i am going to say something that is very unpopular to say right now. our president is a moron. there, i've said it. thanks ernie

"Through violence you may murder a murderer, but you can't murder murder...
Through violence you may murder a hater, but you can't murder hate.
Darkness cannot put out darkness. Only light can do that…."
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Why I Will Not Fight in America's 'War Against Terrorism'" aka "Why you will not see me waving an American Flag." Now I realize that that's a pretty provocative title. Don't get me wrong, I love my country. But that doesn't mean that I blindly accept it as perfect. There are so many things that are wrong, and I do love this country enough to want to do something to make it better. I saw this big SUV the other day, it had one of those ubiquitous (sp?) flags flying from its rear window, and I'm not talking about the LA Lakers flag either. On the rear window, written with that same soap that is used to write dial-in times at the races, or a used car price, it said "America...love it or LEAVE IT!!" Now is it just me or is that only slightly xenophobic?? Seeing that scared the sh!t out of me. I won't lie...it also pissed me off. This is why you will not see me waving an American flag. It's not that I don't love my country. I just hate what the flag has come to stand for in recent days. When I see people waving the flag, I think of the xenophobia that I have experienced recently, I think of people hungry for revenge, and people who are ignorant about the world. Now, I realize that not everybody, in fact MOST of the people who are waving flags have the best of intentions, and are probably not xenophobic or ignorant. But this is a case where sadly, a small minority has ruined something for the majority. (at least in my eyes.) Columnist/Author Barbara Kingslover recently wrote, "Patriotism seems to be falling to whoever claims it loudest, and we're left struggling to find a definition in a clamor of reaction. This is what I'm hearing: Patriotism opposes the lone representative of democracy who was
brave enough to vote her conscience instead of following an angry mob (several others have confessed they wanted to vote the same way, but chickened out). Patriotism threatens free speech with death. It is infuriated by thoughtful hesitation, constructive criticism of our leaders and pleas for peace. It despises people of foreign birth who've spent years learning our culture and contributing their talents to our economy. It has specifically blamed homosexuals, feminists and the American Civil Liberties Union. In other words, the American flag stands for intimidation, censorship, violence, bigotry, sexism, homophobia, and shoving the Constitution through a paper shredder?" I don't think I could articulate my thoughts any clearer than she did when she wrote that. If you'd like to read the rest of her commentary (which IMHO is awesome...) just email me .
But anyway, getting back to my reasons for not fighting America's racist war against terrorism. When I look at our country's response to the horrendous 9/11 tragedy, I see only a "knee-jerk" reaction. It seems like too much of what we are doing is done out of anger, and seeking revenge. I would agree, the people who were responsible for this act MUST be brought to justice. But does that mean we have to "smoke them out of their holes" as our fearless leader George Dubya Bush so eloquently put it? Does it mean we have to "bomb the sh!t out of them?" as I have heard in so many of my classes. For that matter, who are "they" anyway? Droppin bombs is just going to result in countless more innocent lives lost. Do we really want to punish the people of Afghanistan, who for the most part are already victims of a brutally unfair government? Are they the people who are to blame for the so-called "Attack on America?" Would this really make us feel better? And what about the countless lives of American soldiers that would be lost too? It worries me that it probably would appease a lot of Americans who don't really know what's going on here.
We also can't forget that Osama Bin Laden, this evil evil man, was trained by the CIA. Which brings me to my final point. Rather than following our initial reaction and beatin the sh!t out of some arabs, why don't we think about what would cause anybody to hate us so much. I would argue that the United States needs to review the motives behind this attack. Right after the attack happened, the media kept saying that this type of attack required "countless hours of planning and resources." Why would anybody take so much time and dedicate their lives to "teaching the US a lesson?" To me, this screams out for a review of the United States' foreign policy. We have to realize that we are THE superpower in the world, and as such, we have a certain responsibility to the rest of the world. This responsibility doesn't include "spreading democracy," but it does mean that we should be advocates for justice and peace rather than simply tryin to screw everybody over and make some $$.
To close, I'd like to drop a paraphrased quote. I don't want to leave this quote because it makes me look educated or well read. I want to drop this quote simply because I think Ghandi said it much better and much more simply than I ever could. "There are many causes for which I am willing to die. But there is *NO* cause for which I am willing to kill." peaCe. really.
if you have questions/comments PLEASE email me. I'd love to hear any response positive or negative.
ps. sorry i haven't updated for awhile. I've been in shock over the recent events, and trying to organize my thoughts. They're still not organized very well, but I'm getting closer.