Perhaps the subject says it all; in case is doesn't... With almost any war or threat of war, some will brand anti-war protestors as traitors, etc. Or perhaps as jackasses. Over the last few days, I've found myself seriously wondering what it means when there are so many such complaints against anti-war protestors being aired today. Do the critics of anti-war protestors really want to live in a country where there is not a strong voice for peace?
Isn't going to war such an sigificant action that it deserves criticism as much as any other? A nation that enters war with little or no protest would be a very frightening thing, I think. And does that ever really happen unless those who would advocate for peace are afraid to speak up?
This is one more domain in which I see a very bothersome trend -- people in disagreement whose rhetoric implies that their goal is to silence or otherwise get rid of those who disagree. (Of course, some of the more radical voices don't just imply it, they say it out loud.) When I discuss this, people tend to quickly blame the media for treating all issues this way, a trend toward cynicism that I lamented in "The Transparent Society." So this concern is not new for me. But poised on the brink of war, it comes home even more, as I see and hear what seems to be a large group of people who have no respect for peace advocacy.
I'm not sure if war on Iraq is right or wrong. I am quite sure that if it is the right thing to do (or perhaps I should say the "best" thing), that wouldn't make disrespect for peace advocates right. I want to live in a country and community where that voice remains strong, right alongside the voices of those who are guarding our borders and security.
I have respect for peace advocates. In fact, my immediate supervisor at one of my teaching jobs (the assistant department chair) and a woman I work with there who is also taking my class this semester (one of her sons took it earlier) are both anti-war, and it hasn't affected our relationship. (It probably helps that we all have similar senses of humor . . . )
However, when we hear from anti-war advocates in general (e.g., on the Internet), they seem to be advocating a variety of positions, including:
(1) "Attacking Iraq at this time is wrong. We should continue to try diplomatic means."
(2) "All war is wrong."
(3) "This war is all about oil and the ties of members of the current administration to the oil industry."
(4) "George W. Bush is an idiot and/or an evil dictator, and everyone who voted for him is an idiot."
(5) "The US is an evil empire that wants to rule the world."
etc. (Anyone want to add to the list?)
Some of these are anti-war arguments, while some are simply anti-US sentiments. IMO, some are reasoned arguments against going to war against Iraq at this time, and others are not. YMMV.
-- Ronn! :)
Almighty Ruler of the all, Whose Power extends to great and small, Who guides the stars with steadfast law, Whose least creation fills with awe, O grant thy mercy and thy grace, To those who venture into space.
(Robert A. Heinlein's added verse to the Navy Hymn)
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