Anti-War Reason oft Overlooked: War is hell.

Cross posted on NoWarblog.org

Sometimes the pure financial and logistical insanity of this war, its ill-justification, the blow to good will and reputation, have overshadowed a basic reasoning against it: War is hell. The modern media shields us from this reality. Pete Turnley's digital photo exhibit reminds us of this.

"As we all know, the military pool system created then was meant to be, and was, a major impediment for photojournalists in their quest to communicate the realities of war (This fact does not diminish the great efforts, courage, and many important images created by many of my colleagues who participated in these pools.). Aside from that, while you would have a very difficult time finding an editor of an American publication today that wouldn't condemn this pool system and its restrictions during the Gulf War, most publications and television entities more or less bought the program before the war began (this reality has been far less discussed than the critiques of the pools themselves).

I refused to participate in the pool system..." Read more.

See the exhibit. Warning: very graphic. It isn't pretty. Did you think war was?

Depressing

My number of readers per day has dramatically increased. Why is that not a good thing? They are all in search of more knowledge about...nipple scarves. C'mon folks! There is so much more we should be paying attention to! AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!

Text of Anti-War Full Page Ad in the Wall Street Journal
Text typed by Bob Goodsell


The Full-page Ad from the Wall Street
Journal, Monday, January 13, 2003

I couldn't find an online version of
the ad, so I copied it from the Journal and typed it in. Text in blue is my
descriptions of the page; Text in black is what is actually in the ad. I have
tried to reproduce the bold print and italics as they exist in the ad.

 

A Republican Dissent on Iraq.

To President Bush, his advisors and the American People:

Let’s be clear: We supported the Gulf War.

We supported our intervention in Afghanistan.

We accept the logic of a just war.

But Mr. President, your war on Iraq does not pass the test.
It is not a just war.

The candidate we supported in 2000 promised a more humble
nation in our dealings with the world. We gave him our votes and our campaign
contributions.

That candidate was you. We feel betrayed. We want our money
back. We want our country back.

War is the most extreme action a society can take. It can
only be unleashed after exploring every other road. You have not explored all
the roads.

How many young American lives will be lost in this dubious
war? How many more innocent Iraqis will be killed and maimed and made homeless?
Haven’t they suffered enough, after two decades of terrible wars and
sanctions?

Among the one billion Muslims in the world there is now a
steady trickle of recruits going to Al Qaeda. You will turn the trickle into a
torrent. A billion bitter enemies will rise out of this war.

And out of war may rise an Iraqi regime every bit as
brutish as the present one. What will you do then? Our jaws drop when we read
that you may decide we have to occupy Iraq for years, that the next ruler of
Iraq may be…an American general! Is there anyone who thinks that will work?
Your odds of success are infinitesimal!

The world wants Saddam Hussein disarmed. But you must find
a better way to do it. Why would you lead us into a situation where we are bound
to fail? You cannot keep proclaiming peace while preparing for war. You are
waltzing blindfolded into what may well be a catastrophe. Pride goeth before a
fall. Show the humility and compassion that led us to elect you.

 


In the center, there is a blurry picture of children’s
faces with this text over it: 

"A BILLION

BITTER ENEMIES

WILL RISE

OUT OF

THIS
WAR."

 


At the bottom, it says:

War with Iraq is not inevitable. Now is the time to stop
it. Speak out at your place of worship, at your business, among your friends and
relatives. Make your convictions known to your Mayor and Governor and—above
all—to your elected leaders in Washington.

 


The following are listed as signers:

• Edward
  H. Hamm, Republican Regent, former Chairman, The Northland Company


• Richard
  S. Johnson, Founder, former CEO, Hotjobs.com


• Barbara
  Lifflander, President, Hastings Art Ltd.


• Huyler
  C. Held, Esq.


• John
  C. Haas, Rohm & Haas (Ret.)


• Howard
  S. Brembeck, Founder, CTB Inc., Chairman, Fourth Freedom Forum


• Betty
  B. Blauner


• Peter
  A. Benoliel, Chairman of the Executive Committee, Quaker Chemical
  Corporation


• Vice
  Admiral (ret.) John J. Shanahan


• Chris
  Berghoff


• Starr
  Tomczak, Attorney


• George
  Zeo, Psy. D.


