Today, via Peace Chick Mary, I joined One Million Blogs for Peace.
I joined today on the four year anniversary of the Invasion of Iraq by US Troops. It was advertised as a day of "Shock and Awe", and that alone made me ill: that this administration had the gall, the chutzpah to advertise this invasion, to put a media spin on it at all.
But Mary's post was about forgiveness, and letting go of anger. I've been somewhat silent of late for a number of reasons: work, health, health, work. But there has been an underlying thought which is this. Anger exhausts me. Anger drains me of all resources. How can I change my approach from anger at this administration's lies to being at peace, and FOR peace? Because I cannot change facts, I have to accept facts, this means that the only thing I can change is my attitude and methods of achieving my goals. My goals are to attain peace, to withdraw our troops and bring them home, and to restore our Constitution and personal freedoms.
Is it semantics? I think not. We get back what we put out into the world.
The topics suggested today by One Million Blogs for Peace are these:
Think back four years ago, to when you first heard that the Iraq War had started.
Were you for or against the war at the time?
If you were for it, what has changed your mind over the last four years?
If you were against it, why were you against it?
The room is open. Discuss!
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8 comments:
Oh, man, I'd have to do a whole post to answer all those questions. In short, I was five hundred miles west of Baghdad when the war started, in a bunker with a gas mask on. I had no political view on the war at the time, because everyone had been told the threat was real. Why would they do something as stupid as lie us in to a war for political reasons?
Well, we all found out. My first clue was watching the death of my next door neighbor who'd deployed with another unit being announced on CNN. It was all wrapped up with the Jessica Lynch saga.
As the lies started to unravel I decided to leave active duty and went to the National Guard. Now I'm thinking of leaving the National Guard. I think the thing I've learned most completely is that there is never a decision made by our Government that is made with the welfare of the people coming before political considerations.
I was against military action in the beginning and definitely not against Iraq. When I awoke in the night to find that the "shock and awe" horror was happening, I went to bed and cried. I kept thinking of all the little children who were awakened and terrorized by the bombs. I thought of the parents filled with fear, yet being calm for their children's sake. I take this war as a personal insult to me, my country and my world. I have to work very hard to keep mental balance as it is very painful to know what is happening. Glad you are another fine person in the Million Blog group. We can make a difference.
When we get back to blogging regularly, we will join the 1 Million Blogs for Peace.
I am embarrassed to admit that when the war started I was indifferent. I didn't know what was true, and didn't feel ready to sign on either way. After a very short time, though, I began to see how we were lied into the war. By the time Bush stood beneath his "Mission Accomplished" sign I knew we were in the midst of a disaster. His theatrics were appalling, and the war has been a prop for him ever since. It is simply an outrage and a nightmare that this has been going on for 4 years.
If you were against it, why were you against it?
Easy... At the time the administration's refusal to consider the UN weapons inspectors opinion that there were, in fact, no WMDs and thus no justification for an unprovoked, unilateral attack. In addition, the certain knowledge that we'd spend at least half-a-trillion on this folly before the end.
When the war actually started, I, among countless of millions of your friends around the world, literally screamed - Oh no, what the hell are you doing!
I guess, I was hoping against the hope, that this president, who so obviously was hell bent to get his war in Iraq, could somehow be stopped by the good advice he got from the world leader and the UN and by finally realizing himself how counter productive it would be to your intrests. At the time, my personal opinion of this president was, that he was not perhaps very knowledgeable about cultures other than his, if even that, but the extent of his lack of knowledge still took me by suprise. Also, my previous dislike about him and his administration has turned into revulsion.
I was COMPLETELY 100% against the war when it started. I knew that I didn't trust a single thing BushCo said, so it was pretty easy to assume that their info on Iraq was 100% crap, but after several discussions w/ my Vietnam vet dad (he was beside himself in anger over the lack of actual evidence and how easily the American public was bulldozed by BushCo's lies), I knew that this war was absolutely trumped up and unnecessary.
I woke up on March 19th, 2003, with my then oh-so tiny 9 month old BabyGirl, and turned on the news as I nursed her with tears streaming down my face in horror and sadness as the blood and gore of "shock and awe" unfolded. I 'll never forget how sick I felt watching it unfold while newscasters were practically salivating w/ orgasmic joy over the utter laying of waste of Baghdad. So sick and so sad.... and yet here we are in 2007 and it has become even sicker and more sad.
Nice to see you back at blogging, Ms. Diva. I joined up with One Million Blogs for Peace but I'm still not posting anything. Take care!
AGAINST AGAINST AGAINST from the start!! I screamed at the TV when it was announced. I crumpled. I was so upset. And then I was strangely drawn to the coverage of "shock and awe" although beyond sickened at the monikker... it's so insane I can't almost wrap my brain around it. Then I started watching coverage whenever I was awake and didn't get much work done. I was fascinated, albeit disgusted. I started to get pulled into the patriotism until I got online and realized that things such as Saddam's statue coming down were photo ops. And then reality hit - the bumbleshrub had made a HUGE mistake, and depression set in. So I started blogging.
The reason I was against is that I knew there were no WMD, it was obvious because the bumbleshrub was so intent on going in there... it was transparent to me, it made me feel crazy it wasn't apparent to everyone that the madministration just wanted in there and they'd use any reason they could.
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