War and peace
I apologize in advance for the length and the slight miscalculation in timeliness. I'm still not satisfied with it, but I feel I need to get it out there now, regardless of how polished it is.
I was going to post something about Memorial Day yesterday, and as it turns out, it's better that I didn't, since there was an event today which directly affects what I was to say: Cindy Sheehan has left the peace movement.
I do know Cindy, though not well, and in a way am not surprised by her decision. It was one borne of despair and desperation...of knowing that despite everything you do, every way that you give of yourself to the movement and to the cause which you know is just - and moreover, in her case, in the attempt to give the life of your son, which was taken in an illegal, immoral, and unjust cause, some reason and nobility - the soulless machine which is in the possession of our country marches on unabated.
Yesterday I read the good words of tacnukesoul in his journal. I don't agree with him all the time, but he has been a soldier and has been closer to the front of this combat than I have or care to be. Citizens of our country follow that path for various and complicated reasons. Sometimes it's because they are in agreement with the cause, or feel a martial loyalty to the U.S.; sometimes, they believe it is what is best for their country, or themselves, or both. Some do it because it is a way for them to get guidance, or glory, or discipline, or money, or just a way out of despair that comes from a complete dearth of prospects. Some even do so because of a weakness in their personal character...and still others find their psyches or bodies or souls damaged, sometimes beyond repair, on their way out of the service, shattered by the experience within. The reasons, be they noble or flawed, are best known by those themselves. Yesterday was a day dedicated to the Americans like tacnukesoul who have done so and (unlike him) died in the service, and it is proper that we make this dedication. The warrior has had his place in the history of our country and the world, and those who do not recognize this fact will not appreciate the reasons they exist, nor the effects they have had.
Through all the various reasons, it is certain that each soldier is looking for some affect he or she may have on the world, and have placed themselves in a special place to do so. I don't believe it was any different for Casey Sheehan on the day he joined the service, nor on the day he was killed in Iraq. And to be honest, I don't think it's different for his mother, who has spent this time looking for a way to affect the world, and to find reason for Casey's death. Her heart-crushing admission that her son died for nothing is a tremendous loss for us all, as a nation...as much as any we may have suffered on any battlefield.
On Memorial Day, we must remember our fallen soldiers not as a special class of übermenschen, upon whose shoulders solely rested the fate of our nation...but as citizens of our country who were trying to do their best under the most difficult of circumstances. Their sacrifice should not stir abject veneration, but sympathetic action.
We are constantly reminded by those who do venerate the military that the soldier is responsible for our freedoms. This is wrong - almost to the point of being traitorous. We arose as a country from under the yoke of a imperial rule based on the premise that all are created equal, and endowed with rights not because of any special status, but because they are human. From that bedrock of reason - a tremendously radical idea at the time, I would remind everyone - we, the people, created the law that all of us live under. To say that this law is nothing without deadly force and those willing to use it is to make us no different from the murderous dictators who we, as members of an international community, often charge with the profound pronouncement of "crimes against humanity". We owe the soldier a debt, it is true; just as we owe a debt to the policeman, the teacher, the fireman, the judge...and yes, even the politician, who slogs through the deadly dull and often seriously messy business of democracy in making the laws of our society. The peaceable society where every soldier save the incurably insane in any war zone in the world wishes he was, instead of where he is.
I can think of no better way to remember and honor the fallen soldiers than to work for peace, just as Cindy Sheehan did.
Cindy has retired from the peace movement because there is only so much one person can take. She was beaten in mind and body and soul. She's lost her money, her husband, and her respect for her country and its processes, thanks to the evil of this war's prosecution by the Republican Party, and the equally reprehensible and indefensible complicity by the Democratic Party. She had some things to say about the egos involved in the peace movement and the difficulty of organizing our efforts, to which I can only say, "guilty as charged". We are certainly far less than perfect at a time when the majority of our country requires us to be more, since our imperfectly elected officials lack the will or moral quality to do so. For my own part, as I said, I know Cindy, and I know of these feelings which she's going through. I feel them every time I become involved in Green Party activities, particularly when I campaign for our candidates and hear the usual and inevitable defeat in the voter's various excuses, or the pomposity of those too absorbed or too unintelligent to even acknowledge themselves as part of any nation, country, world, concept, or solution outside their immediate circumstances. I have chosen, in a way, to be more of an armchair quarterback than a player on the field...to stay on the Internet and sling theory and verbiage, and get my political party's bills in order and soothe the ruffled feathers of some of those egos that Cindy spoke of, rather than storm the gates of the White House or Congress or even the Supreme Court and demand this cancer on our nation be excised. And I'll admit my reasons are selfish: I have a wife and two children whom I love very much and whom I'm responsible for. They need and deserve to have the best I can provide for them, emotionally and spiritually and, yes, materially. I also have an obligation to keep myself healthy...and not be beaten or become as mentally and physically exhausted as Cindy was. (Frankly, Cindy's last message is of a tone so defeated that I worry for her life. It's very scary.)
