Yesterday (8/9/5) a man dressed in military blues looked me in the eye with incredible disdain and said "Fuck You Faggot!" as he spit at my feet. True story. I can only assume it was the peace sign on my bag that the man didn't like. Perhaps he had fought for Our freedom or more recently Iraq's freedom. I can understand his frustration with seeing an able bodied American male in shorts and a Jersey Fresh shirt running a community farmers' market. Not only was I not putting my life on the line for Iraq's freedom, but I was flaunting my opposition to both the war and the president by affixing a NO-W button and peace button to the bag on my back, not to mention the audacity of placing an American flag pin complete with red, white, and blue ribbon between them.
I think of Our troops everytime I pick up the newspaper. Everytime I read that more soldiers have been killed or injured by increasingly sophisticated roadside bombs or ambushes it gives me a sick feeling deep in my stomach. I am against bush's War of choice in Iraq, but I am not against Our troops. Soon to be "medically retired" US Army private Terry Rodgers said it best while lying in a Walter Reed hospital bed. A nurse had asked him if he would like to meet president bush He responded "I don't want anything to do with him," "My belief is that his ego is getting people killed and mutilated for no reason -- just his ego and his reputation. If we really wanted to, we could pull out of Iraq. Maybe not completely but enough that we wouldn't be losing people -- at least not at this rate. So I think he himself is responsible for quite a few American deaths." Mr. Rodgers's story is hard to read, but is certainly important. A friend of mine, whose son is currently fighting in Baghdad, tells me that we don't know the real story of what's going on over there. And, unfortunately, she is not refering to the rosy picture the administration and their friends say the "liberal media" is not covering.
War is hell. War is horror. War is violence unfathomable to me, as I'm sure it is to many. That is why it should be the "last resort". There should be no other choice. That was not the case with this war. We heard "urgent", "unique", "mushroom cloud", "Threat", "weapons of mass destruction". All of which were false. We told the inspectors to leave. This was a predetermined plan thrust upon a nation engulfed in feelings of fear and national vulnerability. A war that's only remaining rationale is humantarian, despite the fact that it is killing thousands.
Terry Rodgers is not the only military personnel speaking out against this war. I can't imagine what it's like to wake up, pick up a gun, and face an enemy willing to take their own life so that one more American or American sympathizer is killed. It takes bravery and discipline that should only be employed when the threat against the United States is clear, present, and dare I say it, imminent.
The bush administration needs to be held accountable for the selling of this War.
"After eleven years during which we have tried containment, sanctions, inspections, even selected military action, the end result is that Saddam Hussein still has chemical and biological weapons and is increasing his capabilities to make more. And he is moving ever closer to developing a nuclear weapon."
-the president October 7, 2002
WRONG!!!!
Support the Troops! Bring them home!
No comments:
Post a Comment