Confessions of a Pro-War Anti-War Demonstrator

Yesterday was a shameful epiphany for me.

I have demonstrated against our never-ending occupation of Iraq for weeks upon weeks now, on the four corners of the intersection of Pacific Highway and 320th Street South in Federal Way, Washington, believing that I was anti-war.

Yesterday I was confronted with my ugly secret, hidden even from me.

It began innocently enough with a suggestion by Cenk Uygar, centuries ago when Young Turks was broadcast over Air America.

Uygar suggested that on Sundays, everywhere in America, those opposed to the Iraq incursion hold "Enough" demonstrations on prominent public street corners in their localities.

The local peace group, of which I am a fringe member, welcomed the concept when I suggested it and we started meeting every Sunday, from 12 PM to 1 at the above-named street corner. We were members of the anti-war tribe, joyful in our brief encounters every Sunday -- and I was not confronted with the true color of my soul -- because it was never truly challenged.

By mingling with these largely vegan, horrifically healthy and fit folk, I lost ten pounds and became a better person because of my association with them -- even though I continued to chomp on the dead carcases of various animal forms and faithfully consumed my allotment of trans-fats every week.

Indications of my true nature did surface on occasion when I flipped the bird at bypassing vehicles who scoffed at our demonstrations. Or loudly voiced a very crude epithet when so moved. I was doing it because I was profoundly anti-war.

Yesterday, I met up with my truth. A young, pro-war anti-peace demonstrator showed up at our location to challeng our demonstrations.

My comrades were nice, polite, ready to leave him alone on his own little corner.

It was then that my ugly Viking, warring ancestry manifested itself. Here was turf, territory, for a true daughter of the Vikings, to conquer, to overwhelm.

I grabbed an anti-Bush peace sign and announced, "I'm going over there. Cover me."

I smirked as I took my place more prominently on his street corner. He muttered, "I expected this."

I hurled insults about Bush and his conduct of the Iraq incursion. He said, "I'm not going to waste my time arguing with you." The man was actually trying to take the higher road.

But I, alas, I discovered that I am not a "higher road" person. I continued to agitate and hurl insults, I moved a young woman there to tears when she asked me if I felt that those who had died in Iraq had "died in vain," disclosing that her brother had died in combat there.

I was momentarily merciful, saying that anyone who died in Iraq had not died in vain because they died honorably, in a sense, doing what they were essentially forced to do. "But they should not have been there."

My demeanor was so fierce I drove her and her female compatriots away. They were actually there in a body to publicize a huge sale of repo vehicles -- which I might add is another ugly aspect of this war.

People are losing custody of their houses and their transportation because they can no longer afford to hold them because of this goddamned Iraq thing and goddamned George W. Bush.

I even felt a tiny twinge of guilt at terrorizing the young folk. The young man stalwartly stood on, refusing to engage in verbal combat, save for a few muttered digs here and there.

It was then that I realized I was not really anti-war.

I am pro-war, but.

If you're going to do a goddamned war, do it right.

Do it for the right reasons. Iraq has never been a right reason.

Do it for self-defense. Do it for pressing humanitarian reasons.

We were in no danger from Iraq. There were humanitarian reasons for going into Iraq, but there were even more pressing humanitarian and defense reasons to go into Saudi Arabia. Or, to focus only on Afghanistan and finish the unfinished business there. At that moment in history, we had no business to be in Iraq.

Secondly, if one engages in war, do it the right way. Bush, Rumsfeld, have miserably failed in prosecuting the invasion and occupation of Iraq in the right way.

Bush and Rumsfeld were warned that more forces should be involved in the Iraq operation. They, stupidly, refused to listen and my country was hurled into the Iraq quagmire as a result of their gross stupidity.

When one conquers a nation, one secures the borders because one has enough military force to do so. Rumsfeld failed in this execution.

When one conquers a nation, one restores order and basic services to the conquered peoples in order to win them over. Rumsfeld again failed.

We went into Iraq because of a packet of lies, what was it, nearly a thousand lies?

Iraq is the War of One Thousand Lies.

Thirdly, when one engages in war, one has a purpose for so doing, executes that purpose, then has a plan for leaving the zone of war. Again, Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld, not to mention Wolfowitz, Feith, Kristol, Podhoretz, et al, failed to provide all of this.

Alas, I have discovered that I love the strategies of war. I have also discovered that I am enormously superior in the skill of the strategies of warfare to the Messrs. Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, et al.

I have almost memorized the Latin terms for a just war, the causes just and will probably be as able as any Jesuit to argue the case for war.

It is disgusting for me to discover this.

And, I am a disgusting financial conservative on the issue of war.

War is costly. Therefore, avoid it when ever possible.

Peace is enormously cost-efficient. Negotiation and talking it out is cheap.

Purchasing weaponry and the machinery of warfare is costly. The bloodshed of humans is very dear.

The lives and blood of over one million Iraqis. There is no truth but the truth that Iraq blood is every bit as dear as American blood.

The incalculable cost of the physical and environmental destruction to Iraq.

The concurrent cost of the destruction of infrastructure within our own foolish nation.

The cost of the destruction of our military forces.

The compounded costs of our wounded warriors, many of whom will never be able to resume normal lives because of their war experiences.

And the shameful neglect of providing what is needed for these returning wounded warriors. This is the first duty of a true Viking, the warriors are always to be honored and provided for in payment for their services.

Always. Not so in the case of the cringing cowards who have never been in combat, the aforesaid stupid idiots who now control this nation.

I do not believe that our military forces are fully capable of defending our nation at this moment, because of the Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/Wolfowitz/et al stupidity.

The pro-Bush, pro-war people are threatening to return in larger numbers next week.

I, the Viking child of bellicosity, can only say:

BRING 'EM ON.

And, I will be there to face them directly, to get into their faces with my Viking bellicosity about the costliness and stupidity of unjust wars.