Back in 2003, I found the government's argument for invading Iraq to be really weak and even devious. Also, having been a neo-conservative in the 80s and early 90s, I was more aware than most of their influence in the Bush administration, and I was very skeptical of the justifications for war I was hearing from both the government and media. So, even though I didn't personally know anyone else who agreed with me at the time, I decided that I had to speak out against the invasion. I could not bear to be silent, no matter the cost.
So, this is what I wrote in my church newsletter, of all places, since I didn't have this blog:
As I write on this Valentine’s Day, it looks very much like we are in the final stages of something that is quite the opposite of the spirit of this day of love and affection, namely, our preparation for war against Iraq. Honestly, I am filled with feelings of apprehension and dread at the coming tide of war. Some might say that you shouldn’t ‘be anxious about anything,’ as the apostle Paul once wrote. (In fact, that would make a pretty good sermon right now!) But right now, I feel more like the prophet Jeremiah, when he wrote, “My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain! Oh, the walls of my heart! My heart is beating wildly; I cannot keep silent; for I hear the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.” (4:19)
A British columnist wrote recently in the Times of London, “Few peoples go happily to war nowadays. Fear for our fighters is augmented by worry about our “enemies” because global media have given us a clear picture of the suffering wars bring, particularly to the poor. It is no longer easy to be robustly unimaginative or romantically heroic about warfare….”
Truthfully, I am not as convinced as our current government seems to be that we need to rush into war. Granted, I don’t have all the classified information they may have, but I’ve not been very impressed by what we’ve been told, either. Of course, I admit that I very well could be wrong, but then again, our government has been wrong before too, as I saw up close in my younger days. I am not a pacifist, but I do believe, with the historic Christian tradition, that war should be the last, last resort, given its unique horrors and unintended consequences. I think there may be a stronger case for stalling, waiting out, deterring, containing the tyrant Saddam. Right now, it seems to me that North Korea and Al-Quaeda pose far greater threats to world peace.
At any rate, I’m having a very hard time giving my informed ‘consent’ for this war to begin. But at this point, nobody’s asking me, so I guess I’ll just have to live with whatever the consequences and casualties of the coming hostilities. All I can do now, however inadequately, is to express my feeble protest for the record, before the special and horrible (mostly unseen, to us) carnage of war begins. May God save us all from (and mercifully forgive us) our collective folly.
Hmm...Did I hear somewhere that Obama opposed the Iraqi invasion too? Maybe that's why I like him so much.
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