I feel upset because I know that there are more of me than there are of Cindy out there, and that's very probably one reason why she is retiring. It's too much for a single person, even when that single person's effort is worth ten scooterbirds. But I've been told that I have a way with words...and perhaps if I can get twenty to stand in her place, in some small, even partial way, then it may not be necessary for an intensely committed activist to take up precisely the same mantle.
I know that most of you reading don't which to take my path. You have your reasons to appreciate but not follow the Green Party, and there are a few of you that actively hate the Green Party. For the time being, I'm not going to take issue with who you are or where you come from. I'm not even (necessarily!) going to try to lead you...just give some suggestions and step out of the way.
I believe we need to do two things. The first is to visualize a world without war. Stopping this one is not of great value if we cannot prevent the next one. War, as a concept, must be seen as "a racket", in the words of General Smedley Butler, USMC; we must realize that regardless of the veneer of honor and glory which we place on the practice, the truth of war is that a great many must suffer and die such that a few may profit. War must become something which civilized societies do not do and civilized people do not suggest, much as slavery now is. Those who defend our country must be used only in the actual defense of our country - regardless of the effect on the profits of corporations or similarly private interests.
I've received criticism in the past for suggesting such a course of action without a clear means of enacting it. However it's clear that those who are championing our pre-emptive, unilateral, aggressive foreign wars also lacked such means and such vision. If we are not certain of the future, then it is more wise to select a course which will engage the fewest in a physically hostile way to avoid making enemies for the future, and to expend the efforts of our men and women in the more productive and least dangerous way possible.
Second, we must take steps to oppose the current government of the United States, until such time as a truly representative government - one that will follow the will of the people - is duly and properly elected. Obviously, I would like to see Greens elected at all levels; however, it is most important that all exercise their will on the government in its selection and operation. If it is the people's will that those currently in charge be indicted and removed from office for their crimes against the country and against humanity, then no elected official should stand in their way. If the people decide that our foreign policy not be conducted within the context of pre-emptive war, then no elected official of any party should decide otherwise.
This will require action by the citizens. Party membership is not an excuse. Military service is not an excuse. Adherence to unjust laws - those laws which are not in accordance with the moral law which our country was founded upon - is not an excuse. Citizens who are concerned with the governance of the United States must step forward and act immediately. George W. Bush and Dick Cheney must be impeached for lying, spying, and torture - conduct unbecoming any U.S. citizen, much less the President and Vice President. Those who refuse to do so for political reasons must be held complicit in these crimes - and no one should vote for them ever again.
If you identify as a conservative, then realize that your current government is against privacy and fiscal responsibility. It has authorized torture by Americans, and lied to the American people about the reasons for war. We may not agree on all counts of what constitutes good government, but I would ask that you consider your duty as American citizens - and that we would act together for the betterment of our nation.
If you are a member of the American military, please become advised of the legality of your orders. Your duty, before any individual, is to the United States as a nation, and its Constitution. Consider the violations of that Constitution which the current CiC, George W. Bush, is guilty of. Act accordingly to best serve this country - and know that there are groups who will support your decisions. Don't be afraid to ask for them.
If you are a Democrat, then do not be blinded by party loyalty. You are a free citizen; your allegiance is to nothing except the United States. Those who fail to represent the people must be voted out. You cannot vote for them in any good conscience. If you insist on remaining a part of the party, you must work within it to change it immediately. We have reached a time of moral crisis; your neutrality, or disinterest, is not acceptable as a means of avoiding this responsibility. If you simply refuse to listen to a Green because you wish to see us disbanded and gone, be aware of this: I will not be silent and do nothing simply to allow you to be silent and do nothing. If it is your view that Greens should not dare to challenge Democrats, then get them to do what we intend to do. Otherwise, your "victory", as can be presently said, is meaningless.
For those who do not agree with any of this, and who lack the morals to see that this is an unjust war, and that continued conflict - by proxy - serves no one but the profiteers and psychopaths, then I would suggest that you have lost. There are more of us than of you...and we are stronger, for we carry out our actions in a peaceable manner. By ordering more guns and bombs, and demanding their use, you are building a house of cards that you cannot maintain except by killing more. The empires you seek to create on the backs of the oppressed and dead are finite things, and cannot last long.
I realize that what I'm saying is very direct and controversial. It's meant to be. I want people to post this far and wide and start communicating about what they intend to do, because this is what we're up against. It doesn't take a group of wild-eyed activists, still...just committed citizens who refuse to engage in business as usual any more - the more of us, the better. And if folks are offended by the tone in which I ask, or perhaps demand, then frankly, I'm not in the least bit sorry.
