the requisite response-to-the-war post
Mar. 18th, 2003 04:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hermionesviolinI have thought this war was inevitable for quite a while now.
I’m not frightened. I find it interesting the contradictions among people who are largely on the same side. Some people argue this is war is unjustified because Saddam doesn’t have and won’t be able to manufacture long-range weapons, so our self-defense argument doesn’t hold up. But some people are very afraid that this war will reach our shores, that we will be attacked. Though i suppose these two ideas could be reconciled with the explanation that we will piss off other groups who do have the capabilities to attack us.
But i was saying... I’m not frightened. We can talk about how i live in a bubble and haven’t had any serious tragedy touch me close to home and all that, but let’s not. I’m not worried about being attacked, and maybe i should be, but i’m not.
Someone, i’ve now forgotten who, posted about how it’s our people who are going over there, who are gonna get killed, and i couldn’t help thinking, “This is something to get upset about because it’s our people?!” That just seemed to me one of the most horrid things i have read about this issue. I have said it before, and i’ll say it again, for me this war is about the Iraqi people. People talk about how there will be civilian casualties, and i think, “The civilians are already casualties,” and i think about how military technology has helped really reduce the number of casualties, and i think about how people are dying all over the world all the time and we get all worked up only when it’s “our” people, and i think about the fact that when people sign up for the military they
I admit, i’ve started half-expecting people to defriend me over this issue. So let me take me take a moment to voice my sincere appreciation that we have this mutual respect thing going on even when we seriously disagree.
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Date: 2003-03-19 06:20 am (UTC)But basically, my problem with the "but people are going to die" argument against war is that the Iraqi people are already suffering horribly, and it seems even more inhumane to let them continue to suffer, to not do anything to help change that. I'm not a fan of war, not a fan of killing and suffering at all (and i don't think i personally could ever kill anyone except in extreme self-defense), but i wouldn't call the suffering that will happen as a result of this war "needless."
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Date: 2003-03-19 09:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-03-19 11:28 am (UTC)RAS
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Date: 2003-03-20 07:12 am (UTC)See, that's the thing. What do you do when other people are violating that sanctity? when other people are killing and torturing people? I totally oppose the death penalty, and i wish i could just be wholly consistent and say "killing is wrong, always, war is never right," but it's not that easy. It's certainly not in keeping with a belief about the value of human life to let people continue to be tortured and killed. I know it's not fair to expect every peace protester to have an alternative solution, but i don't see anyway to get rid of Saddam (which i think everyone agrees is necessary) without military force.