About a month ago I promised to write a post about the Iraq War on March 19th because it is the 5 year anniversary of that tragic day when we all sat in front of our televisions, watching the greenish night-vision images of the streets of Baghdad, waiting for the military we all finance to start dropping bombs on people who never did a thing to hurt us. I signed up for this blogswarm out of a sense of obligation, because my country started a war 5 long years ago. I have to say something.
Right?
But the closer this day came, as I tried to think of a powerful message to send out into the blogosphere, the more I realized I'm faking it. The anger, the passion, the outrage, the frustration. It's all still there, but there's nothing else to say about it. It's the same old story that's been told now for 5 years straight. Hundreds more Americans have died. Countless more Iraqis have died (because we don't bother to count them). The private contractor to troop ratio has swung more towards the private sector. Billions of more dollars have disappeared.
Blah, blah, blah.
Do we really think a nice day of blogswarming is going to make a damn bit of difference? Do we really think that public displays in Washington DC will matter to the people controlling our country who allow the murder of Iraqis for no true stated reason and who openly steal our collective treasury without a second thought?
I don't. I'm sorry to burst anyone's happy fuzzy 'I did something today' bubble. But our posts and protests aren't doing a thing.
We've written. We've exposed corruption, and fraud, and murder, and lies. We've protested. We've marched, and sat in, and carried signs, and made noise. We've voted. We gave the Democrats the House, and the Senate, and the money, and the momentum.
And what has changed? Bush and Cheney have arranged for permanent bases and a "long term presence".
We're going backwards- and we're a Presidential mood swing away from starting a third war with Iran (because even though we hardly ever talk about it or group-comment on its anniversary, our first war of the century is the still ongoing war in Afghanistan).
I mean, for God's sake, what do any of us really know about the Iraq war, even after all this time? The only things I know for sure are the things I have been told by the people I personally know who have been there. If there is one lesson to be learned in the last five years, it's that when it comes to Iraq and our military endeavors there, our media is largely just regurgitating lies. Therefore, my concrete knowledge can be summed up like this:
- It's hot there in the summer
- Some military guys have shot themselves in order to go home
- There are lots of wild dogs and terrifying looking camel spider bugs -->
- Not all the guys who patrol at night get night vision goggles
- There are sandstorms and awesome lightning shows
- PTSD (as in present and post traumatic stress disorder) is treated with a fist full of pills
- American troops' MREs (their meals in a bag) pretty much suck - except for the jambalaya. It's shockingly tasty.
- Money has been distributed within Iraq via backpacks full of cash
- Guys in the military watch a lot of porn while overseas
That's about it. That's all I know for sure. What I don't know is how our money is being spent. I don't know what crimes that have been committed by "contractors" in our names. I don't know about the daily lives of the vast majority of our troops, mercenaries, or Iraqi's who are caught in this war turned never-ending occupation. I don't know how re-building is going (if it is going at all). I don't know if our government (including the three Senators running for President) ever intend for us to actually leave and give the Iraqis their country back. I still don't know what the goals of this war have been since the beginning.
What am I supposed to write about? I don't know shit.
The only people that really know what is going on are the people that have been lying to us constantly for over five years. Since they are the only ones in the know, they are the only ones that can stop this.
So, five years have passed. Next year will be six. The year after that will be seven. After that, eight. Nine. 10....
The US embassy in Iraq is a palace.
The US bases are small cities.
The green zone is a US fortress.
The Iraq War/Occupation/Clusterfuck is not ending anytime soon and we have no good way to change that.
This isn't to say I'm going to stop writing, protesting, and voting, of course, because our only other option is acceptance of the unacceptable. But my optimism disappears with every March 19th.
However, I'd be thrilled to eat these words if I'm ever proven wrong.
Go here to find the other blogswarm posts
16 comments:
good idea, Jen. have something to eat. it'll do no good whatsoever to starve yourself now or anytime at all.
but what i know for sure will do any good (and the very best thing to do) is ...pray. pray for an end to this terrible waste of lives. and for the end of all the hate that generates war(s).
all is yet possible. ;-) ...but somewhere in your soul, you knew that. Or you wouldn't still be fighting the media fight for all of us. God bless you, Jen.
..Rock
I hear your frustration, but I think this blogswarm is making news, it was on CNN this morning according to my mom. I have to believe that this may not end the war, but at least the families of the troops who are there and those families who have loved ones who have died in that war or were injured, know that they aren't forgotten, that we'll continue to be their voice when they can't speak without crying. We're doing this for them, not ourselves, not for George Bush.
Like anonymous said, we can pray. I added a prayer to the end of my post today. For those who don't pray, that's ok, your thoughts are a prayer unto themselves. Your frustration is also a prayer, a prayer for strength.
Hang in there, and don't lose hope. Without it, we won't survive.
Rock - I'm not a religious person, but I do pray that these wars will stop (even though I have no idea what I'm praying to). And you're right - both you and Mary Ellen are right- my hope is not lost yet or else I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing. The Vietnam war ended. WWII ended. This will end someday, but the real question is what kind of losses need to happen before the end?
And I also have this horrible feeling - much like the one I had while watching those quiet greenish screens 5 years ago- that the Iran war in imminent and there's not much that can be done to stop it. I might lose most of my hope then because theres only so much the world will take.
As nice at it is that the MSM is paying attention to what we're doing today, a week from now it will be forgotten. We'll all be buzzing about the the battle of the Presidency again or the next sex scandal. This is nice for today - hence why I participated- but what about tomorrow?
All I know is that I want my friends to come back from that hell hole this time and never go back. At this point - on this day- that's the only thing, to be truthful, that really matters to me
What about tomorrow and iran ....
Jen, tomorrow and iran have just gotta take care of themselves.
