Some of us who were adults during Viet Nam have been troubled by the drum beating going on these days. We remember all too well how the numbers of dead kept adding up with little progress in the fuzzy justifications
for the war which ended with us giving in.
The Viet Nam Memorial in Washington is really a fitting statement about that war. The huge black wall is a timeline
starting as a small granite sliver coming out of the ground with names of a few dead, and then more names and more
until it fills a huge wall with Americans who died. It then continues to slope down until the numbers trail off and it
was truly over.
No one wants that again.
Can we trust those public servants we’ve elected today to make the right decisions? We couldn’t then. Mistrust runs deep for many of us after experiencing Viet Nam. My parent’s generation have the history of World War II when war was clearly justified.
So far (knock on wood) it seems the sword rattling has accomplished something in pressuring Iraq to cooperate with U.N. inspectors.
I admire Colin Powell, a forceful diplomat and, obviously, a kind and principled person. I don’t really like George Bush.
War should always be a last resort. I can say that with certainty, but I know there is so much I don’t know, and forming an opinion of what should be done really feels beyond my scope.
For example I read a compelling piece in the January issue of “The Progressive” written by one of the “estimated 3.5 million Iraqis in exile, mostly intellectuals and professionals from the left, liberal or Kurdish nationalist currents.”
Faleh R. Jabar writes about a Saddam Hussein who admired Hitler’s system of government and makes a good case for us to help overthrow that regime. He does offer an alternative to war.
“Threaten Saddam with indictment, give him an alternative for safe passage,” writes Jabar. Then create a list of thirty or so of his aides who also must go, convincing the rest to clean house. He says this should be followed by a “mini-Marshall Plan” provided a civilian government was organized. He adds a few “warning shots” may be necessary.
I was heartened to hear Powell on the news proposing something quite similar, and the whisperings of a palace coup are also encouraging.
But, in all, it feels way beyond me to decide what we should do, so a few friends and I are getting together today, Saturday, at noon in Bowman Park to hold a vigil for peace. Everyone is welcome to join us.
There is one thing that I do know for sure – there is power in prayer. We can pray for the most peaceful solution to the problem without having to prescribe how that happens
Feb. 15, 2003
30 people showed up to pray for peace in Wisconsin Dells on February 15, 2003.
Judy and Pearl at the peace rally