Comments on: War Protesters, MIA

By: Bugga

Bugga — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:33:08 +0000

Thanks, ST. Glad you liked it. These people make mistakes and they learn from some of them, such as the Smedley Butler affair and the draft. I don’t know what they’re up to in every case, such as the elimination of US jobs or failure to maintain bridges in Minnesota, etc., but they’ve handled the war thing pretty well and put so many people into power who never should have been there like george, junior. I don’t know what it is with people like Beck. He’s seen to be doing that right on camera and you see him mugging pretending to be crying as if his best friend just died beside him (in a corporate-sponsored war?) yet people still take him seriously. What has happened to the people? It seems they get dumber and dumber. A fraud exposed used to be a fraud thereafter. ‘A Face in the Crowd’ is a movie you should check out if you can find it. That’s how things used to go and in a real world, still would go. Nowadays the people have their heads wrapped up in fiction like the ‘Left Behind’ series and that has-been child-actor Cameroon giving dumb logic about how his god exists because of man-domesticated bananas. People today rationalize ‘Well, gawd inspired the man to make the banana what it izz’. There are so many people today who say that the pollution and environmental degradation doesn’t matter, because they are convinced that because a chapter in 2nd Peter says that a new world is coming and God or Jesus (I forgot which one) is going to make a new universe, ad nauseum. Even if they believed it, I wonder if they would start smoking and putting their cigarettes out on their arms. ‘Wellll, gawd is gonna give me a new bodddy. duh’ They should take time to examine their beliefs. They can’t really believe these things and excuses to make pollution and war.

By: S. T.

S. T. — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:20:07 +0000

@Bugga: Thanks for the great comment. And I caught the Beck Vaporub treatment video too. It’s probably the closest he’ll ever come to real human emotion.

You are totally right about the draft too. If we had one, people would demand the war end immediately. That’s why there will never be one again.

By: Bugga

Bugga — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:15:09 +0000

I guess everyone has their reasons for non-involvement. I say without reservation the war/s are wrong, but none too many seem to care. Unlike in earlier times, today you have so many diversions on the TV as well as people on both sides of the political spectrum, such as drugbo/malloy, o’reilly/maddow, Glenn Vaporub Beck/Ed Schultz who’s audience can have their voice heard through such people. The people on either side or somewhere in-between of left or wrong can have someone shout their message to the world. This serves to diffuse a lot of anger. Plus, there is no ‘draft’. This serves to placate and salve the consciences of many who otherwise would be on the front to abolish conscription and end the war. The people comfort themselves that there is no draft and therefore, whatever bad thing happens to military service personnel is legitimate because they joined. The deaths of foreigners means absolutely nothing to these people. Is it selfishness? In many cases, a resounding ‘YES’. The selfish younger generation doesn’t care about anything like social justice. Young people are going Republikan and they don’t realize that it was Democratic principles that gave them a decent standard of living. The young people today are taught that the poor are there because they want to be there or because they are lazy. Plus, there are lots of neat toys and video games to keep their minds off of stuff like that. The rich will never allow a ‘draft’ again as it pertained to their lineage in earlier times. The rich are forming rules more to their own advantage more than ever. To think they will give up anything is folly. You can’t even get single-payer health-care. You’re not going to get a draft where the rich spawn go off to fight and die for the corporations. People are also clinging to their mini-McMansion if they still have a place to live. They’re afraid of losing their kingdom coccoon because of taking a stand for anything. Religion is playing it’s part in war as well. Instead of speaking out against death and destruction, people are praying for the leaders who choose to send people somewhere they have no business being to die, kill, be killed or be injured. Prayers for the troops might be nice for some, but let’s get real. Troops don’t need prayer. Troops need armor. Better yet, troops need removal and repatriation to their own nations where they serve and those who put them in harm’s way should not be allowed to send others to die.

By: S. T.

S. T. — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:57:31 +0000

I was thinking the same thing, that this long drawn-out decision making process about how many troops to send would have been the perfect opportunity for huge anti-war protests! Maybe Obama was even waiting for that? There were none at all in my state that I’m aware of…. so it’s not just young people, there is an apathy in everyone.