I was going to post something about Memorial Day yesterday, and as it turns out, it's better that I didn't, since there was an event today which directly affects what I was to say: Cindy Sheehan has left the peace movement.
I do know Cindy, though not well, and in a way am not surprised by her decision. It was one borne of despair and desperation...of knowing that despite everything you do, every way that you give of yourself to the movement and to the cause which you know is just - and moreover, in her case, in the attempt to give the life of your son, which was taken in an illegal, immoral, and unjust cause, some reason and nobility - the soulless machine which is in the possession of our country marches on unabated.
Yesterday I read the good words of tacnukesoul in his journal. I don't agree with him all the time, but he has been a soldier and has been closer to the front of this combat than I have or care to be. Citizens of our country follow that path for various and complicated reasons. Sometimes it's because they are in agreement with the cause, or feel a martial loyalty to the U.S.; sometimes, they believe it is what is best for their country, or themselves, or both. Some do it because it is a way for them to get guidance, or glory, or discipline, or money, or just a way out of despair that comes from a complete dearth of prospects. Some even do so because of a weakness in their personal character...and still others find their psyches or bodies or souls damaged, sometimes beyond repair, on their way out of the service, shattered by the experience within. The reasons, be they noble or flawed, are best known by those themselves. Yesterday was a day dedicated to the Americans like tacnukesoul who have done so and (unlike him) died in the service, and it is proper that we make this dedication. The warrior has had his place in the history of our country and the world, and those who do not recognize this fact will not appreciate the reasons they exist, nor the effects they have had.
Through all the various reasons, it is certain that each soldier is looking for some affect he or she may have on the world, and have placed themselves in a special place to do so. I don't believe it was any different for Casey Sheehan on the day he joined the service, nor on the day he was killed in Iraq. And to be honest, I don't think it's different for his mother, who has spent this time looking for a way to affect the world, and to find reason for Casey's death. Her heart-crushing admission that her son died for nothing is a tremendous loss for us all, as a nation...as much as any we may have suffered on any battlefield.
On Memorial Day, we must remember our fallen soldiers not as a special class of übermenschen, upon whose shoulders solely rested the fate of our nation...but as citizens of our country who were trying to do their best under the most difficult of circumstances. Their sacrifice should not stir abject veneration, but sympathetic action.
We are constantly reminded by those who do venerate the military that the soldier is responsible for our freedoms. This is wrong - almost to the point of being traitorous. We arose as a country from under the yoke of a imperial rule based on the premise that all are created equal, and endowed with rights not because of any special status, but because they are human. From that bedrock of reason - a tremendously radical idea at the time, I would remind everyone - we, the people, created the law that all of us live under. To say that this law is nothing without deadly force and those willing to use it is to make us no different from the murderous dictators who we, as members of an international community, often charge with the profound pronouncement of "crimes against humanity". We owe the soldier a debt, it is true; just as we owe a debt to the policeman, the teacher, the fireman, the judge...and yes, even the politician, who slogs through the deadly dull and often seriously messy business of democracy in making the laws of our society. The peaceable society where every soldier save the incurably insane in any war zone in the world wishes he was, instead of where he is.
I can think of no better way to remember and honor the fallen soldiers than to work for peace, just as Cindy Sheehan did.
Cindy has retired from the peace movement because there is only so much one person can take. She was beaten in mind and body and soul. She's lost her money, her husband, and her respect for her country and its processes, thanks to the evil of this war's prosecution by the Republican Party, and the equally reprehensible and indefensible complicity by the Democratic Party. She had some things to say about the egos involved in the peace movement and the difficulty of organizing our efforts, to which I can only say, "guilty as charged". We are certainly far less than perfect at a time when the majority of our country requires us to be more, since our imperfectly elected officials lack the will or moral quality to do so. For my own part, as I said, I know Cindy, and I know of these feelings which she's going through. I feel them every time I become involved in Green Party activities, particularly when I campaign for our candidates and hear the usual and inevitable defeat in the voter's various excuses, or the pomposity of those too absorbed or too unintelligent to even acknowledge themselves as part of any nation, country, world, concept, or solution outside their immediate circumstances. I have chosen, in a way, to be more of an armchair quarterback than a player on the field...to stay on the Internet and sling theory and verbiage, and get my political party's bills in order and soothe the ruffled feathers of some of those egos that Cindy spoke of, rather than storm the gates of the White House or Congress or even the Supreme Court and demand this cancer on our nation be excised. And I'll admit my reasons are selfish: I have a wife and two children whom I love very much and whom I'm responsible for. They need and deserve to have the best I can provide for them, emotionally and spiritually and, yes, materially. I also have an obligation to keep myself healthy...and not be beaten or become as mentally and physically exhausted as Cindy was. (Frankly, Cindy's last message is of a tone so defeated that I worry for her life. It's very scary.)
