I put this website together to promote my books, but in light of today’s horrors across the globe, I wanted to somehow publicly express my deepest condolences and sympathy to the innocents currently dying daily.
My heart breaks for the families in Israel murdered and kidnapped by Hamas terrorists. But my heart also breaks for the innocent families in Gaza who are being killed and starved behind an even more restrictive blockade because of their leadership today but also because of a decision made nearly 70 years ago.
My heart breaks for the people of Ukraine who have shown incredible strength and resiliency against a ruthless invader.
My heart breaks for those suffering in conflicts within and between countries all across the world; conflicts most American’s have no clue are happening. It’s time for our media to step up and show the horrors of war and hate in EVERY country.
So, how can one find solutions when vengeance takes hold of your heart? It’s certainly never been accomplished in the conflicts I’ve witnessed in my life. While I am an agnostic, I believe in the teachings of many religious leaders with Jesus’ admonition to turn the other cheek and live by the golden rule at the top of the list. I hope the love of our earth and all its people will finally come to fruition soon, but after 70 years on this planet, I’m afraid it will take much longer than the starry eyes of youth made me believe.
I ran across this letter I wrote way back in the aftermath of 9/11 and the lead up to our invasion of Iraq. I still believe every word.
Hello. Hello? Is anybody out there?
We listen to threats and promises of invasion. Yes Invasion. Who was the last tyrant that invaded another country? It’s a long list but they all have one thing in common, history records their deeds as wrong, evil, immoral.
Now George W. Bush and company are rattling their sabres, the US press is blandly reporting the likely probability of war, and the pundits are discussing when and how. Nowhere within the mainstream do we hear the clear voices of opposition, do we hear the cries of STOP.
What in the heck is wrong with us. We stood by with our hands over our hearts offering up our freedoms as Bush and Ashcroft, with the help of virtually every elected senator and representative, stole them away in the name of fighting terror. We now stand idly by as war talk becomes a casual discussion on the evening news.
Where is our morality? Certainly Saddam Hussein is not a nice guy. He’s poisoned his own people for heaven’s sake. BUT that does not give us the unilateral right to invade. We are NO BETTER than he is if we do so. There’s no way we can go to war in today’s world without KILLING INNOCENT CIVILIANS. This is not collateral damage, this is killing people just like the nearly 3,000 people killed on Sept. 11th.
The average citizen of the US has been taught from grade school that we are the greatest country ever. We stand for freedom and goodness and right. But whatever freedom, goodness and right that we once could claim has all but disappeared in a fog of greed and nationalism. We’re #1 and we’re going to make sure everyone else knows it.
So now we’ll remove a tyrant from ruling a country across the globe. No other country, with the possible exception of a few in power in Great Britain is behind this. And so we bomb Iraq and follow up with ground troops to clean out the bad guys. First we haven’t a very good track record of knowing exactly who the bad guys are. And second which mother among us will be glad to give up her son or daughter to this cause? There will be many.
Then we’ll leave a country in ruin (ala Afganistan) with no intention of providing the dollars (billions) and people (troops) to rebuild. And then who’s next. Qaddafi? Castro? But what about other tyrants that we happen to support? Remember, we gave the Taliban billions of dollars in May of 2001 — just months before we began bombing in retaliation for acts for which they were not responsible except in spirit.
The US was a great experiment in democracy and freedom. The shining star that beckons to people world-wide is not the US that chooses invasion. It is not the US that imprisons anyone without due process. It is not the US that asks neighbors to spy on neighbors.
Those that insist we must do this to protect American interests are lying. They mean we must do this to protect the interests of a few. This is a war about oil. A war about power. A war that will make our lives less safe. Freedom isn’t about safety. It includes a great deal of risk.
Please, speak out. Say no to invasion.
