in Emotional Decisions, Emotional Intelligence, Exit Iraq Now, God Bless, Humans, Self-Destructive, Iraq War, National Security, Quality of Life, Violence, War and Peace, War Kills [Mind, Body, Spirit], War, The Last Option, Why War? | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
A Day That Lives In Infamy
copyright © 2009 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org It is the seventh day of the month, a date that now lives in infamy. On this occasion, she passed. She was killed by an attack that was all too sudden. Her physical presence on Earth did not end in the month of December. The year was not 1941. The events at Pearl Harbor did cause my Mom's heart to stop. Indeed, she only ceased to exist in a form that I can see with my eyes or touch with my hand, less than a decade ago. Truly, it feels as if Mommy just took her leave. In every moment, she is still with me. All these years later, I mourn my loss. Oh, if only I could bring her back. She enters into my dreams almost daily. Since childhood, I knew, if she were gone, I might not be able to go on. Today, on the anniversary of her bodily discorporation, I mourn, as I trust she would, the casualties in Iraq, Afghanistan, Gaza, Israel, and anywhere that war delays, defers, or denies family time, space, and a proper setting in which to grieve.
This much is clear: violence breeds violence, repression brings retaliation,
and only a cleansing of our whole society can remove this sickness from our soul.
~ Robert F. Kennedy
Unlike in my situation, those who loved the dearly departed Iraqis, had no warning. The persons who live to lament were not able to visit their beloved before their final breath. Opportunities to say good-bye were few, if they existed at all. The bombs blasted. The bullets pierced the delicate flesh of the persons now fallen. Survivors were left only with their sorrow. Sadly, some probably regret they could not save a cherished soul. While I might relate to that feeling, at least I know my Mom passed quietly, safely at home, in the company of those nearest and dearest. She went to her rest in peace.
In Afghanistan, the challenges are equal to those in Iraq. Homes sit snugly in a war zone. Soldiers, who are suspicious of Afghani natives, surround local communities. Troops are also found within indigenous societal circles. Weaponry is wielded. No innocent man, woman, or child is out of harm's way. When a friend or family folk is maimed or murdered, neighbors may wish to send condolences, as those close to my Mom did. Colleagues may yearn to congregate around a casket and cry. People may seek closure. Cremations, with a chance to offer ceremonial respects, might be as is customary. Yet, again, since American and allies attacks commenced, citizens of Afghanistan cannot do as my relatives, and I had done when Mommy departed.
No one is certain how many have passed in the roughed terrain of Afghanistan. The Pentagon does not release statistics of the insurgents killed. Nor do they dare calculate the numbers of blameless civilian losses. The United States Armed Services applaud the accuracy of air strikes. American military speaks of the smart strategy.
(F)or all their precision, American bombs sometimes take out the wrong targets. As U.S. air strikes doubled from 2006 to 2007, the number of accidental civilian deaths soared, from 116 to 321, according to Marc Garlasco, a former Pentagon targeting chief who tabulates civilian casualties for Human Rights Watch (HRW), an independent research group. By his count, the death toll among civilians so far this year [September 2008] is approaching 200.
The military dismisses such tallies as exaggerated, and their provenance is often murky. . . .
Whatever the tally, officials both inside and outside the U.S. military say attacks that kill civilians occur with distressing regularity; they generate headlines only when dozens die. Afghans vividly recall the July 2002 bombing of a wedding party--celebratory gunfire led to retaliation by an AC-130--that killed up to 48 civilians and wounded 117 in Oruzgan province; many were women and children.
This past July, 47 people were killed and nine wounded on their way to a wedding in eastern Afghanistan. Among the dead were 39 women and children, including the bride-to-be, Afghan authorities said.
What of the families, and friends, of those who survived? How must they reconcile the loss? Joyous, the beloved went to a celebration. Yet, they never returned. They cease to exist, taken down by a missile. How must the living feel?
For the people who were close to these sweet spirits and lived, July must be as January is for me, a reminder of what was, would have been, and will never be. The difference is, for all the persons, perhaps hundreds or thousands in Afghanistan who were touched by those who perished while at a wedding in 2002 and on their way to nuptials in 2007, they know a life was cut short by unnecessary combat. Beautiful beings were blow into oblivion.
Yet, all the while, people in the States, those who purchased and produced the deadly artillery, pay little attention to what does not affect them personally. Indeed, on this January 7, 2009, the death toll on foreign shores mounts, and many in America think that fine. As long as it is not their Mom, Dad, son, or daughter, citizens in this "civilized" country will continue to plan inaugural parties, propose to escalate combat in the Middle East, and sanction the strikes that ensue in Gaza.
Oh, some may protest. A few will state they cannot endorse the murders. Others; however, will justify the cause for they will speak of Hamas as the enemy, evil, just as they do of those in Iraq and Afghanistan. Justice is served, the American Administration will assuage, as they offer a convenient truth; terrorist must be eliminated.
In truth, as long, those who inhabit the world's superpower do not suffer, do not experience the loss, the United States will do little to interfere, to impede, what through their dollars, and decades of support, they have endorsed.
Perchance, my Mom, today, yesterday, and forever gave me a gift that gives even when she is far away, one I wish every American might receive. Mommy taught me to empathize, to truly place my heart in the being of another. She modeled what most dare not muse.
Mommy, who never wished to hurt any one or another entity, understood how bereavement affected me. She knew; when the soul of someone is lost to this world, I ache. Hence, she stayed on Earth so that I might see her one more time, hold her hand, and say all that we might. When she knew I could, and would not regret, my Mom wished me well. "Have a good trip," the lovely Berenice Barbara said as I left her physical presence. "You too," I replied.
It was January 7th, a day that lives in infamy for me, and one that I trust will be tarnished for those in foreign lands who lost a loved one in Iraq, Afghanistan, Gaza, or anywhere on this globe.
May we all rest in peace.
- More than 1,000,000 Iraqis murdered. Opinion Research Business. September 2007
- Afghan Civilian Deaths: A Rising Toll. Time. September 4, 2008
- Is the Real Target Hamas Rule?, By Ethan Bronner. The New York Times. January 3, 2009
Posted by Betsy L. Angert on January 7, 2009 at 06:02 AM in Afghanistan, Iraq War, Israel and Lebanon, Looking at Life, War and Peace, War Kills [Mind, Body, Spirit] | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The Qualified Quest for Justice
Jews, Christians and Muslims Unite Against Evildoers
copyright © 2009 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org Just days ago, throughout the globe, people celebrated religious holidays. Peace on Earth and good will to all men was the palpable feeling that filled the air. Everywhere anyone turned expressions of fondness for our fellow beings could be heard. People were filled with glee. Then, suddenly, the sound that is the silent hum of joyous laughter was broken. Everything changed. Yet, indeed nothing did. The cycle of violence that has perpetually existed on this planet began again. The qualified quest for justice was once more the people's agenda. In Israel and Gaza, bombs blasted. Bullets whizzed by the heads of frantic, frightened people who sought shelter from another Mediterranean storm. Some died. Hamas was blamed for the initial attacks, this time. As had occurred on other occasions, Israel, in the name of self-defense, fought back. The roles might have been reversed and have been. |
This recent barrage of words and weapons was not the first on sacred terrain. No one expects it will be the last. Apparently, today, as has been true for eons, people have accepted peace as a temporal occurrence. It is always followed by war.
Pious people only pretend to honor the hallowed Commandment found in every faith, "Thou shalt not kill." In truth, on some principle not evident in scriptures, the Bible, the Qur'an, or other religious teaching, humans conclude all men and Not created equal.
For the wise, the worthy, the wondrous creatures who believe all beings are created equally, and in G-d's image, the concept of fairness and empathy for all others are only ones of convenience. These can be, and by all means should be, ignored, when a country, clan, chap, or cute daughter of Eve feels there is reason for self-defense. When the quest for conquest is greater than the desire for tranquility, justice is found in a series of deadly explosions!
Rational persons become self-righteous when they feel attacked or wish to assault another. Whatever excuses an ethical individual, or a respectable region, can find to intellectualize war will serve a being who wishes to be brutal. One need only reflect upon the writings of a few to understand why warfare never ends.
In what would become a foundation for America, within the Declaration of Independence, the words of Thomas Jefferson appear, "All me are created equal." This thought was meant to remind citizens of this country of a tenet adopted in ancient times, by not just one, but by many religions.
A Jewish theologian, Torah scholar, Rabbi Dovid Rosenfeld reflects on a historical reality rarely honored by modern man. "(A)ll men are created equal"(women too for that matter), and, as eloquently as Thomas Jefferson put it, this comes directly from our own Torah. Maimonides (Mishne Torah, Hil' Teshuva 5:2) writes that unlike the belief of foolish Gentiles and unlearned Jews that each person is predestined to good or evil, it is within the ability of each person to determine his or her own fate."
Rabbi Rosenfeld then further elucidates each of us can be virtuous or iniquitous. As individuals, apart from our intellectual measure, personal milieu, history, monetary means, or influence we have the capacity to choose what we wish to do and who we yearn to be.
The scholar and teacher of Torah, Dovid Rosenfeld shares the observations of another, devout academician, Dean of Aish HaTorah International, RabbiNoach Weinberg (www.aish.com), "We are certainly not equal when it comes to talents, predilections, or natural abilities. But in this one regard we areall equal: we all possess souls. We have the potential to develop ourselves, whether in goodness or wickedness, and we possess the free will to determine which path we will follow. Goodness and closeness to G-d are not reserved for the intellectual, the scholarly, or the well-pedigreed. It is the inherent right of all mankind and the simple fact of our humanity."
While many amongst the Jewish faithful quote the wisdom of each of these devout devotees of the Almighty, the significance of the statements is void in action. The same is true in Islamic tradition. Several fervent followers find solace in the scriptures; indeed, "The Glorious Qur'an mentions, with commendation, Prophet Jesus (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) as it does to Prophet Moses (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)," others who purport to believe in teachings of Islam, Hamas amid these, ignore the splendor found in the religious text.
Islam aims at eliminating all aspects of racism and dislikes prejudiced-oriented party gatherings. Islam, equally, disapproves all acts leading to disputes, fights, among individuals and peoples. Islam requires its followers to believe in the Divine Messages and Scriptures of all previous nations [community] in order to eliminate any hatred or biased feelings. Islam considers such an act as one of the essential tenants of faith.
While the most boisterous today, and for centuries, have beat the battle drums, murdered, caused mayhem, massacred, and engaged in the most dire deeds, all in the name of justice, a very few participate in another, more harmonic quest.
These individuals believe in sacrosanct traditions too. The truly peaceful propose actions must reflect religious and rational reason. Those who work towards universal serenity walk with the Lord on holy days and during the most mundane of times. Advocates of amicable exchanges and equality for all, aspire to a stable serenity, as is referenced in theological text.
"Pacifists,", do not adopt the vicious edicts of those who think war will bring about peace, albeit, the warriors admit, provisionally. The tranquil people have faith that all men, women, and children can choose how they wish to respond to conflict. People are free to engage in good or evil.
Those on a quest for nonviolent justice, one without qualifiers that restrict the significance of religious commandments, talk without the accompaniment of a big stick. They walk with a sincere sense of awe for kindnesses. They also type articles that advocate for empathy and avoid the argument of self-defense.
Thus, on November 10, 2000, Deborah Ducrocq, then Managing Editor of the Kansas City Jewish Chronicle, a devout Jew in her own right, published an article, she received. The missive penned by another Judaic faithful, Judith Stone, is titled, "The Quest for Justice." The tone and transcript were considered controversial by the clannish amongst the American Jews. Indeed, after the missive appeared, the Ms Ducrocq was promptly dismissed by her ?superiors.
Yet, as much as the words offended the Jewish employers, for persons who struggle with a spiritual history, Jew, Gentile, and Islamist who yearn for authentic and lasting global harmony, the wisdom Judith Stone inscribed, and Deborah Ducrocq delivered, resonates.
While some might say this early essay is no longer politically pertinent, others trust, the sentiment expressed is as valid today as it was then, and will be tomorrow.
"Quest for Justice"
By Judith Stone
I am a Jew. I was a participant in the Rally for the Right of Return to Palestine. It was the right thing to do. I've heard about the European holocaust against the Jews since I was a small child. I've visited the memorials in Washington, DC and Jerusalem dedicated to Jewish lives lost and I've cried at the recognition to what level of atrocity mankind is capable of sinking.