I feel upset because I know that there are more of me than there are of Cindy out there, and that's very probably one reason why she is retiring. It's too much for a single person, even when that single person's effort is worth ten scooterbirds. But I've been told that I have a way with words...and perhaps if I can get twenty to stand in her place, in some small, even partial way, then it may not be necessary for an intensely committed activist to take up precisely the same mantle.
I know that most of you reading don't which to take my path. You have your reasons to appreciate but not follow the Green Party, and there are a few of you that actively hate the Green Party. For the time being, I'm not going to take issue with who you are or where you come from. I'm not even (necessarily!) going to try to lead you...just give some suggestions and step out of the way.
I believe we need to do two things. The first is to visualize a world without war. Stopping this one is not of great value if we cannot prevent the next one. War, as a concept, must be seen as "a racket", in the words of General Smedley Butler, USMC; we must realize that regardless of the veneer of honor and glory which we place on the practice, the truth of war is that a great many must suffer and die such that a few may profit. War must become something which civilized societies do not do and civilized people do not suggest, much as slavery now is. Those who defend our country must be used only in the actual defense of our country - regardless of the effect on the profits of corporations or similarly private interests.
I've received criticism in the past for suggesting such a course of action without a clear means of enacting it. However it's clear that those who are championing our pre-emptive, unilateral, aggressive foreign wars also lacked such means and such vision. If we are not certain of the future, then it is more wise to select a course which will engage the fewest in a physically hostile way to avoid making enemies for the future, and to expend the efforts of our men and women in the more productive and least dangerous way possible.
Second, we must take steps to oppose the current government of the United States, until such time as a truly representative government - one that will follow the will of the people - is duly and properly elected. Obviously, I would like to see Greens elected at all levels; however, it is most important that all exercise their will on the government in its selection and operation. If it is the people's will that those currently in charge be indicted and removed from office for their crimes against the country and against humanity, then no elected official should stand in their way. If the people decide that our foreign policy not be conducted within the context of pre-emptive war, then no elected official of any party should decide otherwise.
This will require action by the citizens. Party membership is not an excuse. Military service is not an excuse. Adherence to unjust laws - those laws which are not in accordance with the moral law which our country was founded upon - is not an excuse. Citizens who are concerned with the governance of the United States must step forward and act immediately. George W. Bush and Dick Cheney must be impeached for lying, spying, and torture - conduct unbecoming any U.S. citizen, much less the President and Vice President. Those who refuse to do so for political reasons must be held complicit in these crimes - and no one should vote for them ever again.
If you identify as a conservative, then realize that your current government is against privacy and fiscal responsibility. It has authorized torture by Americans, and lied to the American people about the reasons for war. We may not agree on all counts of what constitutes good government, but I would ask that you consider your duty as American citizens - and that we would act together for the betterment of our nation.
If you are a member of the American military, please become advised of the legality of your orders. Your duty, before any individual, is to the United States as a nation, and its Constitution. Consider the violations of that Constitution which the current CiC, George W. Bush, is guilty of. Act accordingly to best serve this country - and know that there are groups who will support your decisions. Don't be afraid to ask for them.
If you are a Democrat, then do not be blinded by party loyalty. You are a free citizen; your allegiance is to nothing except the United States. Those who fail to represent the people must be voted out. You cannot vote for them in any good conscience. If you insist on remaining a part of the party, you must work within it to change it immediately. We have reached a time of moral crisis; your neutrality, or disinterest, is not acceptable as a means of avoiding this responsibility. If you simply refuse to listen to a Green because you wish to see us disbanded and gone, be aware of this: I will not be silent and do nothing simply to allow you to be silent and do nothing. If it is your view that Greens should not dare to challenge Democrats, then get them to do what we intend to do. Otherwise, your "victory", as can be presently said, is meaningless.
For those who do not agree with any of this, and who lack the morals to see that this is an unjust war, and that continued conflict - by proxy - serves no one but the profiteers and psychopaths, then I would suggest that you have lost. There are more of us than of you...and we are stronger, for we carry out our actions in a peaceable manner. By ordering more guns and bombs, and demanding their use, you are building a house of cards that you cannot maintain except by killing more. The empires you seek to create on the backs of the oppressed and dead are finite things, and cannot last long.
I realize that what I'm saying is very direct and controversial. It's meant to be. I want people to post this far and wide and start communicating about what they intend to do, because this is what we're up against. It doesn't take a group of wild-eyed activists, still...just committed citizens who refuse to engage in business as usual any more - the more of us, the better. And if folks are offended by the tone in which I ask, or perhaps demand, then frankly, I'm not in the least bit sorry.