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May peace prevail...
Mar. 19th, 2003 01:29 pmAlthough right at this moment it doesn't seem terribly likely.
It's hard to hold onto hope for democracy when you see the Bush government steamrolling into war without regard for the UN, international law, or its own people. It's hard to see any other outcome but war when our own PM is yapping after Bush's heels like a pampered lapdag, or like the fat kid who decides the best way of being picked on by his neighbours is to suck up to the school bully. It seems impossible things are going to turn out any other way than this unjust war.
It is unjust. War should always be the last resort, but the Bush government has decided to skip the usual steps and go straight for the bombing. Without UN approval, which shows just how much contempt the US administrations (both Republican and Democrat) have held the UN - it's okay to insist on set rules of How To Run A Country, but when those rules contradict the way you want to run things, well, the rules don't apply, do they? We can see why the US government refused to be subject to the International War Crimes Tribunal - it would have really gotten in the way of Bush's plans to bomb not one but two countries into slag. Remember Afghanistan, anyone?
One of the most galling things about all this is the way the Australian PM is playing along with it, taking Bush's lead and pretending we don't know what we want when tens of thousands of us march in the streets waving signs that say "No War". He treats us like morons, insisting there is no commitment of troops to the Gulf despite written evidence to the contrary, and then announcing the fact when troops are already there and there's nothing to be done to recall them. He has no idea of the danger he's putting this country in, supporting the US whilst North Korea is on our doorstep, nuclear capable and extremely paranoid, perhaps justifiably - they know they'll probably be next. By alienating our immediate neighbours, many of them Muslim countries who see Bush's war as an attack on Islam, not Hussein, Howard has made us the almost-inevitable target of terrorism.
Selfish thoughts about the safety of my country aside, this situation is so beyond wrong, it makes me ill. All it will achieve is death - the deaths of Iraqi civilians, of soldiers from all sides, of more victims of terrorism. It won't achieve peace, or even the security of the US, or Australia (the Gnome told us in his address that this war was for our national security - excuse me? We had a threat that needed addressing? Sounds like that coat guard isn't working, Melancamp). It'll just propel us into a religious war between Muslim and Christians - and we know how those types of wars tend to turn out.
At the candlelight vigil I went to with Yasmin the other night, we spent five minutes meditating on peace. The mantra we had was this: "May peace prevail on Earth". A fragile hope, and probably a naive one, but one I'm hanging onto.
Melburnians - if/when war starts, there's a rally at the State Library, 5pm. I'll see you there.
***
Note: This was much more coherent and eloquent last night, before it got eaten. ;P
It's hard to hold onto hope for democracy when you see the Bush government steamrolling into war without regard for the UN, international law, or its own people. It's hard to see any other outcome but war when our own PM is yapping after Bush's heels like a pampered lapdag, or like the fat kid who decides the best way of being picked on by his neighbours is to suck up to the school bully. It seems impossible things are going to turn out any other way than this unjust war.
It is unjust. War should always be the last resort, but the Bush government has decided to skip the usual steps and go straight for the bombing. Without UN approval, which shows just how much contempt the US administrations (both Republican and Democrat) have held the UN - it's okay to insist on set rules of How To Run A Country, but when those rules contradict the way you want to run things, well, the rules don't apply, do they? We can see why the US government refused to be subject to the International War Crimes Tribunal - it would have really gotten in the way of Bush's plans to bomb not one but two countries into slag. Remember Afghanistan, anyone?
One of the most galling things about all this is the way the Australian PM is playing along with it, taking Bush's lead and pretending we don't know what we want when tens of thousands of us march in the streets waving signs that say "No War". He treats us like morons, insisting there is no commitment of troops to the Gulf despite written evidence to the contrary, and then announcing the fact when troops are already there and there's nothing to be done to recall them. He has no idea of the danger he's putting this country in, supporting the US whilst North Korea is on our doorstep, nuclear capable and extremely paranoid, perhaps justifiably - they know they'll probably be next. By alienating our immediate neighbours, many of them Muslim countries who see Bush's war as an attack on Islam, not Hussein, Howard has made us the almost-inevitable target of terrorism.
Selfish thoughts about the safety of my country aside, this situation is so beyond wrong, it makes me ill. All it will achieve is death - the deaths of Iraqi civilians, of soldiers from all sides, of more victims of terrorism. It won't achieve peace, or even the security of the US, or Australia (the Gnome told us in his address that this war was for our national security - excuse me? We had a threat that needed addressing? Sounds like that coat guard isn't working, Melancamp). It'll just propel us into a religious war between Muslim and Christians - and we know how those types of wars tend to turn out.
At the candlelight vigil I went to with Yasmin the other night, we spent five minutes meditating on peace. The mantra we had was this: "May peace prevail on Earth". A fragile hope, and probably a naive one, but one I'm hanging onto.
Melburnians - if/when war starts, there's a rally at the State Library, 5pm. I'll see you there.
***
Note: This was much more coherent and eloquent last night, before it got eaten. ;P