• Professor
  Jeffrey G. Barlow, Ph.D.


• Linda
  and Larry Black, Owners, College Park Bicycles, Inc. and Mt. Airy Bicycles,
  Inc.


• Albert
  Lowe


• Roger
  Mumford, President, Matzel and Mumford Org.


• Martin
  Resick, Chapter President, World Federalist Assn., Pittsburgh, PA


• Paul
  Hally, Esq.


• Elizabeth
  Viering


• Peter
  B. Viering, Atty.


• Brenda
  Ungerland, M.A., LifePath


• Brooks
  Jealous


• Nancy
  F. Puls


• Pamela
  Davis


• Frank
  K. Martin, CFA, Managing Partner, Martin Capital Management, LLP

Affiliations for identification only.

 


It has a clip-out donation form, giving the address as:

 


BUSINESS LEADERS FOR SENSIBLE PRIORITIES

P.O. Box 1976 Old Chelsea Station

New York, NY 10113

 


Enclosed is my tax-deductible contribution of $_______.
Please use it to help prevent a potentially disastrous war in Iraq.

 


It then gives the TrueMajority.com web address, and says
that TrueMajority is a partner in Win Without War.

While some may say the gesture trivializes and distracts from the gravity of the anti-war message, Unreasonable Women organizer Donna Sheehan said desperate times . . .

"It got your attention, didn't it?" joked Sheehan of Marshall, who said she doesn't even go into the kitchen without a robe on.

I don't know why, but these nude body slogans crack me up. This is the last one I am putting up, I promise! Read below for more important issues than TnA peace demonstrations! Also, even further, I unleash some of my anti-war fury on the poor chap I took to symphony 'n sushi. I know I'm a blow hard windbag..but I just couldn't help it!

Ari & I
White House Press Briefing with Ari Fleischer
Monday, January 13, 2003 1:15 PM
by Russell Mokhiber

Mokhiber: Ari, two questions.

A group of Republican businessmen took out a full page ad in today's Wall Street Journal. They charge that President Bush had betrayed them by first promising a more humble nation in our dealings with the world, and then turning around and preparing for pre-emptive wars. They say in the ad to President Bush: "You cannot keep proclaiming peace while preparing for war. You are waltzing blindfolded into what may well be a catastrophe. Show the humility and compassion that led us to elect you."

In what sense does this doctrine of pre-emptive war reflect a more humble nation?

Ari Fleischer: In precisely the same way that President Kennedy meant it -- when President Kennedy made preparations for a possible American response to the Cuban Missile Crisis. Pre-emption is actually a time-honored part of America's pool of diplomatic and foreign policy devices that are useful to defuse crises to prevent war from ever taking place. The President approaches it in the same manner. September 11 certainly has brought home to the American people -- if we had known that an attack was going to take place against the United States on September 11, and we could have taken military action to pre-empt, and President Bush had that type of actionable information, I think it is fair to say the American people would have said -- pre-empt this attack. So, I think it is part of America's time-honored tradition for keeping the peace.

Mokhiber: Both the federal government and almost all of the state governments are projecting deficits as far as the eye can see. Given the immediate needs of the American people, why is the President supporting a one-time reported $15 billion appropriation -- that's $5 billion in military aid and $10 billion in loan guarantees for Israel -- that's on top of the regular $3 billion in annual aid to Israel -- at a time when Ariel Sharon is enmeshed in a corruption scandal and is killing innocent Palestinians?

Ari Fleischer: The President has always viewed our aid package for many of the nation's in the Middle East as part of America's diplomacy. There has been a long-standing bipartisan consensus regarding aid for the nation's of the Middle East, especially and including Israel. This is part of America's foreign policy that continues, and the President has vowed to continue it.

Lovely time at the symphony and sushi, but by the way...