Where are the Jews of conscience? No righteous malice can be held against the survivors of Hitler's holocaust. These fragments of humanity were in no position to make choices beyond that of personal survival. We must not forget that being a survivor or a co-religionist of the victims of the European Holocaust does not grant dispensation from abiding by the rules of humanity.
"Never again" as a motto, rings hollow when it means "never again to us alone." My generation was raised being led to believe that the biblical land was a vast desert inhabited by a handful of impoverished Palestinians living with their camels and eking out a living in the sand. The arrival of the Jews was touted as a tremendous benefit to these desert dwellers. Golda Mier even assured us that there "is no Palestinian problem."
We know now this picture wasn't as it was painted. Palestine was a land filled with people who called it home. There were thriving towns and villages, schools and hospitals. There were Jews, Christians, and Muslims. In fact, prior to the occupation, Jews represented a mere 7 percent of the population and owned 3 percent of the land.
Taking the blinders off for a moment, I see a second atrocity perpetuated by the very people who should be exquisitely sensitive to the suffering of others. These people knew what it felt like to be ordered out of your home at gun point and forced to march into the night to unknown destinations or face execution on the spot. The people who displaced the Palestinians knew first hand what it means to watch your home in flames, to surrender everything dear to your heart at a moment's notice. Bulldozers leveled hundreds of villages, along with the remains of the village inhabitants, the old, and the young. This was nothing new to the world.
Poland is a vast graveyard of the Jews of Europe. Israel is the final resting place of the massacred Palestinian people. A short distance from the memorial to the Jewish children lost to the holocaust in Europe there is a leveled parking lot. Under this parking lot is what's left of a once flourishing village and the bodies of men, women, and children whose only crime was taking up needed space and not leaving graciously. This particular burial marker reads: "Public Parking."
I've talked with Palestinians. I have yet to meet a Palestinian who hasn't lost a member of their family to the Israeli Shoah, nor a Palestinian who cannot name a relative or friend languishing under inhumane conditions in an Israeli prison. Time and time again, Israel is cited for human rights violations to no avail. On a recent trip to Israel, I visited the refugee camps inhabited by a people who have waited 52 years in these 'temporary' camps to go home. Every Palestinian grandparent can tell you the name of their village, their street, and where the olive trees were planted.
Their grandchildren may never have been home, but they can tell you where their great-grandfather lies buried and where the village well stood. The press has fostered the portrait of the Palestinian terrorist. But, the victims who rose up against human indignity in the Warsaw Ghetto are called heroes. Those who lost their lives are called martyrs. The Palestinian who tosses a rock in desperation is a terrorist.
Two years ago I drove through Palestine and watched intricate sprinkler systems watering lush green lawns of Zionist settlers in their new condominium complexes, surrounded by armed guards and barbed wire in the midst of a Palestinian community where there was not adequate water to drink and the surrounding fields were sandy and dry. University professor Moshe Zimmerman reported in the Jerusalem Post (April 30, 1995), "The [Jewish] children of Hebron are just like Hitler's youth."
We Jews are suing for restitution, lost wages, compensation for homes, land, slave labor and back wages in Europe. Am I a traitor of a Jew for supporting the right of return of the Palestinian refugees to their birthplace and compensation for what was taken that cannot be returned?
The Jewish dead cannot be brought back to life and neither can the Palestinian massacred be resurrected. David Ben Gurion said, "Let us not ignore the truth among ourselves... politically, we are the aggressors and they defend themselves...The country is theirs, because they inhabit it, whereas we want to come here and settle down, and in their view we want to take away from them their country..."
Palestine is a land that has been occupied and emptied of its people. It's cultural and physical landmarks have been obliterated and replaced by tidy Hebrew signs. The history of a people was the first thing eradicated by the occupiers. The history of the indigenous people has been all but eradicated as though they never existed. And all this has been hailed by the world as a miraculous act of G-d. We must recognize that Israel's existence is not even a question of legality so much as it is an illegal fait accompli realized through the use of force while supported by the Western powers. The UN missions directed at Israel in attempting to correct its violations of have thus far been futile.
In Hertzl's "The Jewish State," the father of Zionism said, "...We must investigate and take possession of the new Jewish country by means of every modern expedient." I guess I agree with Ehud Barak (3 June 1998) when he said, "If I were a Palestinian, I'd also join a terror group." I'd go a step further perhaps. Rather than throwing little stones in desperation, I'd hurtle a boulder.
Hopefully, somewhere deep inside, every Jew of conscience knows that this was no war; that this was not G-d's restitution of the holy land to it's rightful owners. We know that a human atrocity was and continues to be perpetuated against an innocent people who couldn't come up with the arms and money to defend themselves against the western powers bent upon their demise as a people.
We cannot continue to say, "But what were we to do?" Zionism is not synonymous with Judaism. I wholly support the rally of the right of return of the Palestinian people.
Indeed, what is to be done amidst the bombs and bullets. Those who have faith in talk, treatises that remain forever intact and tranquility can only bemoan the truth when they witness calm, compassionate, persons, who say they care for all mankind, become clannish when they chatter about political agendas in the Middle East.
What can anyone do when people preach peace and practice violence in the name of the Lord, Allah, or the Almighty, or even atheist theories. When the pious come to blows, fist to cuffs, as they fight for freedom and justice for all, or at least all who look or live as they do, what do the quieter "others" do?
The peace lover takes no comfort in the obvious; canons are practiced inconsistently. Even the religious are ready to attack. Excuses are made. Each nation and its inhabitants offer validation for vicious, vindictive, imprudent assaults. Nor does the antiwar wish to ask questions that are never truly answered. Is it ethical, inevitable, eternal, and when, or how will it ever end. Conscientious objector to combat acknowledge the mantra will likely be reactive. Attack; inquire of ethics anon.
This is why peaceful persons might try not to actively engage in discussions of the affairs in the Mediterranean, ever. They know. While warriors wish to answer such inquiries with another, "What would you do if your home were blasted, would you retaliate?" The peaceful can only ponder, what is this strange quest for justice? Revenge?
"Don't take vengeance and don't bear a grudge against the members of your nation; love your neighbor as yourself". (Leviticus 19:18.)
~ Torah
"Those who spend in ease as well as in adversity and those who restrain (their) anger and pardon men."
~ Qur'an
Religious References . . .
- For Israel, Chance to Strike Before an Ally Departs, By Scot Shane. The New York Times. January 5, 2009
- Hamas. Council on Foreign Relations.
- White House Puts Onus on Hamas to End Escalation of Violence, By Robert Pear. The New York Times. December 28, 2008
- All Divine religions are based on monotheism. From Abdulrehman al-Sheha's book Islam the Religion on Peace. Gulf Times.
- Peace? No, never - inside the mind of Hamas, By Billy Briggs. Scotsman. January 5, 2009
- Hamas: Government or Terrorist Organization? By Adam Davidson. National Public Radio. December 6, 2006
- Who is a Jew? By Rebecca Weiner, American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise.
- Are All Men Created Equal? Chapter 5, Mishna 15. By Rabbi Dovid Rosenfeld. Torah.org 2006
- Rabbi Noah Weinberg. Aish.
- The Basics of Buddhist Wisdom, By Doctor C. George Boeree. ?Shippensburg University.
- Quest For Justice, By Judith Stone. Islamic Human Rights Commission. November 10, 2000
- Leviticus 19:18. Bible.org
- On Developing a Theology of Peace in Islam, By Asghar Ali Engineer. Islam and Modern Age. October, 2001
Posted by Betsy L. Angert on January 3, 2009 at 09:00 AM in Aggression, Current Affairs, Ethics, Humans, Self-Destructive, Iraq War, Israel and Lebanon, Jews, Hezbollah, Politics, Question Everything, Violence, War and Peace, War Kills [Mind, Body, Spirit] | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Veterans Affairs
copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org I am uncertain when it began. Nonetheless, I know that for me, the ache I feel has been with me for what feels as an eternity. I could tell you the twinge was first experienced a moment ago, as I listened to another of President Elect Obama press conferences. Indeed, a wave of woe that passed through me as I heard the newly selected Commander-In-Chief announce his appointment for Secretary of Veterans Affairs, General Eric Shinseki. The soon-to-be inaugurated Chief Executive stated, "He [Shinseki] has agreed that he is willing to be part of this administration because both he and I share a reverence for those who serve." A mutual admiration, while wondrous, as stated seems incomplete, and perhaps omits the American construct, "all men are created equal." As I let the words of our next Administrator wash over me, I thought of those who do not wear a uniform; the individuals and families who endure more war than a military man or woman might. Thoughts of innocents who cannot take leave, that is unless corporeally they pass, advance my sorrow. I feel for all veterans. My concern encompasses the affairs of every being embroiled in war. I wish to venerate those who enter the fray willingly, and those who fight, only to sustain their own life.
While granted, the ordinary soldier is often thought to be little more than a name, rank, and serial number to those in "authority," at least, a man or women who knowingly takes an oath to protect and defend a nation has some options, inadequate as these may be. A civilian in a war-torn country has few to none. On any given day, a military missile might pierce the wall of a home. A youth, on the way to school, if it is open, might step on a land mine, or an improvised explosive device [IED] can detonate under the feet of a person who never caused another harm.
Hence, as I mused of what might be, more war and wounded, I felt the pain pound in my chest. The throbbing was not new to me. It might have begun weeks ago, during the Thanksgiving festivities. I was challenged to express gratitude for the simple life, I as an American have, as I pondered fallen soldiers and civilians on foreign fields.
Perchance, the soreness commenced years ago, when bombs first blasted in the Middle East. The question is which time, during which incursion, and why? Now, as I suspect was true in centuries past, opinions are offered. Reasons realized.
The intent is to protect the people from tyrants and totalitarian rule. It is vital; ideologues must be subverted. Democracy must be spread throughout the globe for the good of mankind. Out of necessity, the threat of terrorism needs to be contained. Those who hate us harbor Weapons of Mass Destruction [WMDs]. The presumed foe attacked "us" first. Appraisals amass. Empathy eludes citizens of a country intent on combat.
Robert Pape in "Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism," found that most suicide bombers are members of communities that feel humiliated by genuine or perceived occupation. Almost every major suicide-terrorist campaign-over 95 percent-carried out attacks to drive out an occupying power. This was true in Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Chechnya and Kashmir, as well as Israel and the Palestinian territories. The large number of Saudis among the 9/11 hijackers appears to support this finding. . . .
We have had tens of thousands of troops stationed in the Middle East since 1990 when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. The presence of these troops is the main appeal, along with the abuse meted out to the Palestinians by Israel, of bin Laden and al-Qaida. Terrorism, as Pape wrote, "is not a supply-limited phenomenon where there are just a few hundred around the world willing to do it because they are religious fanatics. It is a demand-driven phenomenon. That is, it is driven by the presence of foreign forces on the territory that the terrorists view as their homeland. The operation in Iraq has stimulated suicide terrorism and has given suicide terrorism a new lease on life."
I know not why Americans, or people from any nation, engage in murderous mêlées. I am only certain that as the President Elect postures of a prosperous future, I fear. The tenderness I experience does not fade as Barack Obama proclaims; "When I reflect on the sacrifices that have been made by our veterans and I think about how so many veterans around the country are struggling, even more than those who have not served - higher unemployment rates, higher homeless rates, higher substance abuse rates, medical care that is inadequate - it breaks my heart."
As it pains mine, Mister President Elect. As I stated, I do not recall when the grief began. It has been with me for so long. As does the Barack Obama, I too ruminate on the ruin war fashions. Thoughts of troops' trials and tribulation cause me to feel faint, flushed, and forlorn. I applaud the sentiment that we must care for the ill and injured who served in the Armed Forces. Yet, my distress is not diminished by words that might advance awareness for those Americans physically maimed or emotionally scarred in military maneuvers.
I remain haunted by the unanswered question, the topic not discussed, and the truth that is not set free by this selection. Deep within, where my sense of doom lives large I inquire, who are the veterans, those most affected by battles abroad. As President Elect Obama and his Cabinet propose a continuation, an escalation of the feud fought on Afghani soil I think the query must be addressed.
I (Tamim Ansary, an Afghan who has lived in America for near four decades) speak as one who hates the Taliban and Osama bin Laden. There is no doubt in my mind that these people were responsible for the atrocity in New York. I agree that something must be done about those monsters.