My (non) kid brother leaves for iraq next week. So, Who i pray to is that Source of our existence Who sustains that existence. Even in the most dangerous of circumstances, the most hopeless of situations. I know from experience (but no, can't prove) that i can rely on this constant presence of power. I rely on that Presence's saving, healing care now in these truly dark days. All things are already and always possible!! :-))
...whew...such heavy stuff. i better quit right there --- before i hurt myself. :-))
..Rock
Rock- I really hope you are right. Best wishes to your family. Having someone you love in Iraq is not easy. Is this his first tour?
You're right Jen. This blogswarm, and all those that follow will change nothing. Pebbles against the beach head.
But we're writers, and writers write.
Leave saving the world to the Fools.
Yes, Jen, it is Kevin's first tour; and hopefully last and abbreviated tour. I leave him in God's hands, because there are no better hands to leave anyone in -- warzone or otherwise. Thanks for asking.
In the meantime, I get to learn how to be patient with, and refuse to resent, any choices and circumstances that have brought us to this point in life. Someone else truly is in charge and I think I'm finally actually learning to accept that 'lttle' life lesson.
How are your journey preperations going?
..Rock
Fairlane - sounds good to me
Rock- when my best friend was first sent over there (this is his second tour) I was a nervous wreck just about everyday. However, despite my fears, he came back without a scratch on him as did most of the people he brought with him (he had one loss). This tour has actually been quite a bit easier because now I know that it is possible for the guys to come back and be OK.
One thing that is nice is how easy it is to communicate with the guys over there. My buddy has been able to call me 4 or 5 times this tour alone and we talk all the time through MySpace. You'll never become comfortable with their absence, but there is comfort in being able to know approximately where they are and that they're still alive and kicking on if not a daily then at least on a weekly one.
But I know how you feel. It took me a long time to make peace with the fact that he signed up in the first place (I smacked him when he told me- one of my more dramatic moments). But I realized that despite the danger, the military has provided him with the structure and confidence in himself that nothing else up to that point had and if he hadn't signed up he may have been a completely different, perpetually lost person. There's good in everything. Sometimes it just takes a bit of time and perspective to find it.
Thanks for asking about our triop. Our planning is just stressful at this point. There is still quite a bit to be done and I'm just not finding the hours in the day. Things should mellow out considerably starting in two weeks. I can't wait.
A pessimist after my own heart. That's why I didn't write anything because I have nothing new to add and the powers-that-be aren't going to change a damn thing until they leave office, whenever that is. A Dem can get in and be a historically wonderful president and the big picture won't change that much. We'll still be in Iraq, we'll still be guzzling oil like it went out of style a few geologic eras ago. In short, what fairlane said. Can't get plastered all the time. Heh.
Randal- at this point, I'll be happy if we can just stay the fuck out of Iran.
And yes you can just stay plastered all the time- that's how they did it in 1984 and it sounds good to me!
jen --- even through your frustration, signs of hope and fight come through
i too feel just like you -- we have done so much to make it different -- to no avail
but that i think that we really have NOT done it all -- the american public has really not gotten angry. this war barely touches anyone (i know you have a friend over there -- but most dont).
if 70% of the country really hated this war -- those 210,000,000 people would be storming washington and demanding the resignation of Bush --- but we dont
most people just DONT care -- they are more concerned with getting the kids to school or filling the gas tank up. our failing as a society is that we care too little about the world at large and care too much about our own little world. and for 5 years that world was fine -- now it is not so fine, and maybe that will change things
but i doubt it. we have allowed bush to continue this war. we have no one to blame but ourselves for not getting angry enough. and bush and cheney know it.
hence the now famous cheney quote
So?
keep up the fight
If your soldiers refused to be soildiers for this warmongering goverment there would be no war.
Good post, Jen - I share the frustration. But we can only hope that our words do make a difference.
Anonymous - reminds me of Phil Ochs' song "I Ain't Marchin' Anymore" or "The Universal Soldier." But it's easier said than done, for many reasons.
Hello Jen,
inquiring minds want to know....has your pre-trip stress started to lessen at all?
'ready for the good times?' ...wasn't that the name of a song? (...or did i just make that up?) ;-))
..Rock
DCap - I do have hope, but not in conventional protest anymore. Marching only works when those in power care, and your Cheney quote explains it all - these guys just don't give a damn. I honestly don't believe we have any chance of ending this war while the Republicans are in control of this country and therefore the solution begins with getting them out. It's no secret that I think impeachment was needed yesterday, but I'll settle for the election if I have to (I guess the lives that will be lost between now and January 20th, 2009 should be pinned on Nancy Pelosi for being such a coward). But anyway, you're right. My hope is still around, but there are strings attached.
Anonymous- If your soldiers refused to be soildiers for this warmongering goverment there would be no war.
Because I know people over there that are good people whom I love, this statement you've made makes me quite uncomfortable.
That doesn't make it untrue.
Mauigirl - It is easier said than done, especially because the military basically owns you once you sign the papers. However, Blackwater and Halliburton and these companies paying guys $500,000 a year- those guys are purchased. They can quit anytime and don't because of their personal benefit. I have very little respect or understanding for them.
Rock - today is the first time I've been able to sit down and relax in weeks. I'll be able to write and catch up for the next two weeks and I'm so excited about it! Thanks for asking :-)
Keep going Jen, it is the "drip drip" effect that will win through. Yes I realise that everything any sane person would need to see through all this BS is already out there but some people are not so sane or open to info.
I have just posted the ENTIRE Colin Powells speech to the UN Security Council, a speech that I believe directly led to the War in Iraq. I urge you and all your readers to watch it even if you have already seen it and to step back and realise what a monumental lie it was.
And as you did such a GREAT analysis of the Bhutto Bin Laden clip would LOVE to see you take this one apart
Peace and God Bless
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