like many people here, I'm very angry about the Iraq war and the war in Afghanistan. I consider them illegal occupations, based on lies put forth by the most amoral part of our government.
Sometimes, I feel really powerless. But now, I'm really angry, and I'm going to do something about it. Meanwhile, I urge everybody here to go to this site:
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
and read the whole five paragraphs, especially the fourth one.
If you feel helpless, especially in the face of this overwhelming military industrial complex and its paid government shills, read this. This will show you where the power really comes from.
just like the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the war in Vietnam was useless except for the military-industrial establishment. Lots of people died, lots of money was wasted, and finally the people of the United States had had enough. and when they finally had had enough, the government had to listen, and it had to act according to the will of the people, as I will show further down.
I enlisted in 63, and got out in 66. The very moment I got out, I became a pacifist.
It was a very good thing to do, and it was fun. There were large gatherings, there was great music, and frankly, there were many attractive women, which was definitely a plus for me. I was going to school in San Francisco, and the antiwar culture was vibrant, strong, and unashamed of getting in people's faces. We had balls in those days, yes, balls, and we weren't afraid of being antiestablishment.
I remember huge demonstrations, I remember people splitting off from those demonstrations to go to other towns, I remember famous musicians appearing spontaneously at demonstrations, I remember the peace movement getting stronger and stronger, I remember how I wore a peace symbol every day, inspiring one of the priests at the incredibly stupid Catholic university that I went to to lambaste me publicly in class. I remember reading up on arguments against the war, how to frame your arguments forcefully and respectfully, how to state your point without getting into a shouting match, how to remain nonviolent in a violent situation. There were informal classes on that sort of thing everywhere in the bay area.
Now we, and especially I, are involved in two horrible wars, two unrighteous wars that are based on lies, that have been proven to be based on lies, and that have enriched the liars that started these wars beyond measure. Meanwhile, the world looks at me as an American and therefore thinks of me as an asshole. A warmongering, murdering, uneducated, gun happy idiot.
Well, I'm tired of it. I'm tired of feeling helpless in the face of the military-industrial complex and the crooked politicians who facilitate it. I've decided that I'm going to do something about it even if I have to do it alone. So this afternoon, I'm going to dust off my peace symbol on a stick, and I'm going to go down to the local farmers market and demonstrate, by myself if I have to. I just don't care anymore. I will not be helpless, I will not be inactive; just as I enlisted to be a warrior for the United States, now I enlist myself to be a warrior for peace. I will be peaceful, but I will stand my ground and I will be counted. The tea baggers are not the only ones that can be visible.
And if you don't think that you can be effective, I urge you to go to the link above.
The money quote is:
The Case-Church Amendment, passed by the U.S. Congress in response to the anti-war movement, prohibited direct U.S. military involvement without congressional authorization after August 15, 1973.
for those of you who didn't understand, what it means is that we can do something to stop this war. We can make a difference. We did back in the 60s, and we can do it again. Maybe we can even do it better.