Another Anti-war Protestor Faces Reality
- March 23, 2003
- 1 comment
Michele at a small victory points to an op-ed piece by an ex-"human shield”. Just like the earlier ex-protestor I wrote about, this one actually had a conversation with an Iraqi civilian, and it rocked his view of the whole situation.
Here’s a sample of the piece:
We just sat, listening, our mouths open wide. Jake, one of the others, just kept saying, “Oh my God” as the driver described the horrors of the regime. Jake was so shocked at how naive he had been. We all were. It hadn’t occurred to anyone that the Iraqis might actually be pro-war.
The driver’s most emphatic statement was: “All Iraqi people want this war.” He seemed convinced that civilian casualties would be small; he had such enormous faith in the American war machine to follow through on its promises. Certainly more faith than any of us had.
Perhaps the most crushing thing we learned was that most ordinary Iraqis thought Saddam Hussein had paid us to come to protest in Iraq. Although we explained that this was categorically not the case, I don’t think he believed us. Later he asked me: “Really, how much did Saddam pay you to come?”
It’s one thing to be against war because of the horrors it can bring. I can understand that position and respect it. It’s another thing to be so “anti-war”, that you detach from reality (read Utopian), attack anything related to your government and allow other human beings less fortunate than yourself to suffer because you have no faith in anything anymore.
Anti-war protestors:
If you’re interested in anti-war tshirts, here’s where you can get them. They are great to wear to protests and rallies as well as everyday to express yourself too.
http://www.cafepress.com/stopthewar2004
http://www.cafepress.com/warmustcease
Regards