I only tell this little story to help bring it home to us in the US that
war affects us all. It affects us if we live where the bombs are being
dropped or if we live where they are made. It affects us if we spend our
nights in air raid shelters or in B-52s and aircraft carriers. It affects
us if we are watching the attack from our rooftop or on our television
screen. It affects us if we are in uniform or not. It takes our brothers
and sisters, our futures, and our souls. Every missile fired, every bomb
that is dropped, every bullet shot, is another attack on the people of Iraq
and the US. Every smart bomb dropped is money subtracted from your
education and that of our children. Every 2,000 pound fuel-air explosive
device dropped not only creates a firestorm and vacuum where it is dropped,
it also burns up our potential and creates a vacuum in our nation's soul.
After all, if we can allow US to kill people they can't even see with no
more thought than that which we use when we use our tv remote, are we any
better than the everyday people of Nazi Germany who paid no mind to the
Dachau concentration camp next door? Is ignoring the smell of the bodies
from that camp any different from ignoring the destruction and death that
is being wrought in our name?
Recently, a US military strategist named Harlan Ullman told Dan Rather:
"There will not be a safe place in Baghdad. The sheer size of this has
never been seen before, never been contemplated before."
Mr. Ullman was talking about a military strategy that is being called shock
and awe, a phrase that was taken from the military strategist Clausewitz.
Ullman continued his explanation to Mr. Rather by saying (quite proudly I
might add) "You have this simultaneous effect, rather like the nuclear
weapons at Hiroshima, not taking days or weeks but minutes." Hiroshima in
minutes!! This is what they want to do to Baghdad and who knows where
else. If these people who run our country and are talking about mass
murder as calmly as you or I order dinner were gangbangers or high school
kids in Columbine or another town where teenage killers have gone mad, most
Americans would be calling for their heads. Because what they are planning
on committing is nothing less than a capital crime! It's mass murder, people!
If the veils of cynicism and apathy have so blinded us to the criminality
of this war drive and the sanctions that precede it, the sheer inhumanity
of this impending slaughter must rip those veils from our souls and our
compassion must shine through. If we are deaf to the cries this war will
bring, we must turn down the volume on our tvs, stereos, and video games,
and acknowledge-no embrace-our common humanity with those of all nations
who will be the victims of this war.
If we don't speak out against this crime, we might as well be blind. Our
ears should be made deaf and all traces of compassion removed from our
being. This war is not only foolish and ill-advised, it is a crime against
humanity. We can't and won't let the masters of war define who we are and
who we will be!
In each of our lives, there are a few moments that truly matter. Some are
very personal, while others are very public. This is one of those moments.
One that fits into both categories. What we do today and every day as
long as this exercise in mass murder continues will define not only our
emotional and spiritual futures, it could very well define our physical
futures on this planet. In addition, and most importantly, it will define
the legacy we leave for those who will inherit this earth from us.
When the powers of war, greed, and lust for power dominate the earth as
they do today, those of us who oppose them must do whatever we can to halt
their motion. We must re-prioritize what our jobs and our studies mean,
and put our energies into stopping the motion of those powers-a motion that
is nothing but death and loss for most of the world. If we haven't
already, then beginning today we must live in opposition to the rulers'
designs for empire. Rallies, marches, civil disobedience and direct
action-everything we can do, we must do.
In our classrooms, workplaces, churches, and hangouts, with our families,
friends, lovers and colleagues, we must make clear our opposition to the
imperial designs of the men and women in Washington, DC.. Sometimes, this
will mean vigorous persuasion and action, other times it will mean soft and
kind words. We must be ready for anger and tears, and, when we come up
against them, we must be ready with a response that will further the cause
of peace and justice.
If we know men and women in the military, we must approach them and explain
why we don't want them to kill and die for the profits of a few who care
nothing for their lives or the lives of those they will meet on the
battlefield or drop bombs on from the sky. Let these service men and women
know that they don't have to go to war-there are people and structures
designed to help them should they decide that killing for empire is not how
they want to remember themselves. Or want to be remembered.
In case it's not obvious to everyone by now, let me say it once more: This
war is about empire. Empire and the oil that greases it.
It's not about weapons of mass destruction. Even if you believe that the
most well-armed nation in the world has the right to bully a nation into
disarming, the best way to do that is by destroying the weapons, not the
nation itself.
This war is about empire.
It's not about freedom for the Iraqi people. The only freedom Bush and
company are interested in is the freedom to exploit the rest of the world.
This war is about empire.
It's not about restoring democracy. The men and women running this thing
don't know the meaning of that word.
For those of you who believe that the US is basically a good nation,
stopping this war is your chance to begin to return its government back to
that goodness. For those of you who think otherwise, this is your chance
to begin and make it into such a nation.
Stopping this war is a step in this direction. I'm gonna' be honest here.
It's not gonna' be a walk in the park. The people in power didn't get
there by being nice. They got there by being ruthless, deceitful and just
plain murderous. But, we can win. In deed, we must. One step at a time.
I just saw the Will Smith movie, "Ali". Now, I'm not saying we all gotta' be
the heavyweight champion of the world, of course. But, we could take some
inspiration from a page of Ali's life and just plain refuse to go along
with this war. When they ask us to step up and agree to their plans for
world domination, we can look them in the eye and refuse. That's all, just
refuse. It's an incredibly liberatory feeling when you finally take that
step. Believe me.
That first step is underway as I speak. Let's take it. Get to one of the
big demonstrations the weekend of January 15th. Let's do what we feel we
have to do. Then, go home and talk about things with your friends. Get
together an affinity group to carry out future actions. Come to meetings
and forums around this issue and add your time and words. Let's stop their
war machine in its tracks now and forever. Let's take that first step on
the road towards a world of justice and peace.
|