But the Taliban and bin Laden are not Afghanistan. They're not even the government of Afghanistan. The Taliban are a cult of ignorant psychotics who took over Afghanistan in 1997. Bin Laden is a political criminal with a plan. When you think Taliban, think Nazis. When you think bin Laden, think Hitler. And when you think "the people of Afghanistan," think "the Jews in the concentration camps." It's not only that the Afghan people had nothing to do with this atrocity. They were the first victims of the perpetrators. They would exult if someone would come in there, take out the Taliban, and clear out the rats' nest of international thugs holed up in their country.
Some say, why don't the Afghans rise up and overthrow the Taliban? The answer is, they're starved, exhausted, hurt, incapacitated, suffering. A few years ago, the United Nations estimated that there are 500,000 disabled orphans in Afghanistan -- a country with no economy, no food. There are millions of widows. And the Taliban has been burying these widows alive in mass graves. The soil is littered with land mines, the farms were all destroyed by the Soviets. These are a few of the reasons why the Afghan people have not overthrown the Taliban.
For so long, the Afghanis, just as the Iraqis, experience a despair I, as an American cannot fathom. As bullets and bombs whiz past their heads, daily, the veterans that cannot dream of a quiet homeland to which they might return, search for family, sustenance, a sense of normalcy. Some do not recall when their grief began. Nor do most have time to think of what now has become trivial, probably a moot point.
The foreign "veterans," the presumed foes of persons who reside in civilized Western States, are not paid to endure conflict. Innocent inhabitants in the Middle East, receive no recompense. These civilian veterans of combat are offered no promise of ongoing medical care. No one attends to the Post-Traumatic Syndrome [PTSD] of parents or the children born into bloody circumstances. Reductions in never-ending reprisals are the only reward the truest war veterans believe they can expect.
For these victims, these survivors, hostilities give rise to a heartache so great, they cannot clearly recall a beginning. Nor can they comprehend a conclusion. Afghanis and Iraqis immersed in warfare do not have the time to consider as Americans might.
I observe; citizens in this country are also busy. Perchance too assiduous to attend to what causes my anguish. It is the holiday season. Many bustle about. Several shop. Others stress. Financial concerns consume the newly unemployed. They have no time or desire to fret of what occurs on distant shores. Yet, I cannot forget.
I am left to live with the pain that penetrates my being. Where does it hurt; a doctor may ask. It gnaws at my core. The wound that causes my woe grows larger as it weighs heavy on my heart.
Only yesterday, during a discussion, as I spoke of the need to love thy neighbor and work for peace, a man said, "Tell that to them." Oh, that I thought there was reason to speak to those who wish to be cherished as fellow creatures, or that they could communicate to Americans of what it means to treasure life.
The gent's words were as the knife that turned at a time of commemoration. On Veterans Day, I mourned those who passed. I found it difficult to celebrate the physical survival of warriors who fought in wars that never cease. I know too many troops, all of whom suffer. Most of the injuries that impair them are invisible to the human eye. Yet, they are seen through the spirit. Battles, just as the throes I feel seem to have no beginning. Surely, they have no conclusion.
My heart grapples with wonder, as I contemplate the President and his appointment, the individual who will likely head the Department of Veterans Affairs. If only anyone at the press conference had inquired as I might have; how does a warrior, and one who proposes battle, demonstrate veneration for the veterans of combat?
Stunned by a deeper affliction, I realize the burden of apathy. Egocentric as Americans can be, Correspondents ask nothing of the nomination. Nor do the Journalist concern themselves with victims of war, plans to advance the combative progress into Afghanistan. The media is mesmerized, as the nation is, with issue number one, the economy.
Question after question speaks to money, the movement towards bailouts, mortgage securities, or the overall mess of this fiscal malaise.
On the anniversary of perhaps the worst of too many days to live in infamy, December 7, Pearl Harbor Day, a passing mention by the President Elect does not move the press to think of what the Americans and our allies have wrought. Barack Obama refers to this historic occasion. However, the symbolism, the history of horrific hurts, and the repetition of patriotic rampages seem lost on the reporters in the room.
Perchance, perpetual war has numbed the collective consciousness. Our country has come to accept there will always be another battle. On what was once Armistice Day, Americans acknowledged the First World War was not the conflict to end all other clashes. It seems for most, the excuse of self-defense serves to excuse massive slaughters of innocent. If only that rationalization satisfied my soul. It does not.
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, when viewed from the receiving end, are state-sponsored acts of terrorism. These wars defy every ethical and legal code that seek to determine when a nation can wage war, from Just War Theory to the statutes of international law largely put into place by the United States after World War II. These wars are criminal wars of aggression. They have left hundreds of thousands of people, who never took up arms against us, dead and seen millions driven from their homes. We have no right as a nation to debate the terms of these occupations. And an Afghan villager, burying members of his family's wedding party after an American airstrike, understands in a way we often do not that terrorist attacks can also be unleashed from the arsenals of an imperial power.
I believe I too understand as an Afghan rural dweller, or an Iraq city feller does; war is war. Terrorism cannot reasonably be defined as a righteous fight for freedom, and also as intimidation. A Commander cannot conclude that aggression is the correct course of action if they truly wish to bring about peace. Yet, that is what Americans have often done, and what Barack Obama, who plans to escalate attacks in Afghanistan, thinks to do.
This paradigm is the source of my agony and apprehension.
My fear is furthered when a Secretary of Veterans Affairs is announced, and those in the vanguard do not discuss civilian veteran casualties.
Possibly, others do not experience the ache as I do. They may have accepted physical distance as an emotional, intellectual separation. Certainly, Americans and I cannot touch the tragedy that fills the lives of those who are the truest veterans of war. I can only empathize and recount. My desire is that some day, the dull ache that began, I know not when, will pass from within me. All citizens in the Middle East, West, North, and South will experience no more war.
Whilst I may be ignorant of whenst war, and the ache it causes, came, I yearn for the day each ends.
Sources of sorrow; soldier and civilian suffering . . .
- Obama Picks Bush Critic to Head Veterans Affairs, By Paula Wolfson. Voice of America. 07 December 2008
- Obama Announces Veterans Affairs Secretary. CSPAN. December 7, 2008
- In quotes: Reasons for the Iraq war. British Broadcasting Company. May 29, 2003
- The 1991 War Against Iraq: Did the U.S. Government Desire to Have People Informed about Going to War? By Michael Hauben. 199
- Just War Theory. The Internet Encyclopedia.
- How to Not Spread Democracy, By Shibley Telhami. The Brookings Institute. September 17, 2007
- Poignant memories of Armistice Day, By Ross McKee. British Broadcasting Company. November 11, 2008
- An Afghan-American Speaks, By Tamim Ansary. Salon. September 14, 2001
- On this Veterans Day, By: Camilla "Mac" Boca. Truth out. November 11, 2008
- A Holiday to End All Wars, By Alexander Watson. The New York Times. November 11, 2008
- The 'Good War' Isn't Worth Fighting, By Rory Stewart. The New York Times. November 23, 2008
Posted by Betsy L. Angert on December 7, 2008 at 03:00 PM in Iraq War, Military Missions, Obama Oval Office, Veterans Affairs Agency, War and Peace | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Six Months. Six Years. Six Centuries. Perpetual War
copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org
Many Americans may wish to believe that if Arizona Senator John McCain were elected, he would ensure that this nation remains engaged in battle for eons. The conventional wisdom is Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton will "bring the troops home." Citizens, mostly Independents and Democrats, may blame the Republicans for conflicts that seem endless by design. Of course, when war is in question, countless Americans contemplate the current conflicts. Nearly everyone with some exceptions, places the onus on President George W. Bush, Vice President Richard B. Cheney, former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, or any of the other Neoconservatives in the Cabinet. Yet, these individuals and groups are not the only creators of combat. Any man or woman who believes, at times, war is the best, last, or the only option is culpable. Citizens throughout the globe have accepted the notion wars will always be. Hence fighting is, forever.
The Hundred Years War lasted from 1337 through 1453. The Eighty Years War [1588 – 1648] filled most of the next century. The Thirty Year Conflict [1618 – 1648] began before the latter hostilities were resolved. The Crusades [1095 – 1291], a series of related military clashes filled more than another century. The Northern Crusades, also known as the Baltic Battles began in 1193 and remained uninterrupted through the 16th century. Native Americans recognize that in the 19th Century the United States was perpetually at war. History that is more recent is no less explosive.
Since V-J Day 1945 ("Victory over Japan" and the end of World War II), we have been engaged in what the historian Charles A. Beard called "perpetual war for perpetual peace." I [Gore Vidal] have occasionally referred to our "enemy of the month club": each month we are confronted by a new horrendous enemy at whom we must strike before he destroys us. The Federation of American Scientists has catalogued nearly two hundred such military incursions since 1945 initiated by the U.S.
Nonetheless, Americans are repeatedly asked to believe that in six months all will be well. Citizens in this country [and that] have trusted their leaders. We, the less powerful, apathetic, anxious persons, are patient and perhaps hopeful. Populations do not acknowledge, that even when weapons are not wielded, the public is split. Man battles those he perceives as foe.
Political Parties bicker; however, the blood spilled is less visible. The battles are slightly less volatile. Nonetheless, within this nation, just as outside our borders, we are at war. In April 2008, individuals, Independents, persons who identify themselves with the Grand Old Party, and John McCain, may think themselves traditionalists. These persons may accept that often humans to do as was done. Democrats, the self-proclaimed do-gooders, who clamor for change, may tell us when they are in office peace will be restored. Yet, in truth, the plans the Progressives submit are no more tranquil than the ones Conservatives put forth. Troops may be reduced, but . . .
“So, let me be clear,” Clinton said today. “Under my plan, withdrawing from Iraq will not mean retreating from fighting terrorism in Iraq. That’s why I will order small, elite strike forces to engage in targeted operations against al Qaeda in Iraq. This will protect Iraqi citizens, our allies, and our families right here at home.”On a conference call with reporters this afternoon, a Clinton staff member went into further detail on her statement.
“In terms of the exact size of the small force that would be there to deal with these residual missions, that’s something that would really need to be determined at the time on the basis of consultation with the field commanders and the senior military leadership,” said Clinton campaign national security director Lee Feinstein. “In terms of the schedule again, Senator Clinton has talked about a rate of one to two combat brigades a month. She said that she would hope she could have nearly all of our combat troops out within a year’s time.”
When pressed to clarify how small the strike force would be, Feinstein maintained that it would be left to military commanders to decide, but that “small is small.”
When we see our soldiers as only statistics, or civilians affected by combative actions as little more than collateral damage, size is negligible. Four thousand plus American deaths, four million Iraqi refugees, the words do not speak to the scope of death and destruction. Numbers are but a note.
A hundred years is only a century. A brigade is but one. A battalion, comprised of three or more companies, although large might be defined as the same. After all, a division is but a single group. A thousand troops may seem significant; however, if the number is well framed, or hidden in confidential reports the public may accept a continued deployment. While those who want an end to the war in Iraq focus on the future as presented by Presidential aspirant John McCain, we cannot forget the hopeful Commanders, Hillary Clinton, or Barack Obama.
Is this more proof that no matter who is elected, some troops won't be leaving Iraq anytime soon. The New York Sun: "A key adviser to Senator Obama’s campaign is recommending in a confidential paper that America keep between 60,000 and 80,000 troops in Iraq as of late 2010, a plan at odds with the public pledge of the Illinois senator to withdraw combat forces from Iraq within 16 months of taking office.”“The paper, obtained by The New York Sun, was written by Colin Kahl for the center-left Center for a New American Security. In ‘Stay on Success: A Policy of Conditional Engagement,’ Mr. Kahl writes that through negotiations with the Iraqi government ‘the U.S. should aim to transition to a sustainable over-watch posture (of perhaps 60,000–80,000 forces) by the end of 2010 (although the specific timelines should be the byproduct of negotiations and conditions on the ground).’”
Might we consider diplomatic dialogues, be they with John McCain, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Republicans, or Democrats, based on history, may be no better than they were in the past. It seems for ages humans have been dedicated to deliberate destructive dissensions without end.
Americans who claim to love peace may wish to condemn a Presidential aspirant who admits, we will be at war for six more months, six more years, six more decades, or six centuries. However, Progressives need only look at the past and the pronouncements proposed by Democratic hopefuls. We, the people may wish to realize war will likely remain in the wind regardless of who is in office. Perhaps, if each individual, in every nation decided to reject warfare as an option, we would not battle through eternity.
Living life in peace . . .
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
~ John Lennon [Singer, Songwriter]
Words and War . . .
