Monday, March 20, 2006

Protesting Iraq War, where Was I?

Yeah, I hate this war. I think our lunatic president has made us all tremendously less safe while making his friends a whole lot richer. I think he was naive in thinking it would be a cake walk, like kicking Iraq out of Kuwait was. I protested and objected as loudly as I could during the lead up to the war. So, where was I this weekend? Why wasn't I joining the thousands around the globe calling for an end to the whole mess?

I was against going in, but we're there now, and while it was a bad move at a bad time conducted poorly and clumsily, it's too late to erase it. We can't take it back. It was wrong to pre-emptively invade a country, but we've taken out their leadership and as corrupt and cruel as that leadership was without it there is a blood bath power struggle. Is it right to step out now, leaving the big old mess we made?

But I can't bring myself to support staying either, because we stay and we abuse prisoners, and we give contracts to fat American companies, and we make things worse with each passing day.

So what the hell do I stand for? It's a confusing issue. I guess what I'd like to see most is a transferring of as many responsibilities as possible to the U.N. Give them the reigns for the reconstruction. Bush doesn't want to do that because he doesn't want the folks who didn't help him bake his bread to have a slice. Well the bread is moldy Bush.

At any rate, I feel ineffective and even a little desperate. I can try to reduce my own oil dependency and to do what I can to encourage others in the same direction. I can strive to be kind and loving and compassionate. That'll have to do for now.

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