Responding

My friend aharv responded to a previous post of mine and asked several questions. Here they are:

"...what is your proposal for the Terrorism we have experienced in the world today. What should we do to counter act it. What would the USA or the world be like today if our miliary did not take the actions that they have?..."

There are any number of writers who have offered their answers to her first question. One is an instructor of mine, thast who has written a book called "A Nonviolent Response to Terrorism." I haven't read it (for various reasons) but I flipped through it and he addresses any number of ways including diplomacy, civil resistance, halting the arms trade (US included), and many many others.

As for her second question - that's such a big question for me that I'll keep my response as brief as possible. In short, I think the US and its military are an enormous part of why the world is the way it is. Our $400 billion/yr military budget, our unbelievable (and unnecessary) stockpile of nuclear weapons, our arms dealing, and all the other things that are byproducts of a culture that has come to glorify violence and militarism.

Obviously, the US isn't solely responsible for the state of the world but we have played a key role - especially in bringing the world to the place it is today.

With regard to the current war and aharv's remarks about the incredible courage of the soldiers who are defending our freedom, my response is that they are dying for no reason that has anything to do with our freedom. They believe they are fighting a war worth fighting but I don't. I believe they are dying to further the agenda of people who couldn't care less about them; they die so that the rich and powerful can get more rich and powerful.

It's been demonstrated over and over again that NONE of the reasons given by the administration for going to war in Iraq were valid. Saddam had nothing to do with 9/11 and the flimsy WMD excuses were laughable they were so weak. There is an argument that going into Afghanistan and destroying the terrorist training camps there was a good use of military force but my thought is that we've long since provoked far more terrorist training centers with our invasion of Iraq.

Much of the world resents us, despises us, or outright hates us. Those who claim some sort of relationship with us fear us and relationships based in fear and mistrust have no potential for evolution or growth in a positive direction.

I respect that people desire to serve their country, but I do not respect the military-industrial complex, the institution of militarism, or the culture of violence.

06/01/05 Revision: When I mentioned the evidence for the war as laughable, I forgot to mention the possiblity that it was cooked to provide support for the invasion. There is also some talk of opening an investigation into Bush's knowledge of the (cooked) evidence and whether or not articles of impeachment should be introduced.