Posted by Betsy L. Angert on April 9, 2008 at 11:00 PM in Afghanistan, Bush 43 Administration, Hillary Clinton, Iraq War, Violence, War and Peace, War is in the Wind, War, The Last Option | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Human Cost of Occupation; 4000 American Soldiers Fall
copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org
Their names and faces are known. Yet, these servicemen and women remain invisible for most Americans. Their families suffer, and have for years. When the troops were abroad, relatives worried. Now that these four thousand are gone from Earth forever, the persons that love them still wish to bring them back. Semper fidelis, always faithful and forlorn.
They were our soldiers, the American troops that served to protect us. These military men and women took up arms to fight off terrorists. They battled aggressors. They [supposedly] kept us free from another attack. Nevertheless, these persons were powerless against an Administration unbridled with absolute authority.
None of those killed could stop the invasion into Iraq. Upon entrance into the service, soldiers understood war was an option. However, few could have imagined the reality or the risk. Courageous lads and lasses sent to the Persian Gulf feared what could be a certain fate, death. Yet, they marched on. Soldiers true to their country, had a mission. They were intent on the hope of an accomplishment.
One in six were not old enough to legally buy a beer. Nearly two dozen had lived long enough to qualify for an American Association of Retired Persons [AARP] card. Eleven passed as the folks at home in the States sliced a turkey on Thanksgiving Day. An identical number fell while the people celebrated the birth of Christ. Five were slain on the anniversary of their births. The surname Smith belonged to one percent of the dead soldiers.
- Ninety-eight percent were male (compared with 99.9% of those lost in Vietnam). Three-quarters were non-Hispanic white (compared with 86% in Vietnam). The most common age was 21 (20 in Vietnam).
- Nine percent were officers, including 24 lieutenant colonels and six colonels.
- More of the fallen were based at Fort Hood in Texas than at any other military installation.
- New York City, which has lost 62 residents, had more deaths than any other hometown.
- More than half of the nearly 4,000 (52%) were killed by bombs, 16% by enemy gunfire. Five percent died in aircraft crashes. Fifty-five people drowned, and 15 were electrocuted. Almost one in five died from what the military terms "non-hostile" causes.
- Since the war began in March 2003, the Pentagon has reported double-digit U.S. fatalities on 35 days. The bloodiest was Jan. 26, 2005, when a Marine helicopter crashed in a sandstorm, killing all 31 aboard, and six other service members died in combat. The bloodiest month was November 2004, when 137 died; the least bloody was February 2004, when 21 were lost. On 460 days of the war, no service member died.
How many American soldiers were wounded? Can we calculate the ones whose scars cannot be seen? What of the families and friends affected? One heart, mind, body, or soul tortured wounds more than a single individual. Savage combat destroys a society.
~ Thomas Edison [Scientist, Inventor]
As of this evening, five years and four days after the first bomb blast, four thousand American troops have fallen in Iraq. The carnage is incomprehensible. Countless civilians were massacred. War, or mass murder, was waged in the name of the American people, and yet, the people on terra firma sit idly by.
~ Albert Einstein [Physicist]
For month's United States citizens, cozy, and comfortable in America have allowed themselves to be distracted. Combat seemed less crucial than an economic crisis. Presidential politics has entertained the electorate. The situation in Iraq is less sexy than a juicy scandal or a sensational sermon. Tonight as the four thousandth soldier took a last breath might we contemplate the meaning of this milestone.
These numberrs represent only the Americans. What of the innocent Iraqis now perished. If we are to truly tally the losses, we must consider the millions of Iraqi civilians displaced, A year ago, there were four [4] million refugees.
- The wounded figure since March 19, 2003, is now well above 29,000. It is far, far higher than the number killed, and often has a more lasting impact on those who sacrifice as a human tragedy and in terms of costs. If one counts the number of men and women whose lives have been virtually destroyed by critical combat wounds and adds that total to the number killed, we reached 4,000 long ago. Far too much media coverage focuses only on "killed." There needs to be balance in counting all of the wounded, and far more attention paid to the number of critical physical and psychological wounds and disability cases. In many ways, news reporting on the "stats" of the fighting now covers only half the sacrifice of those who serve in uniform. . . .
- No one can really predict at this time whether we will be able to sharply reduce the future rate of casualties during 2009-2010, and move to "strategic overwatch" and reliance on the ISF for almost all the fighting. We could see a failure of political conciliation lead to more intense U.S. fighting and a new rise in casualty rates or even to U.S. withdrawal. The odds of success in Iraq now seem higher than those of defeat, and events seem more likely to steadily reduce U.S. casualties, but there are no certainties.
- As for the present, all the same data that show a major decline in U.S. and Iraqi casualties since last summer also show that the reduction of casualties has now plateaued and may be rising. Al Qaeda and the extreme elements of the JAM have every incentive to find ways to raise the U.S. casualties between now and November, and will be seeking ways to use bombings to raise the rate and number. These attacks may be far more important over the months to come than the 4,000 figure.
- There is a great deal of talk about the ultimate future dollar cost of the war if we stay. Much of this discussion somewhat unrealistically assumes that the dollar cost of fighting and aid remains relatively constant. In practice, success in moving to strategic overwatch and shifting the burden to the ISF and Iraqi government expenditures would actually sharply reduce the out year dollar costs. The same is true of the longer term trends in killing and wounded.
- But, if we are in Iraq through the end of the next administration, the real benchmark may still be more than 5,000 killed and 15,000-20,000 more wounded before the costs in blood are over.
Could we count the Persians and Americans deeply disturbed. As the instigators of battle we, the people of this "peaceful" nation must ponder the thousands, perhaps, millions mentally and emotionally impaired, adults, and the children who will never be the same. The scars are deep; the sorrow deeper. Will we, the American people allow the bloodshed to be our birthright. Are 'lives lost' the legacy we wish to leave our children.
By the time this treatise is read, the totals will probably be incorrect, the data outdated One more life will have been taken. Another will soon depart. Those who live and suffer will not be evaluated, and few will reflect on the sign hung in Albert Einstein's Princeton office.
May we stop for a moment, maybe more. Might we bring the troops home now, before one more body falls. Lets us all rest in peace before we are buried alive by the effects of a wasteful war.
Sources and Scars . . .
Posted by Betsy L. Angert on March 23, 2008 at 11:39 AM in Afghanistan, Exit Iraq Now, Iraq War, Military Missions, War and Peace, War is in the Wind, War Kills [Mind, Body, Spirit], War, The Last Option, Wars Bush Commanded | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Exit Iraq; Public Opinion Changed. Support for War Sustained
copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert
To everything there is a season,
and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones,
and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate;
a time of war, and a time of peace.
~ Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
They say life is cyclical. Peace prospers in a era. Epochs are filled with tales of war. Currently, in the United States, this is the political season. Issues are the topic of import. While at times, it seems rumors rule during the ritual run for the presidency, mostly, people want to speak of what affects their everyday life. Some say, "It is the economy, stu***." Others declare military defense and homeland security are the subjects we must speak about. A few say, we must secure our boarders. This theme ties the two aforementioned together. Jobs and terrorism are the greatest concern. Then there are those who inquire, "What happened to talk of the Iraq war?"
Well you may recall months ago, in a September 2007, Democratic Debate, whilst citizens clamored for an end to American involvement in Iraq, a storm rolled in. A tsunami of sorts washed over the American people, and talk of an exit plan was quelled.
The three top tier Democratic candidates all affirmed that they could not anticipate what they would find when they took office. Each of the so-called "electable" Democratic "hopefuls" declared, they would not commit to end the war in Iraq until after their first term. Perhaps, by 2013 a Democratic President would decide to remove troops from Iraq. Before that, they would likely increase the number of battalions in Afghanistan, at least Hillary Clinton certainly would. After all, Clinton and Barack Obama believed, that is where we "should' have been all along. Senator Obama stated, Afghanistan, and possibly Pakistan, were "the right battlefield'' in the war against terrorism."
Once the Democrat hopefuls adopted a strong war stance, the constituency adapted. It was as if summer turned to fall. The leaves fell from the trees, and citizens of the United States settled in for a warm winter nap.
If Progressive leaders believed the war would not end, then perhaps, so too, must the public. The Republican candidates never intended to exit Iraq anytime soon. Each thought that would be unwise. The faithful base was behind them. A few faltered. Those "independents" followed Congressman and Presidential contender Ron Paul down the anti-war path. Perchance these scant few thought they could escape the cold brought on by combat.
However, for the most part, Republicans, even those who questioned the wisdom of the Persian Gulf War, did as the "right" does so well, they fell in line. Conservatives were not ready for change. The cozy comfort felt when the winds at home are calm creates complacency. As long as the battles did not interrupt the lives of those who first endorsed an engagement in Iraq, all was well.
Was that not the umbrella used to protect the policy? "We're fighting them there so we don't have to fight them here at home." John McCain submitted his support for the surge early on. For the Arizona statesman, war is always in season. Residents of Derry, New Hampshire might recall.
The United States military could stay in Iraq for "maybe a hundred years" and that "would be fine with me," John McCain told two hundred or so people at a town hall meeting.
Some seasons see no end, and perhaps war is one of those. It seems throughout history there has been a battle somewhere on the planet no matter the time or temperature. Senator John McCain recognizes this. He revels in this truth.
Indeed, the Presidential aspirant thought America needed to send in more soldiers to surge in Iraq than the President proposed to do. If we are to reign, then, we must pour on the pressure. The tactic may not bring peace, and to those such as McCain, global harmony may be but a myth, but certainly, more military might, will result in a temporary win, a seasonal success of sorts. That is far better than an admission of defeat.
In a Presidential Debate, June 2007, John McCain may have spoken for all the Republicans aspirants at the time, with the exception of Representative Ron Paul of Texas. When MSNBC moderator Chris Matthews asked "Senator McCain, most of the public pessimism today has to do with Iraq. How -- what would you need, as commander in chief, to win the war in Iraq?" The former prisoner of war responded.
I would need to be able to show them some success in Iraq . . .That strategy can succeed. The young men and women who are serving are the best of America. I believe that if we could bring around -- about stability in the neighborhoods in Iraq . . . you are going to succeed.
Surrender? Defeat?
We must win in Iraq. If we withdraw, there will be chaos, there will be genocide, and they [the terrorist] will follow us home.
Only two months before John McCain made this statement, in the Spring of the year, the Christian Science Monitor reported US public's support of Iraq war sliding faster now. Those who regretted our decision to attack Iraq outnumbered those who supported the war by 14 percentage points. Republicans were the majority among the forty [40] percent of the Americans who remained stalwart. Thus, the Senator's stance did not shock these traditionalists. Those who advocated a "stay the course" strategy, were, and possibly are, still in awe of what American military might can do. According to the Pew Research Center in Washington, in the early Spring 2007, fifty-four [54] percent of the citizens in the United States objected to the current conflict.
By June, as the Summer sun set on the horizon, only a month after John McCain presented his proclamation, much had changed. The public tired of the protracted war. A win was not in the future. Many Americans concluded they had been lied to. Republicans were as war-weary as the Democrats.
Public support for the war in Iraq has fallen to a new low. Not only that, but Republican support is beginning to waver.Thirty percent of Americans polled say they favor the war, the lowest level of support on record. Two-thirds are opposed.
Anti-war sentiment among Republican poll respondents has suddenly increased with 38 percent of Republicans now saying they oppose the war.
Moreover, 63 percent of Americans are ready to withdraw at least some troops from Iraq. Forty-two percent of Republicans agree.
Fifty-four percent of Americans do not believe U.S. action in Iraq is morally justified.
Now, as Americans look forward to the November election, we rally round rumors. We speak less of peace and more of money. Our leaders have helped us to realize that peace is not a viable prospect.
We have come to accept that another season passed and a newer storm is in view. There was a time when the public realized soldiers were conveniently hidden from view. People acknowledged that the wounded and fallen were flown home, into Dover Air Force base, in the dark of night. Citizens questioned why the troops remained invisible to an American public uninformed or too caught up in apathy to care. Many asked of the injured who were stored like cattle in hospitals such as Walter Reid. People clamored in distress when they read of the awful conditions. However, that moment too has passed.
Citizens of this country now care less that trillions have passed through our fingers. We worry not when we contemplate what was spent on a war we remain mired in; yet, reluctantly, we acknowledge what the powerful told us was true. The combat will continue. We consent to the conflict in Iraq just as we had before.
American public support for the military effort in Iraq has reached a high point unseen since the summer of 2006, a development that promises to reshape the political landscape.According to late February polling conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, 53 percent of Americans - a slim majority - now believe “the U.S. will ultimately succeed in achieving its goals” in Iraq. That figure is up from 42 percent in September 2007.
