wwjd ?

4 years after the war officially begun there have been:
~ 3,200 American troops killed
~ over 59,000 Iraqi civilians which have lost their lives
~ 23,000 American troops wounded
~ about 250 American allied troops killed
~ over $409,000,000,000 American tax dollars spent
~ Increased Iraqi pessimism about U.S. involvement in their country - with 82% expressing a lack of confidence in the U.S. coalition and 69% thinking the U.S. had even made the security situation even worse


and what for? what have we accomplished? I sit here on the anniversary of this cursed war and my heart aches. In these days and times it's hard to not become immune to what we see on the news day after day, but we have to come together and say "NOT ONE MORE DOLLAR SPENT...NOT ONE MORE LIVE TAKEN" and actually mean it.

september 11th remembered

I tell people all the time that I'm a symphony of contradictions because often times I feel two completely opposite feelings simultaneously- feelings that constantly draw me in different directions. Remembering 9/11 is one of those times for me. At one end of the spectrum, 9/11 seems soo far away/distant from me - like it happened a long long time ago (after all...so much has happened in the world since then.) It's almost like a faraway nightmare to me. Yet on the other end of the spectrum, I can remember the day's details like it happened yesterday. I remember what I did on that day, who I was with, even what I was wearing..almost down to the hour. What were you doing on that fateful day? Please share with me your story if you can...

My personal recollection of 9/11:
"I remember I was still in college @ that time and didn't have the burden of working that morning. When the first plane attacked, I was actually still in bed - then I got a phone call from my boyfriend (well..my boyfriend at the time). I will never forget the horror in his voice: it woke me up with a quickness. I turned on the TV just in time to see the second tower get hit and I was speechless...it was like time froze and I was still dreaming. That day I was also scheduled to go to traffic court-just hours after the attacks..and I will never forget it. In court they had a moment of silence for all the victims and as we mourned, I felt like crying like a baby. TV's and radio's were on everywhere I went. For days on end afterward - every news channel across the country, and undoubtedly across the world, were replaying the horrific moments over and over again. I can honeslty say that it is the only time I actually looked towards President Bush for guidance in his two terms in office. "

Another contradiction in my mind is while I feel saddened by the destruction and killing that went on that tragic day- I also feel like we have caused the same, if even not worse destruction and killing in the countries we have sworn to help combat this terrorist activity (iraq, afganistan, etc). One of my closest friends pointed out that in the states we always mention 9/11 with horror, but in many parts of the world, 9/11 happens 24/7 - the horror is non-stop.

Ya know: sometimes I think this world is way too fucked up to be salvaged. At times I must confess that I am scared to procreate, lest my children grow up in situations and horrors which would make 9/11 look like a vacation. It's beyond sad, and while the world at large should be thinking of ways to make it better for the future, it seems all people are concerned with are more bombs, more wars, and evermounting hate.

So I end this post by suggesting a simple solution(yet somewhat complicated in it's execution I admit)...a world-wide peace day: I shall dub it "worldwide peace day". Just imagine it: FOR ONE DAY...everyone across the globe throwing down their weapons and fists, and instead of fighting and killing, people will enjoy the comfort of family and/or friends. I truly think (or hope) that maybe if humans get a taste for what we have to live for, we can get past all this hatred for one another and truly appreciate life for what it is- a precious gift. I know this whole thought makes me the queen of wishful thinking, but oh well. A girl can dream...

This is one hippy militant signing off with a peace sign. And as I do so, I say a little prayer to all those who have suffered a loss directly or indirectly due to 9/11...

disrespect not the fallen

There's been much debate lately regarding showing the American public any images depicting the loss of American soldiers lives on television (via pictures of the fallen soldiers coffins and more recently, Nightline reading all the names and showing pictures of the fallen). To me just having this debate at all is just crazy. I cannot understand this outcry and opposition to them, as these vehicles are one of the few that accurately depict and publicize the other side of the war that we do not get to see: the harsh reality of the massive loss of life that war brings. And to me, not seeing reality of AnYtHiNg for what its really is, only sets you up for a nasty wake up call later. This debate, coupled with FCC's strict regulations of everything on television really makes me feel like we are living in the 1950's all over again. I mean, what's next? Me being blacklisted for even writing this post? It's crazy.

My question is: Why are pictures and television memorials of the fallen soldiers being yanked off the air? These soldiers gave the ultimate price of their lives for our country. Is it so much to ask that they be nationally honored and their faces and names be known to us all in some shape or another? Without such memorials to these soldiers, are they not just another number that we hear or read on the news on a daily basis? I know for me it becomes mind numbing, like "oh...another soldier died this morning. That sucks." And it is horrible reaction, I know, to the loss of life. That's why I think it's totally necessary that we get to actually see the faces behind the numbers and know who these people were. It's a great honor and tribute to their lives (in my opinion that's the least we can do for them). Also, I TRULY give a hand of applause to the photographer who photgraphed those pictures of the lines of soldiers coffins (even though he got fired for publishing them) and Nightlines television show called "The Fallen" which airs tonight for putting names and faces to the numbers of soldiers that passed. I truly thank them for humanizing the war and showing me the other side of the coin, that side which we as americans often do not see.

Whether you're against or for the war in Iraq, we should all be thankful and say a prayer for the people we lost in Iraq, because they died for us. I don't know about you, but I will be watching "the fallen" tonight.