Subject: Proposition
*******
[Republican Army Medic/Sunday Evening Date],

I just wanted to say I had a nice time at the Philharmonic and eating sushi. However, to be honest, I am very passionate about my political positions, so I may have hushed up after our initial conversation so as not to just go off..so to speak. I hope it didn't come off as me just being unfriendly.

I have yet to find a Republican and supporter for the war that could adequately answer my questions regarding why they were both, with out leaving the table feeling they were completely self absorbed and had a complete lack of empathy. I really am trying to find someone to change my mind..really! The Republican vs. Democrat, well, you can go round and round on that topic. Incidentally, I don't really identify with the Democratic party for one because I think the two party system has reduced our democracy into a simplistic finger pointing match, for another the Dems of late..well they have been disappointing. Spineless may be a better adjective.

However, I am interested in why people are supportive of the war, especially those who may end up going into it. So my proposition to you: enlighten me. If you really don't have the time or inclination for such a task (which I would understand), you can stop reading NOW.
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In my mind vague statements like: "Islamic Fundamentalists..they just hate us because we are Americans. They hate our way of life (cars, boom boxes, and such)," seems like a convenient rationalization with a strong basis of both misunderstanding and fear. It also seems like a very simplistic statement about a complex religion. I was curious as to your source for this perception? I will readily admit, I know very little about Islam and Muslims. However, I find it hard to believe that a religion that is being so widely accepted is 'filled with hate' as you stated.

You also said, "Sure, the US has made some foreign policy blunders." Blunders, my friend, is an excruciating understatement. These blunders have gone the way of supporting dictators (Saddam pre-1991), eliminating democracies (placement of Pinochet in Chili) , providing funding for militant groups (Taliban while they were fighting the Russians), etc…Sadly, I could provide numerous examples, and will elaborate if you so desire. Of course, "all European countries" have performed similar "blunders" in the name of advancement in the global economics game, but I feel that is hardly a justification, and may very well be one of the seeds of hatred that has spurred terrorists.

My questions are about these three topics 1) Long term sustainability 2) Opportunity costs 3) American Safety.

1) How are we to sustain the world if we are not tolerant of other societies/view points? Your were saying how we needed to 'stop' the Islamic Fundamentalists. How? Is the answer to have a larger and larger army to suppress them? Would this be our policy in the long term? Does the path we are on now seem like a path for long term sustainability for all people, or short term plan for annihilation of a few, and maybe all if things go horribly awry?

2) What are we losing when we build this larger and larger army? What are the opportunity costs? If we do topple the regime, what is our accountability to rebuild it? We have committed to help Afghanistan, and are doing a poor job. What will be our commitment to Iraq? Since we will need to fulfill DUTIES to other nations, what is our nation left with? Being the Republican that you are…I can't see how you could allow your taxes to rebuild OTHER nations, when you are hesitant to dole it out in order to fortify our own. Money that could be used for health care, education, MASS TRANSIT, etc..will be going to rebuild houses and factories and hospitals in other nations.

3) Weeds, they suck. They are ugly and work to kill the flowers a yard. So, to get rid of them, you can mow them down, a constant and dirty task as they continuously spring up, you can put something heavy over them so they cannot break through the ground, but with this you hinder the flowers, you can move your flowers to a safer spot, but not the best spot they could have been. The problem, the roots are still there. Terrorists, they suck. They are insane and work to kill Americans from the inside of the country out. To get rid of them, you can mow them down, a constant and dirty task, but they will continuously spring up. You can place stringent safety measures in place, but they STILL can break through the barriers. Or, Americans can hide themselves in fear? The problem, the roots are still there. Diplomacy, foreign policy based on the good of all humanity and not materialistic greed and kickbacks, good will among men, tolerance, understanding…weed be gone. The soon to be war with IRAQ…miracle grow. Terrorism is performed by individuals driven by anti-American sentiment. War with Iraq = anti-American sentiment = more terrorist = equals less safety for all Americans. What are the roots of this anti-American sentiment? How can we help or hinder their growth?

Wow, you made it this far? There is still no obligation. You don't have to respond, but if you don't, those questions will still be in my mind, and hopefully in yours.
*************************************************************

Yes, I will be single in Oklahoma forever.