The percentage of those who believe the war in Iraq is going “very well” or “fairly well” is also up, from 30 percent in February 2007 to 48 percent today. . . .
Democrats’ resolute support for the withdrawal of U.S. combat forces may soon position them at odds with independent voters, in particular, a constituency they need to retake the White House.
Half of self-identified independents polled now believe the United States should “keep troops in Iraq until the situation has stabilized,” according to polling data assembled by Pew at Politico’s request. . . .
The uptick in public support is a promising sign for Republican candidates who have been bludgeoned over the Bush administration’s war policies. But no candidate stands to gain more than McCain.
The forecast for Democrats has changed. The predictions may be grim. Whilst slams and damns were exchanged amongst the Democratic aspirants, no one in the Progressive Party noticed that talk of the war waned. People no longer thought the troops a profound topic. The rain of rumors filled the air, as did what seemed more real and relevant to those here at home. Foreclosures, financial woes, coupled with that early lack of commitment to end the war in Iraq, opened the door to a flood of futility. Hence, the people resigned themselves to an endless war, and those that recall the fallen are left to ask, "Where have all the soldiers gone, long time passing." The answer is blowing in the wind. The troops have gone to graveyards every one. Might we inquire, "When will we ever learn?"
As the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war approaches, let us remember the 4,444 American soldiers who took a last breathe. Lest we forget the more than 29,305 seriously wounded and the near 90,000 Iraqi civilian deaths. Please recall the than 4.2 million innocent Iraqi refugees, who have left their homes "many in dire need of humanitarian care."
Perchance, it is time, the season, to ponder. Would we wish to war for a few more years? Are Americans prepared to eat, drink, be merry, and forget the cost of combat? The answer may be "Yes." While we are currently concerned with the expense of food, fuel, wine, and water, the truth is, as long as citizens in this country do not have to see any of the death and destruction that occurs daily, we can still gossip and elect those who will sustain the slaughter. Americans will not ask . . .
Where Have All the Flowers Gone
words and music by Pete Seeger
performed by Pete Seeger and Tao Rodriguez-SeegerWhere have all the flowers gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the flowers gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the flowers gone?
Girls have picked them every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?Where have all the young girls gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the young girls gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the young girls gone?
Taken husbands every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?Where have all the young men gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the young men gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the young men gone?
Gone for soldiers every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?Where have all the soldiers gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the soldiers gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the soldiers gone?
Gone to graveyards every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?Where have all the graveyards gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the graveyards gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the graveyards gone?
Covered with flowers every one
When will we ever learn?
When will we ever learn?©1961 (Renewed) Fall River Music Incorporated
All Rights Reserved.
Sources and Support for War . . .
Posted by Betsy L. Angert on March 15, 2008 at 08:00 AM in Afghanistan, Elections, Exit Iraq Now, Iraq War, War and Peace, War is in the Wind, Why War? | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Less Jobs. More Wars. A Progressive Platform
copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org
Republicans rant. It is our patriotic duty to support the war. Every citizen must fund murderous actions and accept more soldiers, and civilians will fall. Our countrymen need to devote millions, billions, and trillions of dollars to the cause. We, the people have no choice. Our image is at stake. The world's greatest superpower must win! Americans must never say die. We must only discuss victory.
In this nation, might makes right. It is it not this war it will be another. Americans will remind people throughout the globe, we are strong.
Progressives say, we must stop the "Right." With John McCain at the helm, it is certain, military missions will continue. We must remind Republicans of our priorities. Jobs must be the focus. However, might we mention to those labeled Liberal, Democrats, or bleeding hearts, it is essential we not forget a Potential President McCain is not our only concern.
Hillary Clinton wants to send more troops to Afghanistan. Barack Obama, like Clinton offers a conditional and tepid plan to withdraw troops in Iraq. Obama also intends to shift the battle to Afghanistan. John McCain believes war is inevitable, always. The Arizona Senator and Republican aspirant claims the United States can endlessly occupy other nations without the loss of an American life. As long as no citizen of the States is sacrificed, war is unavoidable and perhaps good for the country or at least fine with John McCain.
Democrats, Progressives believe we must fight against a McCain Presidency. This former prisoner of war will sustain a surge. Under the authority of McCain, citizens will continue to die abroad and struggle to survive at home. I inquire; will a President Clinton or a Commander-In-Chief Obama truly end the wars or merely transfer the troops to another battlefield Will jobs here at home be restored or the budget balanced as we continue to engage in hostile entanglements? There are no plans to conclude combat worldwide, not among Progressives or those the Left deems the enemy. Perchance, we must change the Party platform. Fighting against a foe named McCain will not end the skirmishes. A combative Clinton or Obama are of equal concern. War is war. Please let us work towards peace.
Promote a Peaceful Progressive Platform . . .
Posted by Betsy L. Angert on February 8, 2008 at 08:00 AM in Afghanistan, Elections, Exit Iraq Now, Iran, Iraq War, Labor, Employment, Military Missions, Politics, Powerful Polluters, War and Peace, War is in the Wind, War Kills [Mind, Body, Spirit], War, The Last Option, Wars Bush Commanded | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
America; The Land of Amnesia and Apathy Forgets Why We Fight
Why We Fight. Part I
Please view the series in it entirety. Parts II, III, and IV are presented below.
copyright © 2007 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org
Americans, her allies, and those we have yet to formally declare an adversary awaken each day to a world of glory. In the dawn, we hear only the gentle sound of songbirds. The rustling of leaves also hums in our ears. A silence fills the morning air. It is the tune of tranquility. We open our eyes and see beauty, most everywhere. Although we are awake and alert, Americans have amnesia. We do not recall why we fight, why we fear, and why we are forever at war.
Citizens in calm and clean countries, those not engaged in combat with the United States, and particularly individuals in affluent America, rub their eyes, look at the clock, confirm the time, and enter the "restroom." Repeatedly, as an automaton, people follow their routines. They do not recall that we are at war. Nor do "civilized" souls summon up the lessons of the past. During the course of a busy day, few Americans ponder, why we fight abroad or what is it that we truly fear.
One after another, in most every abode, an American touches a toggle switch. Without a word from the Almighty, there is light. A slight stroke on a polished handle and water flows freely. A shower, perhaps a shave, followed by breakfast cooked on a stove and we are off. We have hardly a care in the world. There is no reason to ruminate. Why do we fight? Why is there war, and why do we engage in battle?
Although the periodicals are filled with death, the airwaves broadcast military bereavements, in America, and in other prosperous providences, war is but a blur. People have more serious matters or burdens for the minds of many. A glass of chilled juice might be nice. Scan the newspapers for the best sales. Watch a little television. Open the garage door, enter the car, and drive off to work or play. Life is good in the United States. This is why we fight, and fight, and fight again. We want to preserve our right to be free.
Admittedly, there are the few forgotten ones, even in this wealthy nation. Some people are too poor to enjoy as most of us do. These impoverished individuals barely survive. That is what happens when there is a battle waged. No one has yet to win the "war on poverty." Therefore, we cannot expect the underprivileged to indulge as the rest of us do. These forgotten souls as are all victims of hostilities, out of sight and out of mind. The pitiable fight to stay alive. Might they wonder why the privileged fight?
In a nation afflicted with amnesia, we know not of what is or why. We merely go about our day. For the most part Americans and her allies immerse themselves in opulence, or more "correctly" the necessary creature comforts. For those secure in their political association with America, daily chores can be conveniently completed. Elsewhere, in official war zones, citizens do not have this luxury. On battlefields, people do not have the luxury of memory loss. Perchance , each day those entrenched in combat ask, why do Americans wrestle against us.
Bombs blast overhead. Bullets soar just above the ground. Dust fills the skies. Debris is deposited on every street corner. Homes are hovels for they have been reduced to rubble. Electrical power is not generated with regularity. Water, when found is frequently contaminated. We understand in Iraq, there is a Green Zone. However, even in this supposed sanctuary, the weapons of war whiz by. Arsenals are the only commodities in abundance. Guns and ammunition are consumer goods in a nation rife with war! In a war-torn nation, residents understand why they brawl. It is a matter of life and death.
In America however, the "land of the free and the home of the brave," we believe battles preserve our rights. Our young men and women march off to war, no matter the generation to protect and serve the citizens of this sovereign nation. Countrymen understand a system that ensures liberty, justice, and freedom for all must be maintained. We must fight to sustain our serenity. Certainly, global harmony will come, eventually, if we maim, murder, and massacre all potential and probable enemies. However, war does not wield as we wish it would. It never has. So, we might ask, why do we fight.
Every generation of Americans in this century has fought a major war. We joined World War I, we were told, "to make the world safe for democracy." In World War II, we were attacked and fought to save the world from tyranny. In Korea and Vietnam, the grip of ideology led us to fight communism. In Iraq, we fought for oil. All in all, during the half-century of the Cold War, we used military force abroad on over 50 occasions. In fact, America has made a habit of war.Today's world is loaded with opportunities to go to war again. Yet, we view ourselves as a peace-loving nation without any hostile designs on the world. Will the real America please stand up?
Stand we do. Americans stand solid in support of the troops. We rise above the fray of diplomacy. We dictate; all other Federations must embrace the democratic process, and if they do not, we will impose our principles, if not in practice, in force. United States Armed Services cannot extend themselves too thin or too far, or so citizens of this country believe. It is our quest to spread democracy, even if by military might. In this nation, we forget the warnings of George Washington. Apathetic and arrogant, Americans enjoy a perpetual state of amnesia.
Observe good faith and justice towards all nations; cultivate peace and harmony with all. . . . Who can doubt that, in the course of time and things, the fruits of such a plan would richly repay any temporary advantages, which might be lost by a steady adherence to it?. . . The great rule of conduct for us in regard to foreign nations is in extending our commercial relations, to have with them as little political connection as possible. So far as we have already formed engagements, let them be fulfilled with perfect good faith. Here let us stop.
. . . If we remain one people under an efficient government the period is not far off when we may defy material injury from external annoyance; when we may take such an attitude as will cause the neutrality we may at any time resolve upon to be scrupulously respected; when belligerent nations, under the impossibility of making acquisitions upon us, will not lightly hazard the giving us provocation; when we may choose peace or war, as our interest, guided by justice, shall counsel.
Why forego the advantages of so peculiar a situation? Why quit our own to stand upon foreign ground? Why, by interweaving our destiny with that of any part of Europe, entangle our peace and prosperity in the toils of European ambition, rivalship, interest, humor, or caprice?
It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world; so far, I mean, as we are now at liberty to do it; for let me not be understood as capable of patronizing infidelity to existing engagements. I hold the maxim no less applicable to public than to private affairs, that honesty is always the best policy. I repeat it, therefore, let those engagements be observed in their genuine sense. But, in my opinion, it is unnecessary and would be unwise to extend them.
Taking care always to keep ourselves by suitable establishments on a respectable defensive posture, we may safely trust to temporary alliances for extraordinary emergencies. . . . Harmony, liberal intercourse with all nations, are recommended by policy, humanity, and interest .
George Washington understood that it is possible to intermingle; yet, remain independent. The General reveled in the quiet of peace. The first President of the United States appreciated the stillness that settles in when we, the people are benevolent. Concord for him was not a colonial city. The elder statesman explained as a father might, be kind, be careful, do not seek to consume beyond your means or conquer those in your path.
Yet, colonists in this New World, just as children with a new toy, or the teen who experiences a novel sense of freedom, were not satisfied with the sublime. Pioneers were bored with presumed borders. The early settlers wanted to explore, as a young person or nation does. The need to expand, extend beyond all barriers, to invent, and invade uncharted frontiers was great.
"Americans" advocated a maverick approach. We advanced forward, contrary to the cautions of our forefather. The people of this new territory deemed themselves the future. They, we sought to forego the lessons history might teach us. John L. O'Sullivan, Editor, and Journalist wrote of this popular sentiment in 1839. We hold these truths to be self-evident. America had and has a Manifest Destiny. Decidedly, intentionally we deny our history.
The American people having derived their origin from many other nations, and the Declaration of National Independence being entirely based on the great principle of human equality, these facts demonstrate at once our disconnected position as regards any other nation; that we have, in reality, but little connection with the past history of any of them, and still less with all antiquity, its glories, or its crimes. On the contrary, our national birth was the beginning of a new history, the formation and progress of an untried political system, which separates us from the past and connects us with the future only; and so far as regards the entire development of the natural rights of man, in moral, political, and national life, we may confidently assume that our country is destined to be the great nation of futurity.
