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Our Shame
By Cindy Sheehan
I remember sitting in my living room, six years ago, watching the “Leader of the Free World” announcing that the United States military had just embarked in “shock and awe” against the country of Iraq.
The images made me physically ill, as they had 12 years before when the criminal’s criminal father was bombarding Iraq.
I was also personally sick with fear as my family had “skin in the game,” our son/brother, Casey. On that night, Casey’s life clock starting ticking down: He had exactly one year and 15 days to live from “shocking and awful.”
Six years and over a million lives later, our military is still shamefully in Iraq. Our “Peace President” has created no positive change there and is in fact extending the length of the deployment of “combat troops.” The country has been ethnically cleansed. Violence is down because everyone there is either dead, displaced or too poor, wounded or frightened to move or continue fighting. Violence is down, but not out, and you can bet there will be a strong US military presence in Iraq until every last drop of oil has fallen into the hands of foreign oil companies.
What about Afghanistan? When will the “peace movement” begin to protest the anniversary (Oct. 7, 2001) of the invasion of that war-torn country? When will we begin saying “illegal and immoral” in connection with Afghanistan and start mourning the dead there? Maybe when US casualties begin to ratchet up as Obama surges US troop presence there? Obama is sending incursions farther and farther into Pakistan every day. From one “dumb war” to another “dumb war,” and the cycle of death will never end for we in the Robbed Class or the poor innocents of that region.
The economic collapse is a very worrisome and immediate problem to so many of us, but we need to remember that the Military Industrial Robber Class Complex is the reason we are in this current crisis and the economic costs of the occupations cannot and must not be separated from the human cost. Whose life clock is ticking away today? How can we allow yet another year to pass?
Every year I say that this will be our last…I don’t believe that anymore. I believe that a very few of us will be demonstrating against these “wars” for years and every year that goes by, fewer of us will be out.
It is our shame that we as a nation complacently sit by and allow the audacity of the atrocities of empire to continue in our names.
Our demands must be the same with the Obama regime as it was with the Bush regime: Troops home completely and immediately. Leave cowardice and compromise to the politicians: we in the movement must never compromise or sell out the values of peace with justice. Or if we have already sold-out, we must buy-back...we need everyone!
Many have already given up or have been co-opted by the Democratic Party or the false specter of “hope.” Most have never even protested other than bitching on blogs or yelling at the TV when Bush or Cheney came on spewing their lies (Cheney is still at it).
Some will never give up. Here’s to you! I honor your commitment to peace, no matter who is the current warmonger occupying the Evil Office (oops, I sorta meant “Oval Office”)
Hasta la victoria, siempre!
March 19, 2009
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Following the facts that actually occured leading up to these two wars, was a direct reflection of how this country's citizens allowed an incompetant coward, and deserter to rise to the Commander in Cheif of our country.
His choice of another coward to be his second in command, should have been another 'RED FLAG', but, a certain political party had the money, government supporters, legal insiders, who all but graunteed his election. And he was appointed by the inside contacts that was there for his support.
But as I'm sure you remember, the News Media only made public what they were told to report. Of course, most of the news about these wars was laced with pure lies by these traitors in the White House.
There were many warning signs that were simply ignored, and not released for public knowledge.
Our elected officials could have prevented most of these acts by the White House during this time frame, but of course they stayed true to their past history of doing absolutely nothing, to investigate the obvious lies being spread, before signing on to blindly follow the leader, knowing his past history of failures, desertion charges, and level of incompetance in his previous life time.
Even til this day, our newly elected leaders continue to allow the crimes that our past leadership commited, to go un-investigated, and allow these criminals to remain 'ABOVE THE LAW'.
" A government of the people, by the people" no longer exists. Today we have a "Government of the government, for the government. Paid for by the people."
And the American public continues to send these do nothings back to Washington for "MORE OF THE SAME" representation[ I meant to say NON-REPRESENTATION].
I am a Viet Nam Veteran myself. I am a registered Democrat, and I've been voting Democratic for more than 47 years.
Cindy,
When will you acknowledge the complacency of the soldiers like your own fallen son Casey? Why can't you admit to yourself, and then tell publicly to people, how all wars would be impossible without the willing accomplice: the common soldier. The soldier, who for a salary and the promise of benefits is willing to participate in the inhumane terrorizing, torturing, maiming and killing of human beings. Why should we feel any special respect for the most important, and most enabling part of the inhumane empire: the soldier?
It is indeed our shame, that we as a nation, complacently sit by and glorify the soldiers who in our names, audaciously perpetuate the atrocities of this inhumane American empire.
My son was recruited in high school. He graduated at 17 years old. He graduated in '95. He was in Iraq. He is a very humane and upstanding individual. I do not appreciate the name calling. Your tact reminds me of GW Bush. You sound like a coward.
What my son did and what Casey did was answer a call of duty. They did what they thought was the right thing to do. To my good fortune my son is still doing great humanitarian things while raising a family. To my chagrin he is still in the military. He is still a kid (in his thirties now).
Never pick on the soldiers because most of them were signed up way too soon.
EW
It is indecent to not blame those who are the most responsible for all the atrocities of wars and military actions: the soldiers. They certainly don't care about the grieving mothers of their own victims.
It is not an attack on Cindy Sheehan, Casey Sheehan or any other person to point out the cold fact: ultimately it is soldiers who carry out wars and violence. Those who glorify soldiers are also complicit. To defend the idea of soldiers (who kill human beings), while criticizing the war is logically contradictory.
If there is ever to be world peace, it can only be based on the clear acknowledgment of the cause of wars: soldiers. This intelligent and humane conclusion does not constitute an ad hominem attack on those who happen to be soldiers. The goal is to encourage soldiers to quit, and to convince others to refuse to sign up in the future.
The US Military is an organized war crime group, since its soldiers and commanders committed well documented war crimes in recent history. The Mafia is an organized crime group, since its soldiers and commanders perpetrated many criminal acts in recent history. The main difference is in the choice of methods and the number of casualties.
Gabor Kovacs, Chicago, IL
Have a nice day and it was nice meeting you ... good-bye.
EW
In summary:
It is impossible to end a war, or to prevent the endless regeneration of new ones without going to the root of wars: soldiers who actually go to the killing fields. Without these executors of the inhumane plans of warmongering regimes, there would be no wars. We can end all armed conflicts today, if all soldiers quit today. As simple as that.
Cindy Sheehan is a prominent antiwar personality. People listen to her. That is why it is important to criticize her views, when she promotes the dangerous idea, that wars can be ended by criticizing and blaming the warmongering regime only. That is not nearly enough in itself. Serious and good intentioned critics of respected personalities will naturally be met with suspicion or hostility. So be it. Nothing that has to be said or discussed in order to achieve world peace, should be a taboo subject.
History in this country alone has shown, that no regime can be trusted with the protection of peace and justice. Those in the government are rarely good human beings. Those with the most official power are mostly driven by selfish greed of money and power. Our leaders are slaves to the military-industrial-corporate-media complex. If they were to protest individually, they would be gone from the government in short order.
Individual soldiers or soldier candidates however have the power to refuse to become part of an impersonal war machine. That is the only way wars can be boycotted effectively. Once an individual becomes part of the Military, that individual is morally responsible for all actions of the Military since the individual could quit anytime. By not quitting or by signing up, individuals offer blind loyalty to this criminal war machine.
Gabor Kovacs, Chicago, IL