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hi merle. i much appreciate that although you mostly disagree with me, you keep your writing relatively grounded and respectful. i'm glad you're writing, as, yes, i am interested in seeing the other side and having dialogues about differences of opinion. i think that most of us want similar things, and want to live in a world that is safe, secure, and where people care for each other. we just have different ways of defining what that looks like, and different meanings of the word security. for me, safe air, water and food are more important than money. but as money is one of the paths to safe food and water, i don't ignore it's importance either.
i have much respect for the brave men and women who risk their lives in the military service. i understand you have had different experiences than i have, and have sacrificed a great deal in the service. war protests are not against the troops, in fact many who protest do so out of love for family and friends who are in the military, and many who do not have direct connections with those in the wars still have deep respect for the troops and are angry that so many lives, and resources, are being spent on a war that is resulting in massive destruction, including exposing the troops and contractors to unsafe conditions, unsafe water, not to mention depleted uranium and white phosphorus. it is not the troops we protest, it is those who put them in harm's way. and it is not all wars that most of us protest, it is the wars happening now. i can only say definitively that i *wish* all wars were unnecessary, i cannot say that i believe all wars are unnecessary. you're right, there are very complex issues involved. but if the iraq war was so necessary, why did the administration have to lie repeatedly in order for the war to happen? i think that sadaam hussein was a sick barbarian, and have no sympathy for him. yet i do not believe that those who lied to invade iraq felt emotion about the plight of the iraqi citizens under hussein's unjust rule. between oil, proceeds for weapons manufacturers and "independent contractors", and power, as described in the project for a new american century, written by some of the war's architects and outlining a plan for remaking the world in american interests, i doubt that cheney, rumsfeld, etc., had ethical interests at heart. heart? anyway....
the military industrial complex is a huge money spending and making machine, which i feel disrespects the lives of people like yourself who risk everything for a country which is more out to generate profits for a select few than care for people.
i agree with you where you say you cannot stand hatred out of ignorance. i understand your frustration with those who latch onto a belief because it has a sense of being "cool" or because of something they just heard and haven't found out was true. i notice also that some people, with opinions varying from anarchist to republican and in between, jump on an ideology out of a sense of wanting to fit in with something. i do see folks getting involved with social change movements who are protesting one ideology yet quick to grab onto another as a solution, without seeming to have thought it through. but, then again, i am not in their heads, and don't know exactly what they are thinking. but the fact that activists are ourselves imperfect humans does not negate the tragic truths of what we are attempting to shed light on. yes, it's "cool" to hate bush and co. now. but many people hate them for what they have done, even if they express that hate in a trendy way. not to say there aren't any who are wearing anti-bush buttons or t-shirts as a way of fitting in rather than an understanding of the issues. of course there are. but i believe there are many more who are angry out of a sense of understanding of what is going on.
when i see people defending a ridiculously corrupt administration, or saying that we should support what our president does simply because he's our president (not saying that's what you're saying but i've heard that before), i wonder what sort of group-mind, not wanting to think critically perspective are they coming from.
you mention that you're a news junkie. while i believe mainstream news sources sometimes give facts, useful information, and insightful opinion pieces, sometimes, there is also the issue of who owns the news? what is being covered and what is not?
i'd like to share some links to info that i consider credible, insightful, and very interesting. the first three are from the same journalist, who is at the forefront of independent media. credible, respectful, well sourced independent media.
((i made most of them not the full link, the ones that are easy to get to by retyping. i wasnt able to post this last nite or today, maybe the links had something to do w that?)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opin...undaygoodman03.html - explains who owns the media outlets, and why certain news doesn't get through ...
democracynow (dot)org/ - one of the most respected independent news sources in the world.
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/200808...ey_bush_and_habbush - recent interesting news about more dishonesty in the lead up to the iraq invasion.
wanttoknow(dot)info
quote from their description -
"The WantToKnow.info team is composed of researchers and concerned citizens from around the globe dedicated to empowering transformation of our lives and world. Some of these team members have written key books which are summarized on this website. Others have sent valuable information revealing major cover-ups. All are courageous citizens who venture where many dare not go. We share a deep commitment to inspiring us all to work together to strengthen democracy, and to build a brighter future for us and for our world."
halliburtonwatch(dot)org - info on the profitability and cost of war, and also exposes when companies put their own employees, and troops, in harms way. "In Iraq for Sale, Robert Greenwald's new film, a widow of one of the dead drivers in another convoy massacre in 2004 complained that KBR drivers are not given road maps. Another widow said, "These men went to do the right thing [and] they were totally taken advantage of ... [Halliburton] knew, they knew, that there was more than a good chance that they would be killed." And one of the drivers who survived said, "It's about contracts ... fulfilling the contract and replacing us if we died." "
quote from the project for a new american century, which used to be available for viewing online. however the site is now not accessible.
"And advanced forms of biological warfare that can 'target' specific genotypes may transform biological warfare from the realm of terror to a politically useful tool."
PNAC, Rebuilding America's Defenses, p. 60 (authors include donald rumsfeld, paul wolfowits, i. lewis libby )
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feel free to share any info you think i would find interesting.
also, rooster77, to answer your question - yes i am going to protest the rnc. i think that the republicans have a right to have a convention, and i'm not interested in "shutting it down". but i don't think they have a right to do many of the things they have done, and i wish to express my support for groups like veterans for peace, the network for spiritual progressives, the peace island solutions driven conference, and others who are working to build a better world and come to where the power elite are making their plans to show the world that they do not speak for all of us.