The people, and the government, those that title themselves Americans, grabbed land. We subjugated native people. Then we dominated others. Citizens, in a land where all men are created equal, violated their own Constitution and desecrated humanitarian principles. Our countrymen enslaved. As the neophytes we are, or were, we coveted our neighbor's goods, then, seized these. Although we have grown physically, the habits acquired in this nation's youth remain strong. We feel most steady when we do as we have done.
Just as any adolescent would, when Americans [or her allies] speak of our past, we claim, ''that was then.'' This is now. Times, they are a changing. We need not correlate what was with what is. We cannot live in the past. We do not dwell on what was. In an Technological Age we are all connected. We cannot be isolationist. Citizens of the United States negate the wisdom and words of Washington. We refuse to see that he never suggested that we be separate or secluded. President George Washington stressed that we must work well with all the world's inhabitants. In his farewell address he proclaimed that we be the image of peace and the embodiment of domestic tranquility. Americans must extend the same sense of serenity to its neighbors in every nation.
The former leader of this great land reminded us, invasion is not a wish among the inhabitants of any nation. Undue influence beckons no man, woman or child. Yet, in our irrational exuberance, we forgot. Americans, adolescents that we are, wish to expand our horizons, to grow, to progress. We have yet to realize this philosophy causes us to regress. Citizens of the USA are as aggressive children, always searching for the next nation or notion to defeat. Thus, we war. We have done so for centuries. We did not heed the warning of George Washington. As youngsters, we knew better. We still do, or so we believe. As adolescents, we are certain we do not have amnesia. We have no history to recollect.
Americans live in the present. They do not realize that fight after fight has not brought us true freedom. For our countrymen, each battle is unique, a new beginning and an end to all war.
Citizens of the United states do not consider that bigotry bounds our citizen and has for centuries. We do not realize or accept, Americans are limited by what we hold dear. Dependency on petroleum, possessions, and property control us. US residents have no choice but to war for what they want and want, and want more of.
If freedom is defined in respect to neoconservative values, those established in reaction to the idea of social equality, then in a reactionary manner, we are liberated. We have the freedom to follow selected leaders and teachers, preachers who profess righteous realities.
Americans do not bestow benevolence upon others unless it serves their purpose. Arrogance and amnesia work well for us. When they do not, war is always an option, or is it.
As I speak to history, I hear the voices of those that died a brutal death, at the hands of an American. In the name of peace, US born brigades battled and shed the blood of our brethren on foreign shores. We were fortunate, for a time we avoided severe clashes within our country. However, just as our forefather prophesized, those that do not act in peace will be victim to violence. Citizens of the United States are casualties of the combat we engage in. We behave as savages and reap the rewards of what we sow. Yet, we claim not to understand why anyone would aggress against us.
Man is the only animal that deals in that atrocity of atrocities, War.
He is the only one that gathers his brethren about him and goes forth in cold blood and calm pulse to exterminate his kind.
He is the only animal that for sordid wages will march out
. . . and help to slaughter strangers of his own species who have done him no harm and with whom he has no quarrel.
And in the intervals between campaigns he washes the blood off his hands and works for "the universal brotherhood of man"--with his mouth.
~ Mark Twain [What Is Man?]
On September 11, 2001, the United States was attacked. Millions wondered why. Our leaders told us that those in other lands hate us. They are jealous. I think not. I believe citizens in many countries abroad are beleaguered. People in distant nations want citizens of the United States to attend to American affairs, and allow those elsewhere to care for their country alone. Those we label "stranger," a danger, may actually think their way of life is better for them than ours would be.
However, citizens of the United States and those "wise" enough to be on our side desire to control what comes. We want those quiet mornings, with cool breezes driven by electric powered fans. We have learned to always want more. In the USA, we crave indoor plumbing, and automobiles that run on foreign fuel. Toil as we might, citizens of the once New World came to realize that here, in this land we did not have all of the resources to support the lifestyle we covet. Americans have allowed themselves to become dependent, while retaining an independent attitude.
Wild Westerners helped the United States to grow. We grabbed all we could; we still do. We fight for what we want.
As infants are, we were imaginative, inventive, inspired, and innovative. Americans learned to build better guns and bombs. We manufacture unmanned planes so that we might drop arsenals on foreign regions without putting ourselves in harms way. One of our lives is far more precious than any foreign beings might be. Military might helped us gain power. Yet, our dominance remains dependent on the tentative goodwill of others. In truth, the oppressed and abused in nations afar fear us. They begrudge us not for our wealth but for our ways. The others are not envious; they are indignant.
We might consider what those elsewhere realize. We, the world's superpower, do not understand definitive diplomacy. We understand war. Thus, we easily engage in combat. Perchance, to be heard, people in foreign lands work to speak the only language we seem to comprehend, brutality.
Oh, Americans may sit at a table and talk; however, rarely do we listen. We are as a two-year old toddler or rebellious adolescents often are. Americans, even when engaged in negotiations are irascible, confrontational, inflexible, and obstinate. Witness the woes other nations express when we dictate what we want, and then label our demands diplomatic.
People in lands abroad do not wish to adopt American values; nor do they wish to have these standards imposed on them. They wish only to peacefully coexist. Those in every nation wish to be politically independent. No one negates that all countries are, by the very nature of this planet, inexorably intertwined. However, that does not mean they are one. As a mother is to a child, the two are connected; yet separate. Characteristically, the young learn from the older. History and experience teaches or tries to.
Our nation's father, George Washington worked to bestow wisdom. Later, General Smedley Darlington Butler endeavored to enlighten. However, the rebellious renegades commonly called Americans refused to believe the warnings of a warrior that understood, "War is a racket!"
WAR is a racket. It always has been.It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives.
A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of the people. Only a small "inside" group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few, at the expense of the very many. Out of war, a few people make huge fortunes.
In the World War [I], a mere handful garnered the profits of the conflict. At least 21,000 new millionaires and billionaires were made in the United States during the World War. That many admitted their huge blood gains in their income tax returns. How many other war millionaires falsified their tax returns no one knows.
How many of these war millionaires shouldered a rifle? How many of them dug a trench? How many of them knew what it meant to go hungry in a rat-infested dug-out? How many of them spent sleepless, frightened nights, ducking shells and shrapnel and machine gun bullets? How many of them parried a bayonet thrust of an enemy? How many of them were wounded or killed in battle?
Out of war, nations acquire additional territory, if they are victorious. They just take it. This newly acquired territory promptly is exploited by the few -- the selfsame few who wrung dollars out of blood in the war. The general public shoulders the bill.
And what is this bill?
This bill renders a horrible accounting. Newly placed gravestones. Mangled bodies. Shattered minds. Broken hearts and homes. Economic instability. Depression and all its attendant miseries. Back-breaking taxation for generations and generations.
For a great many years, as a soldier, I had a suspicion that war was a racket; not until I retired to civil life did I fully realize it. Now that I see the international war clouds gathering, as they are today, I must face it and speak out.
These are the words of a United States General, an officer, a man who twice won the Medal of Honor. General Smedley Darlington Butler was, at the time of his passing, in 1940, the most decorated Marine in United states history. A man of maturity, a military modern, a General that saw and led soldiers into combat, concluded, "To hell with war!"
The General realized as many historians have for centuries; war is an economic endeavor. Hence, the reason Americans excel. Just as a young child, intent on getting what they want, will manipulate a message, so too will American powerbrokers and their political pawns. As a lad, or lass, might convince a friend or a familiar to do as they desire for the good of the gang, the influential in America tell the common folk that if we war, life will be good globally. The prominent people tell the poor innocents they need to fight this battle for altruistic reasons.
We must engage in combat to free the oppressed, ensure freedom for our citizens, to defeat communism, to eliminate terrorism, to make more millionaires, to build the portfolios of billionaires, fight to ensure the financial stability of the few.
General Butler understood as we must if war is to ever end, those in foreign nations want as we long for, to be free, free to decide for themselves what is best, and right for them. Smedley Darlington Butler also through the wisdom of ages, experience, and empathy realized the truer question.
[W]hat business is it of ours whether Russia or Germany or England or France or Italy or Austria live under democracies or monarchies? Whether they are Fascists or Communists? Our problem is to preserve our own democracy.
Why do we brawl? When we fight for the freedom of others, or to maintain the fallacy that we are unimpeded by a lifestyle that binds us, then we deny history. We dishonor the memories of those that fought and died for this country. We ignore the wisdom of General Washington, Butler, and Eisenhower. Again, in a Farewell Speech to the nation and the world, one more military leader and another President of the United States warned us.
Until the latest of our world conflicts, the United States had no armaments industry. American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But now we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense; we have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. Added to this, three and a half million men and women are directly engaged in the defense establishment. We annually spend on military security more than the net income of all United States corporations.This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence -- economic, political, even spiritual -- is felt in every city, every State house, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet, we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society.
In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.
We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.
Were we to honor the words of Generals George Washington, Smedley Darlington Butler, and Dwight D. Eisenhower, perhaps, we the people would rise up above the maverick mentality that hinders us. Citizens of the United States might realize we need not come to blows when in crisis. If the people of this nation did not follow the multi-millionaire moguls, otherwise known as Commander-In-Chief, down a path of destruction, then, perchance we could live in peace worldwide. The rote reply to why we fight need not be answered, if there is no reason for the question.
President Washington appreciated, if we did not interact in harmony, those elsewhere would seek to destroy us. As Washington understood, violence begets violence, and so it has. The cycle will continue if we choose not to comprehend what we create.
As the deaths tolls rise in each and every territory at war, we can no longer believe as we do, or have. Americans must begin to honor history and not see themselves as separate or as futurist with a manifest destiny to pursue, The people of the United States must accept military industrial complex will not save us from perceived monsters. Only we can save ourselves. Fear is frivolous. Apprehension is born of ignorance. If Americans allow themselves to grow beyond, if we abandon the individualistic, immature outlook, which inhibits our belief in our fellow man, if we acknowledge what we know, all will be well.
In 2007, we are again at a crossroads. The recent protracted battle has heightened our awareness. As our children passed in combat and continue to meet an awful fate, we grow a bit. Slowly, some came, and more will come to realize intelligence, as it relates to war is frequently false. The information the public receives serves the powerbrokers, not the people. As Smedley Darlington Butler mused, we might say now.
Had secrecy been outlawed as far as war negotiations were concerned, and had the press been invited to be present at that conference, or had radio been available to broadcast the proceedings, America never would have entered the World War. But this conference, like all war discussions, was shrouded in utmost secrecy. When our boys were sent off to war they were told it was a "war to make the world safe for democracy" and a "war to end all wars."
Do we wish to have a need to state this again? I think not. As the Presidential elections approach, we have an opportunity to choose anew. In each political Party, candidates remind us we must fear those that want nothing more than we do. Millionaires, near billionaires and their pals proclaim we can only achieve peace through strength. Please, let us finally accept a truism passed down through time. War need not be an option. We can achieve the absurd. Strength comes through peace.
Citizens in every region want to be free. Our neighbor's abroad wish to wake up each morning after a restful sleep and welcome a quiet day. They yearn to see the sun shine, clear skies, and a calm community. Those in the Middle East, in the Persian Gulf, in Korea, Iran, Vietnam, China, India, Russia, and every where else on the globe want nothing more than work, food, shelter, safety, and a sense of sanity. Serenity is the comfort that brings delight. We need not clash Let us learn to give as we wish to receive. Perhaps, if we study the past, rather than recreate it we will no longer need to ask, "Why do we fight."
Please enjoy the works of Eugene Jarecki, and his production. The filmmaker offers his thoughts on Why We Fight.
Why We Fight. The Good, Bad, and Ugly Realities . . .
Posted by Betsy L. Angert on December 15, 2007 at 12:00 PM in Aggression, Americana, War and Peace, War is in the Wind, War Kills [Mind, Body, Spirit], War, The Last Option, Why War? | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Peace Protester Meets Military Men; Perceptions or Promise
copyright © 2007 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org
This morning, as I approached the peace corner, two of my fellow demonstrators made mention of the soldiers across the street. Weekly, a throng of Iraq war dissenters stands and pickets on the south side of the street. I position myself on the North end of the avenue. I stand alone. On this afternoon, two young men dressed in Army fatigues, soldiers, situated themselves on the median, yards from where I position myself. They carried plastic bins; patriotic banners were pasted onto these containers. American flags and pamphlets graced their station. The military men collected money from passers-by. They distributed literature. They did their work from the same side of the street I favor.
