(crossposted from the frontpage of My Left Wing)
Like most conventional wisdom, the conventional wisdom that says Democrats mustn’t be labeled anti-war really gripes my ass. What could be worse than to be thought against the horrors and abomination that is war? We would surly be made to pay if the voters ever suspected that we were the sort of people who really loved peace, and war not so much. Surely they would see the problems inherent in being led by those who might attempt to make friends of our enemies, heal the wounds of the past, or accept others as equals.
We mustn’t advocate the end of war boys and girls; after all, what could be worse than world peace?
(more over the fold...)
There cannot possibly be room in this party or this world for kindness, compassion, or goodwill toward our fellow human beings. We must be mean asshole bastards or we will not be safe. We must be prepared to kill at the drop of a hat. We must stand ever ready to sacrifice our children and the children of others to the gruesome gods of war. THEY will get US if WE don’t get THEM first! What a crock of evil bullshit! Evil bullshit foisted upon us by the military-industrial complex and their pet monkeys.
Some Democrats are terrified that we might be labeled anti-war. That particular label doesn’t poll well. So rather than lead the way for people to become peace lovers, rather than challenge us to be better than we are like Kennedy might have, rather than lift us up and out of the muck and mire of our basest instincts, our glorious leaders prefer to pander to the war-like impulses they see reflected in the polls instead. They worship those polls, their own belief systems are guided by them - therefore heaven forbid that we should ever become associated with peace! There could be a ten or fifteen-point penalty should we become associated with that mantle. So let’s all learn to love war – we know we can sell that!
There has even been talk that certain of the establishment Dems don’t want to cut off funding for the war because they think keeping the war going will provide an electoral advantage come 2008. This kind of thinking disgusts me.
To any and all who would prolong this war by one minute for political advantage, I have but one thing to say, ‘may you rot in hell!’
Now Hillary has introduced legislation threatening to revoke the AUMF if we don’t begin to ‘redeploy’ our troops out of Iraq within 90 days. Seems a strong move compared to how little has been done up to this point, but don’t threaten to revoke the AUMF - just do it already. Quit dancing around it! We’re sick of waiting!
Have we forgotten what war is? Are we going to treat it with all the reverence of a football game and run out the clock?
Are we going to pretend like people aren’t dying?
Why should we care what happens to little children in far off places?
What should we care that thousands of American children will grow up without fathers or with fathers who have been horribly mangled for life, psychologically if not physically?
All of this horror and tragedy for W’s ego and Cheney’s oil lust - that and the best interest of their war-profiteering friends - no other reason. There simply never was any noble purpose to justify our actions, no honorable principle to defend, nothing to justify the sacrifice and waste of human life, no pragmatic result to vindicate the planners of this madness. There is only the madness.
We need to de-nazify.
The language our politicians use is so remarkably dishonest. They speak of ‘supporting the troops in the field’ which, as near as I can tell, simply means continuing to support the war while hiding behind our regard and natural concern for our service men and women. They speak of ‘the mission’ in Iraq. They speak of victory, of winning.
There is no mission. This illegal invasion and occupation amounts to nothing more than a brutal mugging. There will be no victory. We will not win.
Not only are we doing all these horrible things to people for no good reason, we’re spending trillions to do it, trillions that would do so much to help the American people right now, but instead of spending it on our kids, healthcare, education, etc. we’re wasting it on useless and shameful wars that are every bit as evil as anything the world has ever known.
O Lord our Father, our young patriots, idols of our hearts, go forth to battle -- be Thou near them! With them -- in spirit -- we also go forth from the sweet peace of our beloved firesides to smite the foe. O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire; help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief; help us to turn them out roofless with little children to wander unfriended the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst, sports of the sun flames of summer and the icy winds of winter, broken in spirit, worn with travail, imploring Thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it -- for our sakes who adore Thee, Lord, blast their hopes, blight their lives, protract their bitter pilgrimage, make heavy their steps, water their way with their tears, stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet! We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him Who is the Source of Love, and Who is the ever-faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset and seek His aid with humble and contrite hearts. Amen.
Twain’s War Prayer
Despite the title I have chosen, we all know that war does no body any good. And there is no excuse for any of this. There is just no excuse.
But whatever you do, don’t let it get out that we’re against this kind of thing. We wouldn’t want that to get around.
But just in case you ARE against this kind of thing, here’s a very cool gift from zeus4prez.