I was kidding you not when I said my sweet, unassuming mother-in-law was going to the big ripsnorting Operation Ceasefire anti-war rally and concert in Washington, D.C. last weekend.
Not only did she go, but she was featured in a Washington Post story on the event:
- Leslie Darling, 60, came from Cleveland with four friends and said it was her first antiwar protest. She said she was moved by what happened after Hurricane Katrina.
"It made clear that while we spend all this money trying to impose our will on other countries, here at home in our own country, we can't take care of each other," she said.
Not unreasonably I might add, although I personally do not see it as an either/or situation.
Spurred on by her adventures, Leslie put together some further thoughts on the event and the state of the nation:
I attended my first anti-war march on September 24, 2005 in Washington, D.C. I attended because it seems to me that we have reached a point of critical mass. It is imperative that we (the reasonable and concerned citizens) take a stand and make our displeasure known to our government officials.
We need to take a stand against the unruly big little boys in Washington who seem to feel that the running of our country is their own personal game of one-upmanship. They need to get their giant egos out of the way and look at the world as it is. We can’t afford to play around. There are real issues that we need to look at not just as citizens of a democratic country, but as citizens of the world.
I can no longer justify not voicing my feelings towards our government's unwarranted and unwanted presence in other countries around the world. What makes our government officials think that we can impose democracy? The desire for a democratic form of government needs to come from the people seeking it. It can’t be imposed on a group of individuals just because WE think it would be to their benefit.
In order for democracy to work there needs to be an educated public. In our own country we are having trouble keeping democratic ideals alive. Democracy requires a sense of respect for all people and all of their individual beliefs. The very idea of free elections in a country where there is no freedom is ludicrous. If the people of Iraq want democracy then they need to do the work to obtain it. We can’t force them. Nor can we do the work for them.
Article comments
1 - Dawn
Those are all reasonable sentiments Mom and good for you for voicing them and putting some weight behind your words.
As long as big business controls Washington, the real matters that control our world in the long term will never be addressed.
That said, terrorism still looms large and I hope we find a permanent solution to dealing with those who don't care about peace and wish to destroy us - even the kind, caring Grammys in the world.
2 - 1Potato
Some reasonable sentiments. But regarding the ani-war stance, most people acknowledge that pulling out right now would be a disaster. So protesting only gives hope to our enemies and draws out the war, does it not? Which leads to more death and destruction, which you are against.
Many on the left say the right views things simplistically, in black and white, good and evil, etc. But when it comes to Bush and his administrations - then there IS pure evil. What ever happened to the left's vaunted ability to see "nuanced" distinctions and shades of grey?
Isn't there some good coming out of this war? There are some hardened terrorists being killed, aren't there?
The country is moving a little closer to freedom, isn't it? A sadistic tyrant was removed, wasn't he?
Isn't the Iraq war full of shades of grey just like everything else in life?
3 - Dr. Kurt
This reminds me of why I really like the "Let grandmothers run the country" idea; they are so often fearlessly right, brave, and heck, they have the time...
4 - Leslie
In answer to 1potato: If memory serves me we ended up pulling out of Viet Nam though not until many American and Innocent Vietnamese lives were lost.We were warned of dire consequences then as well. Were we not? There may be a Civil War in Iraq's future. Who knows. In what way do you see the USA winning?
Please don't put words into my mouth. I never said Bush or his administration is pure evil. I do however think they are ignorant and self-absorbed. I don't think that they are good leadership for our beleagured country. And I don't think they understand the desires of the very people that they are trying to lead.
Who said I was left wing? If I believe that war is wrong does that make me left wing? What the Iraqi people do if and when we pull out of their country (which will have to happen eventually)is on their heads. We are responsible only for our own actions.
I agree that most events contain shades of gray. I Also know that some things are just wrong while others are just right. I quote President Abraham Lincoln "There is no honorable way to kill, no gentle way to destroy. There is nothing good in war except its ending." I ask for Peace Please so that my grandchildren will still have a planet to call home.