My comrades in peace and protest were concerned. Perhaps I would not wish to cross over into the abyss of possible confrontations or conflict of interest. I glanced over at the diligent warrior and decided they were as I, people that long for peace. I quickly gathered my sign, pressed the button on the traffic pole, and waited until it was safe to enter the intersection. Cars are my enemy. These fast moving vehicles are, in my mind Weapons of Mass Destruction. People, no matter their attire or philosophical views are not my foes.
Minutes after I took my characteristic stance, held up my sign "Love, Not War" and extended my forefinger and central digit to form the symbol universally acknowledged as "peace" one of the soldiers smiled at me. He faced me and flashed the same sign. Yes, we were on the same side of the street and the issue. Neither of us wants war. We work to bring harmony to a world wrought with distress. The serviceman and I each yearn for global calm.
Throughout the afternoon, I pondered what people might think a dichotomy. I wondered why other picketers thought there might be a problem with my being so near these troops. I reflected; what might those in their automobiles think. Was it likely those in cars would think to wave in appreciation of me was to defy the intent of the military volunteers, or might the travelers consider each of us, soldiers and myself, as joined forces. I observed various notions. I also accepted that some voyagers would see only what they wished to believe, or perhaps we all do.
We may walk down different philosophical paths; yet, I cannot help but believe we are one. We stroll in synch on the same side of a single street.
Days ago, Americans honored our war veterans. On that hallowed occasion, I wept as I thought of all the soldiers that passed. I mourned for those who would die on the battlefields abroad. Grief consumes me as I contemplate those who will take their last breath in transit. I feel such sorrow when I gaze upon a soldier some think fortunate enough to survive. I understand that many have lost the will to live. Those that made the trek and stand strong often tell tales. The war is alive and well within them, frequently for years, even if they appear settled, safe, and secure.
I might muse as many do, "I support the soldiers." However, I understand how trite, contrite, contrived such a claim might sounds, particularly to those that put their lives in on the line, the front line, in the face of great peril as they fight for America's freedoms.
I have infinite faith that each man or woman alive believes in the ethics of their actions, or on the rare occasion that any of us is reactive and engages in the unthinkable, we work to rationalize what we did. Sadly, frequently, we cannot. I have met many a soldier that speaks of how the mission was not what he or she thought it might be. I am familiar with numerous others that, long after, they return home from battle, still believe the cause was just. As I watch these two men collect funds for the fight, for families of the fallen, I wonder; what was and is their experience.
I look over and once more, I am greeted with a smile, a wave, and an acknowledgement that the three of us yearn for world peace. Ah, to be human is to love thy fellow man, and to fight?
Some say aggression is natural. Man by his very nature is combative. Others are certain confrontational behaviors are learned. No matter what we believe, every individual has to grapple with the fact that we are creatures of the Earth, complex, and difficult to understand. However, I believe no one truly wants war or wishes to kill another. Some say they think mass slaughter is an option; however, faced with the possibility, none of us is left unscathed.
Perception, passion, human emotions frequently give rise to errors, crimes against man and nature. People are easily persuaded, pushed, become fearful, and are filled with angst. Each can cause individuals to act against their best judgment or interest. I perpend the soldiers on the Boulevard and reflect. What is their reality. As we exchange glances and consistently acknowledge the other, I trust neither would have said . . .
"I came over here because I wanted to kill people."
By Andrew Tilghman
Washington Post.
Sunday, July 30, 2006; B01" I came over here because I wanted to kill people."
Over a mess-tent dinner of turkey cutlets, the bony-faced 21-year-old private from West Texas looked right at me as he talked about killing Iraqis with casual indifference. It was February, and we were at his small patrol base about 20 miles south of Baghdad. "The truth is, it wasn't all I thought it was cracked up to be. I mean, I thought killing somebody would be this life-changing experience. And then I did it, and I was like, 'All right, whatever.'"
He shrugged.
"I shot a guy who wouldn't stop when we were out at a traffic checkpoint and it was like nothing," he went on. "Over here, killing people is like squashing an ant. I mean, you kill somebody and it's like 'All right, let's go get some pizza.'"
As I read these words, I feel a palpable bravado. The boldness expressed for me is that of a man that felt so deeply, he wanted to feel no more. Months after Private Steven D. Green made this statement, he stood outside a federal courthouse in North Carolina. There he pled 'not guilty' to charges of premeditated rape and murder. Private Green was accused of these crimes. In Mahmudiyah, a fourteen-year-old Iraqi girl and her family fell victim to war and the emotions evoked by such a brutal practice.
Andrew Tilghman, embedded Journalist with the Washington Post wrote of his encounter with Steven D. Green and the tale the young serviceman told prior to his crime. The account was harrowing.
Tilghman describes the circumstances and situation. The correspondent explains he met Private Green in Mahmudiyah, on the edge of the zone known as "The Triangle of Death." It was there that the reporter realized the fear, foreboding of the frontlines. Andrew Tilghman remembers the unrelenting knot death and destruction left in his stomach. He recalls the low morale, the stories of fire, ambush, and the loss of innocence many soldiers and commanders expressed.
The columnist recounts a narrative. The company commander in charge of Green's unit said of himself, he "almost had a nervous breakdown." This trained, experienced, hardened officer was confined to a hotel-style compound in Baghdad for three days of "freedom rest." Without this time away he could not resume his command.
Yet, the journalist notes, he experienced extraordinary camaraderie among the soldiers in Mahmudiyah. Tilghman states, "They were among the friendliest troops I met in Iraq." These troops had been through much together. Washington Post Andrew Tilghman inscribes . . .
When I met Green, I knew nothing about his background -- his troubled youth and family life, his apparent problems with drugs and alcohol, his petty criminal record. I just saw and heard a blunt-talking kid. Now that I know the charges against Green, his words take on an utterly different context for me. But when I met him then, his comments didn't seem nearly as chilling as they do now . . .Green was one of several soldiers I sat down with in the chow hall one night not long after my arrival. We talked over dinner served on cardboard trays. I asked them how it was going out there, and to tell me about some of their most harrowing moments. When they began talking about the December death of Sgt. Kenith Casica, my interview zeroed in on Green.
He described how after an attack on their traffic checkpoint, he and several others pushed one wounded man into the back seat of a Humvee and put Casica, who had a bullet wound in his throat, on the truck's hood. Green flung himself across Casica to keep the dying soldier from falling off as they sped back to the base.
"We were going, like, 55 miles an hour and I was hanging on to him. I was like, 'Sgt. Casica, Sgt. Casica.' He just moved his eyes a little bit," Green related with a breezy candor. "I was just laying on top of him, listening to him breathing, telling him he's okay. I was rubbing his chest. I was looking at the tattoo on his arm. He had his little girl's name tattooed on his arm.
"I was just talking to him. Listening to his heartbeat. It was weird -- I drooled on him a little bit and I was, like, wiping it off. It's weird that I was worried about stupid [expletive] like that.
"Then I heard him stop breathing," Green said. "We got back and everyone was like, 'Oh [expletive], get him off the truck.' But I knew he was dead. You could look in his eyes and there wasn't nothing in his eyes. I knew what was going on there."
He paused and looked away. "He was the nicest man I ever met," he said. "I never saw him yell at anybody. That was the worst time, that was my worst time since I've been in Iraq."
At the time, Private green had served only four months of a one-year stint. He was resigned to a life that recruiters do not speak of. Servicemen and women intent on signing up young enlistees focus on the best of what we would all wish to believe. The military will train enlistees to do a job. The service will provide security. There is money for college, ample adventures, and a well-disciplined community will help to establish leadership skills.
All that may be true. However, there is a price to pay. The cost of engagement in a cold, cruel war, may be too high. Five months before he brutally sexually assaulted a young woman and slaughtered her and her family Private Steven D. Green said . . .
"I gotta be here for a year and there ain't [expletive] I can do about it," he said. "I just want to go home alive. I don't give a [expletive] about the whole Iraq thing. I don't care."See, this war is different from all the ones that our fathers and grandfathers fought. Those wars were for something. This war is for nothing."
Private Green, the soldiers that stood across the street from me, and I may not agree completely. We may differ on the broader construct of combat. Nonetheless, it seems to me, those that served in Iraq, those that expect to ship out, military men and women that saw war firsthand in years past, and I each concede war is not wonderful. It does not bring out the best in people. To kill or be killed is not a quest anyone pursues with love or intent.
Private Steven D. Green reflects and expresses his frustration with the Army brass. Green cries out as he contemplates the calls for caution. He states, soldiers are ordered to be prudent, exercise vigilance, even in the most horrific, dreadful, and grave circumstances. The Private ponders when your life is threatened you are commanded to remain calm.
"We're out here getting attacked all the time and we're in trouble when somebody accidentally gets shot?" he said, referring to infantrymen like himself throughout Iraq. "We're pawns for the [expletive] politicians, for people that don't give a [expletive] about us and don't know anything about what it's like to be out here on the line."
Major General Smedley Darlington Butler, in his book published in 1935 wrote, "War is a racket." The two-time Medal of Honor winner continued, "It has always been." The General would find no fault with the assessment Green makes.
Wars are rarely fought for the reasons that are claimed. Those reasons amount to nothing more than bogus excuses, ways to hoodwink the gullible public, and the vilest propaganda designed to incite people to sacrifice their children for a supposedly glorious cause.The defense of freedom and democracy is one false claim that we often hear in this country. This shameful claim could not be further from the truth.
No one ever bothers to explain how our freedom and democracy are at risk in some obscure little country halfway around the world. That's because the sad and dirty truth is that wars are fought for empire and the financial gain of the few.
I yearn for peace planet wide and I continue to do all that I might to ensure global harmony. Each weekend, I take to the streets to protest the war, just as I did today. The pilgrimage began years ago, before the first bomb struck the ground in Iraq or Afghanistan. Since then much to my chagrin, many innocents, soldier, and civilians have died, all in the name of terrorism. Americans, allied forces, and citizens of the Middle East. It is a challenge for me to understand; who is the fanatic, the foe, the revolutionary, or the rebel. I know not who fights for freedom and democracy, who occupies, or who liberates. For me, if we resort to killing we are as savages. War and combat are incomprehensible to me. Yet, I long to understand.
~ Thomas Edison [Scientist, Inventor]
Soldiers on active duty and off, also struggle to grasp the greater significance. Some warriors resent persons such as I, or what they believe to be my intention, my presumed purpose, or me. Just as those at the peace protest thought the soldiers on the calm city street in America might approach me with resentment or judgment, some of the troops feel support expressed by dissenters is shallow. Five Iraq War veterans spoke of their return to American life to editors of The New York Times.
Q: Are we mature enough as a country to thank those who risk their lives on our behalf while voicing our outrage at the actions of the politicians who put them in harm’s way?Michael Jernigan: To people who support the troops but not the war — that is your right. But remember there was someone holding a gun who fought so you can have that right. It is tough for me to smile when someone tells me that they support our troops but feel the war is wrong. I stand there and smile and say, “Thank you for sharing your feelings.” I think people say that because it makes them feel better to say it, but they really mean, “Thank you for your service, but really you are an idiot for following that insane president.” It makes me feel belittled. I do not want to hear it. I was a corporal in the United States Marine Corps and I do not make policy so save it for your congressman.
Perception is the truest reality and I believe it is the reason we war. I could have surmised that the soldiers were warmongers, fighters, aggressors, ready to attack and antagonize me. However, that conclusion would be contrary to my basic belief: people are good. I have faith, in the human form, we each error. Emotions cannot be easily understood or controlled. Often, what we feel, what we think true, rules us. Then, later, with regret for what we have thought or done, we rationalize.
This week, as I listened to a National Public Radio interview A Soldier's Journey from Iraq to Grad School, I realized again, the power of the mind, and the role it plays in peace.
Demond Mullins spent a year in Iraq with the National Guard. When he came back, he felt alienated and angry at what he had seen and done in the war. Now Mullins has found a degree of peace in higher learning."Academia ... that's where I'm at," the City University of New York grad student says. "Right now, school, books — Weber, Marx, Durkheim — that's my medication."
That's his medication now. But if it's true that there are seven stages of grief, it's fair to say that Mullins is going through several stages of adjusting to his new life.
Upon his return from Iraq, Mullins hoped to resume his life as it was. Yet, he realized this was not possible. He was no longer the same person; his views changed. The way Demond Mullins saw the world and considered himself had been altered.