Opinion polls show that the Afghanistan war is unpopular. Large protests could have even turned Obama around on whether or not it was politically worth it, at least. I think people are still assuming Obama will be sensible and end the war soon, but that’s really not very likely.

By: Golden Arple

Golden Arple — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:42:30 +0000

I’ve been intending to write a post like this for a while, but you beat me to it. It’s unfortunately too true, the younger generation doesn’t really care about Afghanistan/Iraq war. What is truly frightening, is that we have 8 year olds who never knew a world without war.

The problem now is that war is far too privatized. We have more contractors in Iraq than we have soldiers. As a society we don’t have to deal with rations or war bonds like America did in the 1940’s, and we don’t experience the full effects of war like we did with Vietnam, because media has less access and our casualties are lower. This is not good, because if American becomes apathetic about war.. that does not bode well.

This stalling by Obama should have been seized by anti-war movements. The longer Obama doesn’t decide, the more time there is to organize and protest the war, to put pressure on both him and the Congress to withdraw. Unfortunately, healthcare dominates.

- Golden Arple

By: S. T.

S. T. — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:10:43 +0000

That’s good to hear. Climate change is the most important issue, IMO.
I’m aware of the Repower wall and the reason I didn’t add my own photo/video to it is that it’s just like a petition. Petitions have very limited impact. It feels good to sign them, with or without video and photos, and adding the photo or video is completely unproven as a way to be more effective. More effective would be 1 or 2 or 3 million people marching in Washington. People in the streets and campaign pressure get things done. The reason the “Repower” wall will be unsuccessful is already evident — action by Obama on climate change has been effectively cancelled for 2009. He doesn’t care about petitions. Copenhagen is mostly now a mere formality and it will not result in a pact. And the legislation the Repower campaign is behind is (I think) cap and trade, which will do nothing for climate change until 2026, which is way too late. If the Repower campaign is behind some other solution, I’d love to hear about it. Cap and trade is not a solution.

I think what might make an impact are the huge, in-person demonstrations that I’m hearing about planned for Copenhagen in December. There might even be civil disobedience, and arrests, which are actually methods that have an impact. I think we’re way past the point of politely signing petitions and doing things online. I’m aware of lots of campaigns online for climate change and it’s not nearly enough unless it’s planning for civil disobedience. That’s just my opinion, but it’s also what Greenpeace and some other groups are doing. People have to get out of the comfort of their homes and raise the volume in person. The reasons the Tea Partiers get noticed by us AND the media AND politicians is 1) they are out in force marching visibly in public and 2) they are loud and annoying. That’s effective. The Repower Wall will not be effective. Effective is what counts. all the good wishes and intentions in the world are no substitute for anger, in person, in the offices of Congress. They are intimidated by angry people, as they should be. (See, I’ve been reading some Derrick Jensen… I recommend everyone read him or listen to him on Youtube.)

Any in-person activity probably has 100X the impact of sending in petitions, signature, videos, etc. on ANY issue.

By: American Idiot

American Idiot — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:34:15 +0000

Well, I can tell you, there are a lot of students protesting climate change. In the last month I was at an event at our state capitol that had over 250 students marching down the streets of our capital for climate action. A second event later in the month had about 200 students, with a total of 500 people for 350’s international day of action, so they are out there.

The difference is, they are using the internet, as my organization discovered, traditional ways of organizing are not as effective with the youth, so the internet based event building is what is needed. That’s why “the Wall” from Repower America is being so successful, and as I understand it, will likely make a pretty big impact. (www.repoweramerica.org/wall)

I believe every video testimonial on there is going to be hand delivered to every senator office in the country if they have constituents on there. It’s basically a hand written letter where you can see their faces, therefore, it cannot be forged.

As anyone who has been involved in organizing knows, face to face is much more powerful than a simple phone call.

Anyway, in my personal opinion, the protest of the war is not the priority issue for youth, climate change and clean energy jobs is. I don’t honestly even see them out for health care events. Of course, I’m not everywhere either. *shrug*