hermionesviolin | the requisite response-to-the-war post

I have thought this war was inevitable for quite a while now.

I’m not frightened. I find it interesting the contradictions among people who are largely on the same side. Some people argue this is war is unjustified because Saddam doesn’t have and won’t be able to manufacture long-range weapons, so our self-defense argument doesn’t hold up. But some people are very afraid that this war will reach our shores, that we will be attacked. Though i suppose these two ideas could be reconciled with the explanation that we will piss off other groups who do have the capabilities to attack us.

But i was saying... I’m not frightened. We can talk about how i live in a bubble and haven’t had any serious tragedy touch me close to home and all that, but let’s not. I’m not worried about being attacked, and maybe i should be, but i’m not.

Someone, i’ve now forgotten who, posted about how it’s our people who are going over there, who are gonna get killed, and i couldn’t help thinking, “This is something to get upset about because it’s our people?!” That just seemed to me one of the most horrid things i have read about this issue. I have said it before, and i’ll say it again, for me this war is about the Iraqi people. People talk about how there will be civilian casualties, and i think, “The civilians are already casualties,” and i think about how military technology has helped really reduce the number of casualties, and i think about how people are dying all over the world all the time and we get all worked up only when it’s “our” people, and i think about the fact that when people sign up for the military they ~~should~~ know what they’re getting into and know that they might be sent into combat and might die (and i think about what Alix Olson said about the death of the Columbia crew not being a tragedy not only because they were doing what they dreamed of but because they knew the risks when they started).

I admit, i’ve started half-expecting people to defriend me over this issue. So let me take me take a moment to voice my sincere appreciation that we have this mutual respect thing going on even when we seriously disagree.

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I really like what my sister said in her lj

The thing that I hold higher than any other is human life. I cannot accept a solution that needlessly slaughters human beings. Nor will I. Last night, as the announcements were made, I cried. It isn't because my friends who are in the military might die, it is because someone, anyone, will die. There is an extremely minimal number of people on this earth that I want to die. And while on the one hand I often think that life seems fairly worthless in the cosmic scheme of things, I switch between that belief and the one that each life is extremely important because it does not matter on the whole. If all we are granted is this small time to affect things, each other, ourself, then why waste it with hatred and war? I cannot understand. And I will not accept it.

But people are already being needlessly slaughtered in Iraq--only not by Americans. And people will continue to be needlessly slaughtered if things aren't changed.

"'There was a machine designed for shredding plastic. Men were dropped into it and we were again made to watch. Sometimes they went in head first and died quickly. Sometimes they went in feet first and died screaming. It was horrible. I saw 30 people die like this. Their remains would be placed in plastic bags and we were told they would be used as fish food . . . on one occasion, I saw Qusay [President Saddam Hussein’s youngest son] personally supervise these murders.'

This is one of the many witness statements that were taken by researchers from Indict ... to provide evidence for legal cases against specific Iraqi individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. This account was taken in the past two weeks."

Indict is chaired by Ann Clwyd, a Labour Member of the British Parliament, who wrote an article in the Times of London from which the above was taken.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3284-614607,00.html

My dad (the anonynmous poster) beat me to it, saying what i would have said, and even had gruesome examples, which would have been lacking in my response.

But basically, my problem with the "but people are going to die" argument against war is that the Iraqi people are already suffering horribly, and it seems even more inhumane to let them continue to suffer, to not do anything to help change that. I'm not a fan of war, not a fan of killing and suffering at all (and i don't think i personally could ever kill anyone except in extreme self-defense), but i wouldn't call the suffering that will happen as a result of this war "needless."

as some one pointed out above, some of us belive that human life is more precious than anything. and i do not believe that killing people justifies the killing of other people. witness my disagreement with the death penalty. i quote, "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind." --Gandhi

Yes, it is certainly problematical to say, "Since you killed someone, I will kill you." But I think it is morally different to say, "Because you are about to kill someone, I will kill you."

RAS

as some one pointed out above, some of us belive that human life is more precious than anything

See, that's the thing. What do you do when other people are violating that sanctity? when other people are killing and torturing people? I totally oppose the death penalty, and i wish i could just be wholly consistent and say "killing is wrong, always, war is never right," but it's not that easy. It's certainly not in keeping with a belief about the value of human life to let people continue to be tortured and killed. I know it's not fair to expect every peace protester to have an alternative solution, but i don't see anyway to get rid of Saddam (which i think everyone agrees is necessary) without military force.

the requisite response-to-the-war post

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Let's stop the already existing slaughter

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