Yesterday, for two hours, I stood in the median of an extremely busy intersection during rush hour to protest the war in Iraq.
I was nervous. My knees were shaking.
But my friend Sharon and I were soon joined by about 10-12 others, all well-seasoned in protests. I was the only newbie. The banners/posters were all variations on the theme of ending the war. My friend and I held a long banner reading (if I remember correctly) "We stand in silence for lives lost in violence."
For the most part, people were really supportive. We got lots of good-natured honking, thumbs up, smiles, waves, and a few people shouted positive things. One carload of teenage boys started chanting "BARACK! BARACK! BARACK!" It kinda sounded like they were barking, but whatever.
Yes, there were a few dissenters. They showed their disapproval in the form of thumbs down, shaking heads, scoffs and revving of engines (I assume this meant they thought there was an unlimited amount of oil). One really pathetic creep stuck his head out the window and started screaming really vile racial epithets. I won't repeat them. I told Sharon it was a shame we couldn't cure ignorance.
One guy rolled down his window and yelled "Get a job!" at me. I was tempted to yell back, "I would if the economy weren't so bad!" But instead I saved all my snarky comebacks for Sharon, who laughed appreciatively.
Within five minutes of our arrival, a man in full military uniform drove by. He didn't acknowledge us in any way, positive or negative, but my first reaction was embarrassment. I fervently hoped he didn't think we were judging the actions of soldiers. I put that thought out of my head, though, because I think the best way we can support our soldiers is to bring them home. Or at least make sure they have the proper equipment and gear to survive and a clear objective in order to win a war. I think as it is, all those brave men and women who signed up to serve their country after 9/11 are having their sacrifice taken for granted by the government.
I guess there will be another protest next month, this time on a larger scale in a mall parking lot. A group of veterans against the war are supposed to be there as well. I'll update later with more information.
I had a comment on Facebook from someone who knew me, saying she was surprised to see me, a "mild mannered librarian," at a war protest. I am shy in crowds, and I hate confrontation--especially when it comes to election season and an issue with such polarity. I was nervous as hell, I don't mind telling you. But I'm hoping that gives you confidence to get involved somehow.
Acquiring a Nemesis
3 years ago
7 comments:
Barock it, yo!
Some of my favorite Björk lyrics apply to this situation:
the thrill of fear
thought I'd never admit it
the thrill of fear
now greatly enjoyed with courage
fear is a powerful drug
overcome it and you think you can do anything
Okay, enough Björk talk.
Yeah, I think Iraq was a big mistake. Funny though, I was talking to a girl in one of my classes; her husband served in Iraq, and he claims it to be one the best experiences of his entire life. And that he misses it. And the food. Apparently the food was really good.
I think the media fails to focus on any positive views of soldier life. Of course, people don't seem to care about that. They just want to be horrified.
Awesome! I love seeing people get involved.
Way to have principles! I wonder what that would feel like...
iieee, I generally relate everything back to song lyrics. Hence the title of the post (Wilco). I had a friend come back from Iraq who, though he was in tears about the things he saw over there, still felt it was a good thing to be there and was going to sign up again. But I've also heard soldiers immensely against the war, too.
Thanks, ladies.
Towr, it feels half superior, half super scary!
Go you! I know some pretty wild librarians actually, I was one for a time myself! x
Good for you. I, too, hate confrontations and I'm sure anyone who stands on a street with a controversial sign gets plenty of confrontation. I'm glad none of those jerks squished you with their trucks.
As for the actual issue, I'm of two minds. The war was begun under false and evil pretenses. Period. However, no matter how angry we may be with our leaders for lying to us, we still elected the guy who sent in the troops who broke the place (under orders given by men who don't understand the Middle East, of course -- I don't blame the soldiers), and if we can fix it or even sort of cobble it back together I think we have an obligation to, even if it means we incur an awful cost in lives and treasure. We were wrong to start the war, we would be worse to withdraw and leave them to self-destruct. I think of it kind of like I think of affirmative action -- we participated in building up Saddam's regime, just like we (even non-slave-holders) allowed slavery to flourish and almost completely undermine the family structure of African-American families. Then we finally decide (whatever our deeper motives) to clean up our mess and find that it's not easy to clean up. We find that those whose choices were taken away from them for generations struggle terribly to flourish in a freer environment without some additional help and uplift from the Haves. The question with Iraq is, how does one fix a society that is not only physically devastated and low on morale, but also given to a very tribal mindset? Should the goal even be democracy for such a place? I love Arab culture and have studied it for years (meaning I don't consider these people backward/alien), but I'm not convinced that democracy, particularly an American-style democracy, will work in Iraq. If George is so intent on having a pro-American democracy in the middle of the Middle East, he should help Iraq find some non-democratic arrangement that at least gives them some stability (maybe some level of partition with each region settling on whatever system of government they want, even if it's a dictatorship?) and focus on courting the populace of Iran who, in contrast with its leaders, are overwhelmingly very modern and sympathetic to Western ideas and *could* handle a Western-style democracy if we would stop it already with the Axis of Evil bluster. AAAARRRGGGHHH!!!!
And as for John McCain's "don't let our troops come home without victory" line, I think that's entirely wrongheaded. I feel for soldiers who are sent to sacrifice and sometimes die for a stupid cause because their commander-in-chief is stupid, but when they signed up, they signed up to do what they were told, even if it was stupid, and even if they came home in defeat. I think we need to succeed on some level for the sake of the Iraqis, but not for our own national pride. I think we're seeing that we don't deserve to be particularly proud at this moment in history -- we have a LOT of housecleaning to do.
Sorry to be so longwinded. I routinely get my panties in a bunch over the Iraq war issue :)
Marie, your panties are always welcome in this forum. Er...
Some words to definitely ponder and give pause over. Thanks for the comment!
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