A thought on Iraq
If you want to be taken seriously by diplomats, and if you want to sit at the big kids table. You should act like adults and diplomats instead of petulant, naive children. An example of how NOT to effectively move your agenda would be CodePink.
Demonstrations and protests are about raising awareness. It's for the people, not the politicians. Because as people (and specifically American people) we're self absorbed, poorly informed and don't really know what the hell is going on. But when we pass by a huge mass of people holding signs, suddenly we're interested... provided we're not running late for work, or a bus, or a movie. Trying to use protests and demonstrations as a way to get a seat at the table is the most ineffective and counter-productive method you can do. Do you really want those crazy bastards to be making decisions of state? Do you want to hear what a bunch of picket sign wielding, Birkenstock wearing, face painted, ill behaved, rage fueled, weekend activists have to say?
No.
Because clearly they have no concept of diplomacy or political saavy, or awareness. Which means that whatever their ideas are they are no doubt short sighted and ill conceived. And since their opinions are fueled by hate and rage there will be no reasoning or compromise, the tenants of diplomacy. So in effect by doing stupid crap like blocking an entrance to a building with a whopping... how many is that? Would "handful" be the correct term?... of people, is shooting yourself, your policies and what you stand for, in the foot. Worse still you make everyone who holds similar beliefs to you, a little less credible.
Way to go guys.
How about next time you take up gay marriage rights, pro-choice politics, and environmental issues. Then we can be assured that no one will EVER listen to what you have to think or say about those either!
I also enjoy that most anti-war activists have never BEEN to Iraq. They have NO IDEA what the situation is like over there, no clue of whether the US occupation is doing good or ill, no clue what the people on the street really want. But they claim to be humanists. When really all they want is for their tax dollars to not be spent on it and their soldiers to die for another cause. They don't care about the real people who are being effected by the war. Namely the citizens of Iraq.
Imagine if you will, that one night a SWAT team busted through your front door, shot your dog, crushed your cat's spine, cuffed and searched your whole family, then went about trashing your entire home and all your possessions because they thought you were running a meth lab. Then after hours of search, with your home entirely decimated, no working doors or windows with neighbors starting to check out what electronics you have lying around, they uncuffed your family and said "Whoops! Our bad!" and walked back out into the night. Leaving you with no resources and no protection.
You'd be outraged. You'd feel violated. You'd want redress. You'd want a damn apology and for someone to repair the damage they unjustly caused. But no one can replace your dog or cat, so you'd still be pretty pissed and upset no matter what.
I was against the Iraq war. I protested it. I knew there were no WMD in Iraq. I saw this all coming. But, since I am a young, non-politically affiliated, unexperienced, NOBODY; no one listened to me. But I can at least recognize that the argument over whether or not to invade Iraq IS OVER. The decision was made and now it's time to deal with the present, and the real problem. Which is the fact that we've royally fucked over an entire country and diplomacy isn't working. But now that country, and the devastation we've caused it, is our responsibility.
So if the anti-war activists could SHUT THE FUCK UP. That'd be great. You didn't want the war, that's great, neither did most of America. And I'm pretty sure it's not what Iraq would have preferred. But that argument is over. Start acting like the humanists you claim to be and consider the big picture and not just your social security cheque.
Demonstrations and protests are about raising awareness. It's for the people, not the politicians. Because as people (and specifically American people) we're self absorbed, poorly informed and don't really know what the hell is going on. But when we pass by a huge mass of people holding signs, suddenly we're interested... provided we're not running late for work, or a bus, or a movie. Trying to use protests and demonstrations as a way to get a seat at the table is the most ineffective and counter-productive method you can do. Do you really want those crazy bastards to be making decisions of state? Do you want to hear what a bunch of picket sign wielding, Birkenstock wearing, face painted, ill behaved, rage fueled, weekend activists have to say?
No.
Because clearly they have no concept of diplomacy or political saavy, or awareness. Which means that whatever their ideas are they are no doubt short sighted and ill conceived. And since their opinions are fueled by hate and rage there will be no reasoning or compromise, the tenants of diplomacy. So in effect by doing stupid crap like blocking an entrance to a building with a whopping... how many is that? Would "handful" be the correct term?... of people, is shooting yourself, your policies and what you stand for, in the foot. Worse still you make everyone who holds similar beliefs to you, a little less credible.
Way to go guys.
How about next time you take up gay marriage rights, pro-choice politics, and environmental issues. Then we can be assured that no one will EVER listen to what you have to think or say about those either!
I also enjoy that most anti-war activists have never BEEN to Iraq. They have NO IDEA what the situation is like over there, no clue of whether the US occupation is doing good or ill, no clue what the people on the street really want. But they claim to be humanists. When really all they want is for their tax dollars to not be spent on it and their soldiers to die for another cause. They don't care about the real people who are being effected by the war. Namely the citizens of Iraq.
Imagine if you will, that one night a SWAT team busted through your front door, shot your dog, crushed your cat's spine, cuffed and searched your whole family, then went about trashing your entire home and all your possessions because they thought you were running a meth lab. Then after hours of search, with your home entirely decimated, no working doors or windows with neighbors starting to check out what electronics you have lying around, they uncuffed your family and said "Whoops! Our bad!" and walked back out into the night. Leaving you with no resources and no protection.
You'd be outraged. You'd feel violated. You'd want redress. You'd want a damn apology and for someone to repair the damage they unjustly caused. But no one can replace your dog or cat, so you'd still be pretty pissed and upset no matter what.
I was against the Iraq war. I protested it. I knew there were no WMD in Iraq. I saw this all coming. But, since I am a young, non-politically affiliated, unexperienced, NOBODY; no one listened to me. But I can at least recognize that the argument over whether or not to invade Iraq IS OVER. The decision was made and now it's time to deal with the present, and the real problem. Which is the fact that we've royally fucked over an entire country and diplomacy isn't working. But now that country, and the devastation we've caused it, is our responsibility.
So if the anti-war activists could SHUT THE FUCK UP. That'd be great. You didn't want the war, that's great, neither did most of America. And I'm pretty sure it's not what Iraq would have preferred. But that argument is over. Start acting like the humanists you claim to be and consider the big picture and not just your social security cheque.