THINGS TO KNOW SO YOU DON'T LOOK STUPID IN FRONT OF WAR MONGERS

smartly answer questions, know your politics, don't look like an idiot

    Don't get me wrong I think that protesting is a very great way to have your voice heard, but when you have no idea about a topic you have no reason to fight for it, because you are just making the rest of us look stupid. There have been walk outs at many of the schools protesting the war, but sadly, I must admit that it seems most of the kids are walking out of class purely to walk out of class. They have no idea about anything happening in the war. It is good to want peace, and I think that is really a good reason to get out and voice that, but my little children beware. People want to fire at pacifists and they will ask difficult questions and if you don't have a good comeback you can kiss your belief in being a pacifist good bye. Here are some questions you should really be able to field. ( I am already assuming that you know basic information about this conflict, such as the leader of Iraq or where it even is on a map...and if you don't you better go find out, otherwise you are beyond help.) These are my replies and you might not necessarily agree with what I say...if you have anything to add or if I am way off on something e-mail me, because I am trying to learn as much as I can so I don't look stupid.

* THE PARTS WITH ASTERISKS ARE NEW *

Why do pacifists refuse to liberate the people of Iraq?

    First off I would say that I want peace. Peace is peace and you cannot argue with that...it isn't that I just want peace for me, not just for the United States I want peace...everywhere. I don't want people any where to suffer that is not the case at all. There are plenty of diplomatic steps that can be taken before we lose our cool and begin blowing things up just because our government isn't necessarily getting the reaction that they desire. We can see this patience from countries like Germany and France.

    There can be more time for disarmament, even though I believe this is quite hypocritical when we have in our possession about 50 times more weaponry than Iraq could ever imagine. We have to take some more time and look at this more clearly.

    I also would have to say that I have scoured the Internet looking and searching trying to find people that have been mistreated and abused by Saddam Hussein and his government. Maybe I have just missed them and if anyone finds these articles I would like to have a look at them. Actually most of the Iraqi citizens admire Saddam Hussein, after all he has helped pull the country up somewhat, even though it is quite obvious that he does have more money than nearly every citizen in Iraq combined...greed, but it happens to the best of us. I cannot understand how people in the United States can make signs that say "WE HATE SADDAM HUSSEIN" really I am not sure that they have grounds to make that statement. Basically to end this situation peacefully we have to try to understand Saddam Hussein. Saddam is not evil, Saddam is a human being.

    * Liberation seems to be the main focus of many of the people that support the war, which is good and very conscientious, but there are oppressive governments all over the world that the United States has failed to acknowledge, mostly, I feel because of the lack of United States interests there. Oppressive governments are very commonplace in countries that we are trying to get a good standing relation with, such as China. The government oppression there is just as bad as the Iraqis, the media is government controlled, religion is restricted, and speaking out against the government can earn you an old fashioned beating.

    Peace should be for everyone and it has taken me a long time to realize this, but it is impossible for everyone on the entire earth to be happy and content and at peace at the same time. This has become a battle that is questioning morality, I am questioning myself right now. The thing is peace seems very right and worthy to proclaim, and being a pacifist is even better, hell if everyone was a pacifist we wouldn't have this problem, but the thing is it seems wrong to deny freedom to other citizens of the world. It is unfortunate that this peace (which if you think that there will be peace afterward, you might want to rethink your standing, regime change will be a bitch and I doubt one group of people is going to stand silently by while another takes charge) has to come at a cost of human life and that it will take so long to achieve.*

Would you have opposed military action against Hitler?

    Obviously, this is one of the hardest questions to answer. There comes a certain point when you have just got to get in there and help. The holocaust is a perfect example of this. I am not saying that it was the only answer. It was a choice that force needed to be used, but in my eyes, only because we had all failed the rest of the human race before. We fucked it up beyond our control so the only way to fix it was with force. Truthfully, people were in a very vulnerable position after the First World War, making them open for this sort of mind control. It is easy for me to say that the Holocaust could have been avoided, had someone stuck up for what they thought in the beginning, the outcome might have been different and 6 million people might have lived to grow old. To avoid war, and just plain nasty things in the future, we have to upstanding and outspoken citizens. When people do right there can be no wrong. I don't think it is fair at all to compare the situation in Iraq with the holocaust, even though yes if we don't stick up and do something it could or could not turn into something as massive. The process has not gotten far enough along that we would have to use the force that we are planning. More diplomatic measures need to be taken.

The US troops are over there fighting for your freedom...don't you even care?

    Well it would be pretty heartless of me to say that I don't respect the U.S. soldiers. The army frankly scares the shit out of me. I would have to say that from what I can tell it is a good program and it motivates people. Truthfully the most motivated and disciplined people I have ever seen  are people that have been in the army. Even though I oppose the purpose of this institution, it is something for them to be proud of and there is nothing wrong with that. People should have things to be proud of, but I question if the army and it's motives are the types of things we should be proud of. Don't get me wrong there is a brotherhood and a sense of mental toughness and pride that these individuals have. If there was anything I am mad at it is the government for sending these troops, for drawing them in in the first place, by relentlessly using propaganda, for brainwashing them to see no differently, for having no compassion about the inevitable should we head into war. Personally the army is a bunch of crap to me besides the heightened sense of discipline and understanding for one another they gain, they learn many bad things as well things that are unnecessary for the human race. I don't think I have ever seen anything as scary as when I was watching a documentary on training soldiers for hand to hand ground combat, it is pretty sad that these people have to hate so much, even someone they have never met before.

    *Now that the troops are over fighting we should do our best to support them. I do believe that protesting is good, our voices to need to be heard and not disregarded, but the fact that the troops are over there now bringing them back would be utterly pointless. Support your troops, but don't necessarily support your government and every decision that is made by them. I feel that if you are seriously going protesting, having a protest in support of the troops and their well being is justified, even though still supporting the troops, you could voice your dislike for the war. It is not fair to the troops, and it would be unfortunate if the same civilian-soldier rivalry that formed after Vietnam became a reality again.*

There are many more questions I am sure that a pacifist must face in daily life situations, but for right now this is all I have to say. If there are any people out there just hell-bent on war and you have a question to pose to me and my ideas on peace write me the question and I will do what I can to answer them, that is if you even care at all. It looks like you are going to get a war anyway. It has become apparent to me that the world is still a very barbaric place and social Darwinism is running its course. Peace out.