tuesday peace post

i have some catching up to do- i guess i am slow- but here are the last two topics from the tuesday topics questions at one million blogs for peace:

Think back four years ago, to when you first heard that the Iraq War had started.
Were you for or against the war at the time?
If you were for it, what has changed your mind over the last four years?
If you were against it, why were you against it?

Have you convinced anyone else to change their opinion about the Iraq War?
If so, describe that experience and how you convinced them.
If not, imagine what would change your mind if you felt differently about the War.

i was against the war from the beginnings of rumblings about iraq- i saw that there were no reasons to go into iraq and that bush et al had their own agenda from the get go. i spoke out about it then- but i had no idea the way things would turn out. i was concerned that there would be a draft and that my husband would be called to go- or friends. for nothing.

i hope that i have changed someone's mind about the iraq war- i hope that i have been- not just a part of the peace movement- but of the truth movement. if i was a true believer, i would like to think that the sheer weight of the lies and corruption coming out of the administration would give me pause and that i would start to think differently. the views i thought i had- i would hope that i would re-evaluate based on the facts that bush et al clearly lied and folks are surely dying. the accounts from soldiers returning from iraq- and the fact that so many see no improvement nor see an opportunity for any would give me pause. the fact that this admin and the pentagon seem quite content to throw away wounded lives because they can no longer serve- would give me pause. the talk of freeing iraqis and all the 'noble' garbage spewed by bush et al- in the wake of the walter reed scandal and others- i would question that.

another big reason to end the war- legacy. not cheney's and rumsfeld's and bush's- but our legacy. many of the men and women serving the american military and in our name- are our next generation. they are dying and wounded and being treated like crap by our own pentagon. the pentagon who put them in harm's way- and who is destroying a generation of young people. this war will have repercussions for decades for our people and the folks in the middle east and beyond. this pentagon who has taken billions of dollars but not seen that our military personnel has appropriate armor and basic needs- blankets, pillows, healthcare. this pentagon who has lowered the bar and its standards so that the trained personnel have no idea who they are serving with. the rapes and murders and prisoner scandals can be laid at the feet of the perpetrators- bush, cheney and especially rumsfeld. they are the ones who started this 'war' in the name of america and they are the ones that the wrath of the people should be directed at. if ever there was a more clear reason for peace- our young minds are it.

third topic-

Try to imagine yourself as a lifelong Iraqi citizen.
What do you think would motivate you?
How do you think your life would change if foreign combatants left the country?
How do you think you would feel about the United States and other occupying countries?

as an iraqi citizen, i would probably be distrustful of the west- europe and america. it is difficult for me to imagine what it must have been like to have waited for the american invasion- as the media events led up to it. knowing that no matter what- my way of life was about to end as i knew it. fear of the unknown and fear for my family would have been first in my mind. knowing what war does to a country and knowing that the iraqi military would fight and my city would be bombed and shot up- and that i may not have access to daily necessities. maybe me and my loved ones would be killed. knowing now- after the americans destroyed my country and reneged on rebuilding- and knowing that my fellow countrymen are killing each other- it is easy to invision a life that is devoid of hope for a bright future. dread of ongoing fighting- and seeing the rest of the middle east circling the wagons- bitterness and despair together with resolve- to end occupation and re-establish a way of life. free for my country but probably not free in the american western way. coming from a history of occupation at the hands of white western christians and fellow iraqi dictators- i would probably be distrustful of both for a long time.

i see many familiar names on the list of the blogs- take a look- and post for peace at one million blogs for peace. i think the last tally was close to 300 blogs signed up- pass the word- peace might be catching! if you do post for peace- be sure to cross post at the peace train too!!