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First of all, I'm generally ANTI-MILITARY.
I believe that countries should have a very NEUTRAL foreign policy, like Switzerland, unless they're DIRECTLY attacked, WITHIN THEIR OWN COUNTRY.
The U.N. should take care of ALL conflicts between nations. My uncle was a high-ranking official in the U.N., in Geneva, and although he disses the U.N. constantly, I still believe in its mission.
I feel very ambivalent about "supporting the troops". That is, I sure as HELL don't support their mission in Iraq, but I don't want them to die. But I don't want them to kill, either. People love to place different values on people's lives, based on their nationality and skin color. That's disgusting. What's the current exchange rate of human life? Does one U.S. soldier = 100 Iraqi civilians? Is one U.S. soldier worth more than a U.S. civilian? If so, why? Is one American worth 100 Frenchmen? If so, why?
The Iraq war is ILLEGAL, and hence anyone who participates in it is a WAR CRIMINAL. No, that's not my opinion, that's a logical FACT. I'm sure that some DU-ers out there hate that notion and totally disagree with me, but think it through.
If you assist in an illegal enterprise, you're culpable. Ignorance of the law is no excuse, as they say.
SO, I feel more sorry for innocent civilians in Iraq than I do for U.S. soldiers. They CHOSE to go, even if it would mean going AWOL not to go. They used their free will to decide to go. They knew they might die in combat, and that it's part of the risk of being a soldier. Civilians who die in war have little or no choice. Soldiers DO, because contrary to common opinion, they don't have to go.
I find it pretty interesting how quickly pacifists are willing to overlook the fact that EVERY soldier in Iraq IS COMPLICIT in the Iraq war crime.
It's hard to accept for many people, but it's a logical fact.
I have NO PROBLEM with soldiers going AWOL to Canada or staying here and taking their chances. THAT'S THE MORAL THING TO DO. I fully support soldiers who oppose the war.
Going to Iraq is aiding and abetting an illegal war, illegal occupation, corporate fascism, and a Global Corporate Empire, and greatly increases the suffering in the world.
Saying "I'm just doing my job" is about as brilliant as a German soldier saying "It's just my job to put Jews in the boxcars and showers." What's the difference? As Jean Paul Sartre says, that's an act of "bad faith". YOU MUST BE ACCOUNTABLE FOR YOUR ACTIONS. Isn't that what we all want from Bush and the neocons?--Accountability?
Participating in an unjust war can only be UNJUST.
Therefore, it's wrong to go to Iraq, even if you're Casey Sheehan. The RIGHT thing to do is NOT to go.
Now, that doesn't mean whatsoever that I'm happy that American soldiers are dying. The whole war, like all wars, IS A TRAGEDY, but it didn't have to happen, just like all other wars didn't have to happen.
Waging war should be one of the biggest taboos on earth.
I believe in self-defense, and this war is NOT self-defense. It's imperialism, and that's obvious.
I was getting ready to be a conscientious objector during the first Gulf War (I was 21), and I was scared shitless. Who knew it'd only last 3 days (Desert Storm, that is). I thought it'd be something a lot more like THIS occupation of Iraq.
I'm 34 now, and if the draft were reinstated and I got drafted, I'd leave the country. Fuck the military. Hardly any of the wars fought by this country had anything to do with actually protecting this country. And why would I kill or die for a fascist regime? Nope. It ain't gonna happen.
Imagine this scenario: A soldier comes back from Iraq and tells you a bunch of stories about atrocities he engaged in. Are you seriously going to think "oh, by the way, I SUPPORT YOU."? Seriously? I support many people way before I support that soldier. For example, how about supporting the women of Iraq, who are going to lose many of their rights under the new constitution they're trying to write? I'd support them first.
What does "support" mean, anyway? Of course I want to bring the troops home now, but that's about the limit of my support for them. I don't want to make them feel good about what they're doing, and I'm not going to blow smoke up their asses about it. This country is going BANKRUPT over this corporate war. That affects all of us.
I have a cousin in the Air Force who's about to do his second tour in Iraq, working inside the bases on computer crap. I don't support him being in the military, and I don't support him going to Iraq. He said it was "fun" the last time. He barely left the base for 3 months.
And another thing...patriotism is WRONG. We should foster a new ethos, a new paradigm of global citizenry, beyond borders and flags and all of that crap. Sure, it's seems like a dream, but if we don't do it, we'll just get more of the same. If you need something to "believe in", why don't you believe in the vision of a united planet instead of the WRONG notion that the "U.S. is number one"?
Yeah, the U.S. has the highest infant mortality of any industrialized nation. It also uses more resources per capita than any country on earth. And it's the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases. And it has the biggest military budget on earth. It's "number one" in those and many other ignominious measures.
Patriotism, the love of country, is idiotic. It was an ACCIDENT that we were born here. Were I born in Sweden, should I then be a Swedish patriot? It's totally ARBITRARY. Beliefs such as patriotism create divisions, which create wars. We have to get beyond that shit. It's infantile and based on insecurity.
When you say "I'm a patriot", what the hell does that _mean_? You love your country? DEFINE COUNTRY! Is your country the laws of the land, or your political system, or your heritage, or your culture, or the people, or the land, or the accomplishments of its people?
Most so-called "patriots" in this country hate 90% of their fellow Americans, disrespect the land, belong to a subculture and hate the rest, don't even know the actual heritage of America, and foster hatred of other countries. Furthermore, many American "patriots" don't even believe in the "democracy" they claim to support.
SEE BEYOND YOUR CONDITIONING...GET BEYOND THAT LIMITED THINKING...
ONE PEOPLE, ONE PLANET.
It's a hippy saying, but it's the only thing that'll save us.
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