Before he enlisted and shipped out, Demond Mullins had been a clothing model. This romantic gentleman once followed a girl to Las Vegas. He had plans. Ambitious and reflective, Mullins joined the National Guard to pay for college; he did not join the armed Services to fight. Yet, that is what he did.
when he tried to resume it, Mullins' old friends kept asking questions, like "What was it like when you shot someone?""I don't know," he says. "My experiences are not pornography for my friends or for anyone else. I use the word pornography because I feel like it is just the ... exploitation of my personal experiences for someone else's entertainment."
Mullins says he either ignored the question "or I would just say, 'You know, I don't want to talk about things like that' or just say, 'I didn't shoot anybody or whatever.'"
'Stressed Out and on the Edge'
He says he's not sure if he did shoot and kill anybody, though he knows exactly what he did at close range."I dehumanized people," Mullins says. "I don't even know how many raids I did while I was there. But during raids you're throwing them up against the wall, you're tying their hands behind their back, you're dragging them out of the bed. You're dehumanizing them in front of their wives and their kids and, you know, the women are crying and the children are crying and you're just like, whatever. Put a bag over their head or blindfold, drag them into the Humvee.
"Certain exhibitions of violence on my part that were probably unnecessary — were definitely unnecessary. But I was really stressed out and on edge at the time and I conducted myself . . . like that."
When he returned from Iraq, Mullins says he felt angry at himself. He broke up with his girlfriend. He spent days in his apartment.
"Staring at the wall. Not eating. I lost about 15 to 20 pounds," he says. "My friends still look at me and like, 'What happened to you?'"
Mullins says he was depressed to the point of being suicidal. Two of his friends have died since their return from Iraq, including one who shot himself in the face, Mullins says.
"To me, that would be the only way that I was capable of doing it because it was fast and it was a tool that I was very familiar with," he says.
Mullins got counseling from the Department of Veterans Affairs. He didn't like it and didn't want to take medication.
He managed to resume college, get a degree and move on to graduate school.
However, the path Demond Mullins took had many twists and turns. Initially, he immersed himself in his anger. Then dedicated to a cause, Demond took action and protested the war. Mullins appeared in an anti-war documentary called The Ground Truth.
"When I first started anti-war activism, it was because I felt guilty," Mullins says. "Because I'd meet people, especially a lot of civilians on the street, and they say, 'Oh, thank you for your service. Thank you for protecting America.' Like, what are you talking about? I wasn't protecting America. I was protecting myself and my buddy, you know?"After Mullins participated in the film, he felt less of a need to speak out.
And by this semester at graduate school, most of his fellow students and at least one of his professors had no idea of his background.
Demond Mullins is now more reflective, philosophical, and aware. He knows, to authentically assess America and this society, he must study.
Perhaps, the servicemen I watched stroll from car to car on this day, were on a similar journey. Perchance, later, after we all finished our work we would speak, not as peace protestor and participants in war, but as people. For now, they had a job to do as did I. Interestingly, in the abstract we each were motivated by peace.
As I interacted with those in vehicles as they passed I continued to ponder. I am close to numerous Veterans. As friends and as fellow protestors against the current wars, I know many a Vietnam Veteran.
One noble and honorably discharged soldier, whom I first met in cyberspace, again dedicates himself to his country. Jerry Northington aspires to be the Congressional Representative from Delaware. As one who fought in country, he understands the woes of warfare.
Family members engaged in battle during World War II. A nephew is off about to depart for Basic Training. Jason joined the Marines. I cannot imagine what his future holds. Will Jason be injured. Will he return whole, if at all. What will my nineteen year young nephew see, hear, and feel. Will he be willing or able to discuss such an ordeal. I am certain what I have been told by those once there on the frontlines is true. War is not pretty. A soldier cannot fully explain what he or she witness. Combat is experienced. It scars the spirit and deprives a man of his senses.
Soldier describes killing unarmed Iraqi
One of three members of sniper team accused of murder makes a tearful confession during testimony in the court-martial of a colleague.
By Ned Parker
Los Angeles Times
September 28, 2007BAGHDAD — U.S. Army Sgt. Evan Vela spoke in a low voice Thursday at the court-martial for his fellow soldier. Tears slid down the 23-year-old's cheeks and the judge prompted him to talk louder.
On May 11, Vela's sniper team had detained an Iraqi man near Jarf Sakhr, Vela testified. Staff Sgt. Michael A. Hensley undid the ropes that had pinned the prisoner's arms and asked Vela whether he was ready, he said.
The dark-haired Idaho native told the court he wasn't sure what his superior meant at the time. Vela said Hensley cradled the Iraqi's head, straightened his headdress, then moved away from Vela, who gripped a 9-millimeter pistol.
"I heard the word 'shoot.' I don't remember pulling the trigger. I just came to and the guy was dead. It took me a second to realize the shot came from the pistol in my hand," Vela said.
Vela is one of three soldiers from the same sniper team who are accused of premeditated murder in three shootings this spring. Their cases have provided a picture of mentally exhausted troops and the role they allegedly played in a "baiting program," in which snipers are believed to have planted fake weapons and bomb-making materials, then killed anyone who picked them up.
The alleged tactic was revealed in a hearing in July that eventually sent Hensley and Spc. Jorge G. Sandoval Jr. to face court-martial on murder charges. The Pentagon refuses to speak publicly about baiting or other such tactics, but insists that military practices are within the law.
"My client is no murderer. He is a victim," said James Culp, Vela's civilian defense attorney, who suspects that baiting contributed to the slaying of the Iraqi man on May 11.
We are all victims of war and those that command young men and women to shoot another being. Enemies, as nameless and faceless as we wish them to be are as we are. They are humans, with hearts and souls. Minds can be manipulated for a moment or for months. People persuaded or unduly influenced to do as they would never have done may commit crimes. Emotions can evoke feelings of fright that cause us to temporarily separate ourselves from our greater wisdom. However, after any of us does the unthinkable, we are left with the memories. Overtime, we reflect on the meaning. Perhaps that is why those that fought in battles are often less likely to resort to combat.
There must be a lesson, a means to communicate the tragedy of war before we engage. For now, I can only propose what I envisioned as a child. As I reflect on the story, The Truce of Christmas, A Silent Night 1914, I understand the power of true knowledge. When people stop and listen to the hearts of others, not the harangue of irrational "intellectualizations," they learn to love. When we see strangers as similar to us, we cannot kill. Indeed, we connect to the commonality that is humankind.
Hence, I believe, world leaders must face each other alone in a room for more than a moment. The argumentative among us must eat and sleep with those they disagree with. Perhaps, if the need to compete overwhelms those in power, they might arrange a chess tournament. A "war game" played on a checkered board might relieve the angst some feel when they argue. Thoughtful battles would do far less harm. Physical and financial wounds would be less severe. This is but a thought. I trust there are infinite opportunities to connect that we might consider. Unquestionably, there must be a better way to learn the lessons of war before a soldier loses a limb.
Jonathan Bartlett, one of 25,000 military persons injured during the Iraq war speaks of his trauma and trials. When Bartlett was a 19-year-old Army Corporal his truck hit a bomb on a road near Fallujah. That was three years ago. The explosion blew off both of his legs. Today, he appears in a Home Box Office [HBO] documentary titled Alive Day Memories: Home from Iraq. In an interview with Vanity Fair Columnist Austin Merrill, Jonathon shares the conflict within. He explains how the battle has just begun, or perhaps Bartlett plainly states how the battle never ends. Merrill inquires . . .
At one point in the film you say that you'd do it all over again. Then later you say that if given your legs back, you'd move on to do something else.[Jonathon Bartlett] replies] I would do it all over again if I went back to the age of 18 and they told me, you're going to join the army. I'd say yes. But if they gave me new legs tomorrow, I wouldn't go back. I was 18 and idealistic and naïve and uninformed, and I didn't know how the world works. Now I'm 22 and idealistic and naïve, but I do know how the world works. And I'm not going to go fight in a war that's so badly run, that some people don't give a [expletive] about. There's just so much bad [expletive] going on in this war. I don't want any part of it.
Yet, Bartlett goes on to clarify for him the problem with this war is not the warriors. It is the leaders. Jonathon Bartlett is angry with the Commander-In-Chief and his Cabinet. This soldier believes the nation's leaders did not have a plan. The soldiers were well trained. He was a good trooper.
I was good at being a soldier. I say that with no shame or no boasting. I was good at being a soldier. Mostly because I enjoyed it.What does being a good soldier mean, exactly?
I could shoot straight, I could ride true, and I could speak the truth. I could fight, I could think. I took care of my stuff. I took care of my vehicles. I looked the part all the time, which is very important. I knew how to talk, which gets you in trouble. I knew how to work the system. I knew how to acquire things. I could take care of my buddies.
Bartlett believes the Bush Administration is at fault, not the soldiers. On this, we would agree. However, when asked of peace protesters and retired Generals that speak out against the conflict he offers a view that befuddles me.
How do you feel when you see people rallying for or protesting against the war?
I think all of them have a massive disrespect for the soldiers who are over there, because they do not understand. They have no [expletive] clue. We don't have a choice. As soon as you sign that paper and swear that oath, we do not have a choice. We go wherever the hell the president and the generals tell us to. People who say if you're against this war you're against the soldiers are displaying their ignorance. Most people don't understand. They just don't get it. You know how many times I've been asked by some stupid person, some civilian, how many people did you kill? You don't ask a soldier that. I was a trained killer. That was my job, man. Somebody has to do it. Being a soldier is a job.What do you think of the retired generals who have come out against the war? Is that a betrayal?
No! It's good! They should have been doing that [expletive] when they were still in. I don't think it's a betrayal. These generals understand that they have soldiers on the line. The best generals are those who know what it means to be a troopie. A ground pounder. A supply clerk. This administration keeps throwing people at a problem and expecting it to fix it. It's not how things are done. You have to give them a plan. You have to lead them. And these generals understand that. The president does not. The president doesn't have a [expletive] clue.
The clue may be cryptic and not part of our conscious mind. As I stood at the corner, I thought the soldiers were on a peaceful mission. Fellow dissenters were certain there might be a confrontation.
Our view of others and ourselves provides, perspective. Perceptions are profoundly altered. Jonathon Bartlett has long believed military service was in his blood. His mother and father were each in the Navy. Jonathon was trained to protect, defend, and kill, and to consider each of these options tantamount. The young man trusts that Generals understand this. Yet, Mister Bartlett believes there must be a strategy if a mass massacre is to be effective.
Perhaps, that is the paradox. We coach our young to be combative. As a culture, we do not expect world harmony. We do not believe it can exist.
We must acknowledge and accept, what each of us believes affects our idea of war, peace, perpetrators, and protestors. An experience may cause us to blame, to frame friends and foes in a manner that does not make sense to others.
As I reflect on the words of Jonathon Bartlett, I am confused. While critical of those that demonstrate in favor of global accord, Private Bartlett also believes the individuals that think protestors are against the soldiers are in error. The Iraq war Veteran reasons, military leaders must speak out, stand strong, and stress ''we need a plan. The dichotomy befuddles. Perchance, another soldier explained the circumstances best. Sandi Austin discussed her view of the peace protestors.
For the most part, I feel that the majority of anti-war activists focus on our political leaders and not the soldiers. Driving by the anti-war protests I usually see signs the relay messages in support of the troops, but opposing the cause. Perhaps if I still wore a uniform I would feel differently, I might get glares or comments, but because I too am a civilian, I haven’t faced any hostility or felt unappreciated on a regular basis.
I wonder. When people go to war, do they flail at uniforms and forget that a person inhabits the clothing? Might appearances motivate us to engage in battle? As I reflect on the day, I realize, I could have reacted to the olive green and khaki camouflage fabric. The shaved heads, the American flags, the military garb . . . I might have been offended. If I had done as advised, I would have kept a distance. The servicemen might have concluded I did not understand. They too could have chosen to do other than they did. War, on a small scale may have ensued. Instead, each of us gave peace a chance.
Imagine if world leaders chose not to presume, assume, suppose or surmise, if soldiers were not sent off into battle, if we established a Department of Peace and left the Defense Department behind. I can dream and act in accordance.
Perceptions; The Promise of Peace . . .
Posted by Betsy L. Angert on November 18, 2007 at 08:15 PM in Active-Duty Troops , Activism, American Patriotism, Civil Disobedience, Iraq War, Military Missions, Morality in an Immoral War, Peace Movement, Peaceful Protests, War and Peace, War Kills [Mind, Body, Spirit], Why War?, World War I Christmas Truce | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
