(no subject)

[rivka]

I'm so... Sad. Anxious. Ashamed. I hate this.

I haven't been talking about the war in my LiveJournal because I haven't known what to say that wouldn't seem pointless. I'm not a pacifist, but I think that this war is wrong. I think it's been internally propelled by motives within the Bush administration, rather than being proportionately responsive to external events. It frightens me to see my country alienated from its allies of long standing. It humiliates me to see the bribery and bullying and intentional misdirection that has been done in my name, to force this conclusion.

But I'm not comfortable with all aspects of the anti-war movement, either. I got an e-mail urging people to call the U.N. and ask that the weapons inspectors be left in Iraq so that the U.S. wouldn't start dropping bombs. That innocent people - people trying to avert war - should be nonconsensually abandoned to Saddam Hussein as hostages, in the name of peace.

From where I stand, long ago the Bush Administration let their sense of righteousness overpower their senses of reason and compassion. I don't want the same thing to happen in the anti-war movement. I don't want to have to cringe back from people turning their contempt onto the nineteen-year-old boys and girls out in the desert waiting to be shot. But nor do I want there to be nineteen-year-old boys and girls out in the desert waiting to be shot. Not for this. It's the wrong war.

It's no coincidence, I think, that tonight I was spurred by this article at The American Prospect into taking a long look at Dean for America... and getting excited. Probably disproportionately excited, in that I wanted to sign up right away to volunteer my heart out. Dean looks really good. But I think that also, tonight, I'm desperately yearning for something political I can feel good about, some leader I'd be proud to follow, some way to work for change. It's tempting, tonight, to believe that there's someone out there who can be the fulfillment of my hopes.

Comments

[marykaykare.livejournal.com]

I've been thinking the same thing about Dean myself. I said over in Patrick's blog that when we sell the house and get our money out of it, I'm seriously considering sending him the maximum allowable contribution. Maybe even volunteering. He looks like someone I could believe in and follow.

MKK

[jilesa.livejournal.com]

You've voiced most of my thoughts better than I could have, I think. I don't want this war. I don't want people to die. I don't want the people who are being sent to die to be targets of contempt for anti-war protesters either. And in the end, what I want matters not at all to those who are making the big decisions. It's enough to make one seriously consider hermitage, innit?

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

I'm desperately yearning for something political I can feel good about, some leader I'd be proud to follow, some way to work for change. It's tempting, tonight, to believe that there's someone out there who can be the fulfillment of my hopes.

I miss Paul Wellstone now, more than ever.

I may go visit his grave this weekend.

Re:

[rivka.livejournal.com]

I always hoped that someday I'd be able to cast a vote for Wellstone for President.

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

This is much better said than my feeble attempts! I too have not been joining the anti-war demonstrations, etc. - I'm not sure I agree with their reasoning, even though I too am against the war.

But we're there now. I am hoping that when the troops come home it's not going to be a Vietnam-like situation where these poor kids are spat on, etc. - it's not their fault they're over there, and truthfully I think most people are "with" the troops, for whatever reason.

Thank you for providing the links to Dean. I haven't had a chance to look at them thoroughly, but will try in the future. At first glance, I am bothered that he doesn't seem to have had any experience as a representative in Washington, but perhaps an outsider is just what we need right now - I notice on his front page he's not afraid to disagree with Bush & Co., perhaps because he ISN'T bogged down in the Capital.

Food for thought, at least.

[marykaykare.livejournal.com]

Rather than experience in Washington, I think it's more important that he has experience with the executive branch of government from being governor.

MKK

[ororo.livejournal.com]

Well stated, first of all.

The tone of the vigil I attended on Sunday towards our troops was nothing but positive. The general mood was, "We know they have to be there, it's their boss we have the disagreement with, let's get them home safe and soon." I don't think troops coming home from Iraq will face the same onslaught of contempt

I don't want a war. It sucks that people have to die over what would be better solved with celebrity mud wrestling between Bush and Hussein. What you said about Bush's sense of righteousness overpowering reason echoed in my brain.

I can totally empathize with wanting to find someone politically to believe in. I took a look at Howard Dean's site and . . . well, damn, he looks good, don't he?

Thanks for posting. *hugs*

[trinker.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the link to Howard Dean. I'll be reading through that later.

As far as the troops, and how people who were/are anti-war will treat them...

I have been to those anti-war events. I have talked to the people who attended. I think that there will be a few who do treat the troops with disrespect, but I think that large groups tend to get people from all over the spectrum, and those on a certain far end...well, they were inclined that way anyway.

Generally, this is different than Vietnam. I see and hear a public perception that the vast majority of these people are being sent because that's their job, not because they actively want to go. As long as that holds...

[redbird]

Most of our recent presidents (Bush I is the exception) didn't have experience in Washington, but had been state governors.