Why…

It's all very exciting when you see it on CNN, right?

The last time I managed to speak to my eldest brother, Salam, was two days before the invasion of Iraq. He told me that his daughter Rana had just given birth to a baby boy.

"But she isn't due for another month," I said.

"The doctor tried to induce labour but failed, so he had to perform a caesarean," he explained. "We had to take the risk because we hear that war is starting in few days and then there'll be no hospital to take her to." Trying to ease my horror he continued: "She isn't the only one. Hundreds of women in Baghdad are doing the same thing."

Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? I can ask forever; will there ever be an answer, and more importantly, when will it stop? How can the people of America look at images like these and in overwhelming majority salute their flag with pride as they get fat drinking the blood of the world?

It's very easy to say “but I don't support my government” when you're reaping the benefits of their war crimes. Americans must stand up and stop this. Bush, Cheney, Ashcroft, and the rest will walk away safe and rich… But who will be left to answer for the crimes? Every day that goes by the punishment will be more severe.

He's five foot-two, and he's six feet-four,
He fights with missiles and with spears.
He's all of thirty-one, and he's only seventeen,
Been a soldier for a thousand years.

He'a a Catholic, a Hindu, an Atheist, a Jain,
A Buddhist and a Baptist and a Jew.
And he knows he shouldn't kill,
And he knows he always will,
Kill you for me my friend and me for you.

And he's fighting for Canada,
He's fighting for France,
He's fighting for the USA,
And he's fighting for the Russians,
And he's fighting for Japan,
And he thinks we'll put an end to war this way.

And he's fighting for Democracy,
He's fighting for the Reds,
He says it's for the peace of all.
He's the one who must decide,
Who's to live and who's to die,
And he never sees the writing on the wall.

But without him,
How would Hitler have condemned him at Dachau?
Without him Caesar would have stood alone,
He's the one who gives his body
As a weapon of the war,
And without him all this killing can't go on.

He's the Universal Soldier and he really is to blame,
His orders come from far away no more,
They come from here and there and you and me,
And brothers can't you see,
This is not the way we put the end to war.

- Donovan, Universal Soldier

And that's true. The governments and the megacorps may be making these brutal choices, but it's us — the people of the world — that are acting them out because of our greed and selfishness. Have friends in the military? Tell them to quit. Paying your taxes in a few days? Subtract a thousand dollars and include a note saying that your faith does not allow you to support murder. Let those butchers try and take millions of people to court.

They can't do these things without your support.

Wow Shannon, that's really annoying! What is it, 1997 on Geocities? Retroweb is NOT cool!

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