While some of the discussion is focusing on Iraq, I'd like to share the following with
you all. I worked Joni in at the end, although I had to alter her lyric slightly:
ARGUMENTS AGAINST THE WAR
This war sets a dangerous precedent. Iraq was not behind 9/11. We have no reason to
believe there is an Al Qaeda link to Saddam Hussein. While Saddam is a brutal
dictator, others exist in the world today. Will we go to war to depose all of them?
You dont just march into a sovereign nation, no matter how corrupt, and overthrow its
government. That is for the people of that country to do on their own, if they can.
The potential backlash of a war with Iraq is a very real threat. Iraq, or groups
sympathetic to Iraq, could easily initiate a retaliatory attack either against our
allies in the Gulf region, or else here in the U.S. Who knows how many terrorists
remain embedded in the U.S. Or, Iraq could sell its remaining chemical and
biological weapons to various rogue terrorist groups.
We have lost the support of many of our allies France, Germany, etc. We are
tarnishing the already weakened status of the UN. We are provoking France, Germany
and Russia to struggle to assert themselves to keep us in check. Our image of
fairness, of upholding international law, is tarnished as well. We are also refusing
to face the real major cause of tension in the Middle East, namely, the
Israeli/Palestinian situation.
Fighting this war will be costly. The $75 billion Bush asked Congress for is just the
first installment. Our economy is already weak now. The war will be a constant drain
on our resources. That is exactly the thing that will please Osama bin Laden
(remember him?): A constant drip, drip, drip of our resources dragging us down until
we all go down the drain. Certainly, wherever he is, he must be pleased that we have
launched our war against Iraq.
Occupying and reforming Iraq, presuming we win, will be even more expensive than the
war itself. Our presence in the region will be a constant thorn in the side of all
the other Arab nations, who will be angered by our arrogance, interference and pride
in believing we can dictate to another country the shape their government should take.
You cant take democracy and shove it down peoples throats like a pill. Plus,
democracy here in the U.S. is being eroded now.
For additional study, check out this website: www.911pi.com
*******************************************************************
When you call yourself an Indian or a Muslim or a Christian or a European, or anything
else, you are being violent. Do you see why it is violent? Because you are separating
yourself from the rest of mankind. When you separate yourself by belief, by
nationality, by tradition, it breeds violence. So a man who is seeking to understand
violence does not belong to any country, to any religion, to any political party or
partial system; he is concerned with the total understanding of mankind.
--J. Krishnamurti, Freedom from the Known, pp.51-52
Like a barbed wire fence, strung tight, strung tense, every notion we subscribe to,
every pretense, is just a Borderline
-- Joni Mitchell
One love, one heart, lets get together and well feel all right.
--Bob Marley
Ruth in Richmond
