TROOPS OUT NOW. SUPPORT WAR RESISTERS!

I have been discussing the issues of "impeachment" v "out now!" with a group of writers. Some don't understand my strong belief that the most important issue facing us today is SILENCE = COMPLICITY over TROOPS OUT NOW. SUPPORT WAR RESISTERS! but I continue to harp on the subject. Following this post is an excellent blog/glean that has given me the gaul to write about my feelings directly. Here ya go. Hope it generates comments, as opionated bloggers should keep that comment box open for all.

duckdaotsu
November 14, 2006

I think the issue (of impeachment, of war crimes tribunals, of accountability) is one to revisit; but at this point it is keeping the antiwar movement splintered, fractured, not able to focus. Of course I think they should be tried for war crimes. But if we continue to look at revenge and not face the most important issue, then none of us are able to keep our balance.

As a Taoist I have learned that things equal out. We cannot keep asking why. It will show later. Just as losing Amendment two -- leading to the denial of any sort of anti-discrimination laws for gay people in Colorado... it was a cold day wakening to that reality. I was on the board that fought that amendment. But we took it to the State Supreme Court and finally, to the BoysInBlackRobe. It was overturned. Soon the religious right found that they could not win with that attempt to deny civil rights. The country heard about it. We weren't just alone in it any more. There was justice.

It took time but we kept focus. Yes, waking up with my lover the next morning and knowing that we were denied rights was tough. We asked WHY. But the purpose for the times, the reason for the unjust treatment, was to keep the country aware of the religious right's efforts.

Now its time to quit asking why.

ITS THE WAR, STUPID. That's all that matters. If we continue to splinter over the issue of revenge to these beasts in Washington, then we are guilty ourselves of keeping the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Perhaps even complicit. We must STOP THE MURDERS of Iraqi citizens, of stop-loss injustices against those who signed up for a national guard duty and ended up going two, three tours in another country that did not want us there.

We must focus. And those who see the big picture have faith in balance. Even if we do not see the picture until later, it is going to be an important movement and even though we live in a fascist state, we have the opportunity to stop the murders and bring the troops home. I have two pages on my website that show me every month what the losses look like. It is called the NOT JUST NUMBERS project and I never thought it would go on this long. One page is the names, ages, hometowns of those (troops) killed in the wars and the other is a page of postage-stamp sized photos of the casualties. I have to see them every month, and every month I do the work with tears in my eyes. We don't see the body bags. We don't see the war on tv, as we did in Viet Nam era. But we can look to see what impact this has on our universal psyches.

ITS THE WAR. We must stop it and stop it now. The bastards will be held accountable and if not, we have another part of history to learn that the destruction of human rights can never happen. Yes, the world must make them accountable.

I just want to stop the horrible symbolism of adding those pictures, those names, watching the Iraqi death tolls mount. Focus. We are against war. Those of faith do know that we must support the war resisters and we must act to bring the movement back to the issues that are most important. And that is stopping murder.

Let the balance work out, keep doing the education and the awareness of the fact that war crimes have been committed, that our constitution has been splintered, that we have lost so many privileges afforded us by "democracy" through the PATRIOT act and the steps taken by the Bastards.

Privilege comes with it the necessity to act, to educate, to write and to continue with the first brick in that huge stone wall that is in our grasp. One brick at a time. Bring the troops home. Support the war resisters.

In Solidarity,
lisbeth

NOT JUST NUMBERS
http://www.duckdaotsu.org/rows.html
http://www.duckdaotsu.org/valor.html

there is strong poetry linked to those pages. Feel free to submit yours to the site after you have viewed both pages. peace.