This evening I attended the Peace Vigil in Virginia Beach which was part of a national string of events this evening in support of Cindy Sheehan's ongoing protest outside of Dubya's ranch. The local event was attended by maybe 100 or so peace activists.
And there were counter-protesters as well. Three of them. But they had four signs.
In the grand political arena such demonstrations probably won't make any difference. But it was nonetheless a good (almost empowering) feeling to unite with like-minded people in the political process.
2 comments:
She's getting a lot of flak about that. I don't know what I think about it...I hate the war, but I support several soldiers. They are doing what they promised to do. I wish they could all come home.
I agree with you: our soldiers are doing what they promised to do. They really don't have a choice in the matter and need to be supported here at home. I have a number of military friends,some of whom are over there. I'm proud of them and hope they make it home in one piece.
Yet, I firmly believe that someone can support the troops, but still have grave reservations about the war, if not be in total opposition to the questionable conflict. We now know that most of the reasons for going to war were either outright fabrications or based on erroneous data. So I think that a lot of people simply want to know why we're over there and why their sons and daughters and mothers and fathers are dying.
I am a pacifict, yet I am also a realist. War is a terrible thing, but sometimes it is necessary. I think my greatest question about Iraq has always been the issue of necessity. What threat were they? Certainly not because Iraq had WMDs. Certainly not because they were a threat to us. And there is no credible link between Iraq and 9-11. What justification does this leave?
We are the world's last remaining superpower. We have great military capability, but with this comes responsibility. We have a certain moral obligation to enter war reluctantly and only when absolutely necessary. While what has been done can't be undone, we would be wise to heed the lessons from Iraq. This would eliminate so much suffering on the front lines and at home, for in war there are no real winners.
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