Activism

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Stop The War In Iraq!

The war in Iraq is insane. So is any war, but this one is much worse. It has no just cause, and the perpetrators are evil and cynical people. Unfortunately, it appears that many of them see themselves as being highly moral. So the first thing to do is to understand how they got that way. My belief is that it has to do with an American culture that brainwashes its citizens into believing that there is only one right way. The values that this country was founded on -- freedom, liberty and justice for all -- are good and noble. However, that is also true of their complements: community, interdependence, and self-control. Neither end of the spectrum is beneficial when taken to extreme. They balance each other in a healthy society.

In the meantime, what can we do? Here are some organizations that are helping to bring light into these dark times.

All attempts to colonialize the world have failed. Empires are not sustainable;  their arrogance and greed contain the seeds of their demise. As Proverbs 16:18 says, "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." The Roman Empire rose and fell, and so did the British Empire. Now we have the American Empire. We are attempting to extend our reach to all corners of the globe.

Here is a scenario that may play itself out if the war in Iraq continues on its present course. First, global antiwar demonstrations increase dramatically. That leads many of our coalition partners to drop out. (Though it is not generally well known, the "coalition" is already tenuous: the only countries who provide troops are the US, Britain, and Australia. The other countries merely offer us staging areas or overflight rights.) That leaves the US as the prime perpetrator. World opinion begins to change among leaders as well as citizens, with the US seen not as defender but as aggressor. Though the change is slow at first, it rapidly gathers momentum. Eventually it influences political thought in capitals around the world. Many nations join in a last-ditch, desperate attempt to free Iraq from its oppressor -- not Saddam Hussein, but George Bush. In the end, the US is seen as a monstrous hegemonic villain, putting Adolf Hitler's Third Reich to shame. The world decides that we must be stopped, at whatever cost. The United Nations passes a resolution declaring that the US is a rogue nation, and we are brought to trial before the International Criminal Court. The court decrees that the US is a threat to international security, and cannot be allowed to exist in its present form. We are divided into eight separate nations, with each one prohibited from conducting commerce with the others. Just as the Soviet Republic became known as the former USSR, we become the former USA.

As a patriotic American, I hope this scenario does not happen. I write about it only as a way to warn of the consequences of our present behavior. I would much rather see us become a respected and trusted member of the family of nations. That means keeping our commitments to the United Nations, abiding by international treaties, and above all not launching preemptive attacks on other countries.