rivervision

but. i was told not admit to being an american when i came here. once i got on that plane, and except for passport control, i was told to be canadian. i said fuck that-- i'm out. so, because i'm out i get various responses. and yes, i look at the pictures from al-jezzera and abu dhabi.. and now i hear that north korea is pissed that south korea has sent troops to iraq. and all this could start a world war. and i'm in fucking greece, not tucked away safely on the other side of the atlantic (actually closer to north korea) with my loved ones.

skala had a summer camp type of feel. i was there before camp
started. the counselors preparing for the campers to come in, painting
and hammering, readying for the season to start. areti's cafe a hangout
after a hard days work done. areti's cafe a place to let the hair down--
so to speak. i only imagine late at night when the campers are all
there-- a secret hideaway after a long day of touristing. a place where
not only the painters and the proprietors can let loose, but also areti
and george when they all come in. a different kind of friendliness, a
familiarity that all their livelihoods depend on the money of the
tourists, most from countries richer than this one.

i will carry the rock areti gave me-- it is the most valuable souvenir i
have. i will arrive home next wednesday with the good and the bad about
this trip and i will tell of skala and the kindness and the true highlight
of *any* trip to greece.

but my heart leads me off this island. it leads me home. i have 6 days
left, i know, but i must get closer. i think i understand, though i am
not sure.

and i want to remind people that it is the USA that put the taliban in power, that trained ol osama, that put noriega in and then took him out. sadaam is a bad dude, but it is not our responsibility to be the world's police.

i believe this and only this. it is our repsonsiblity as humans to look at means of non-violence. it is our responsibility as fellow human beings to extend caring and compassion. it is not our responsibility to police the world with views that others might not very well agree with, with forms of government that others might not want. it is not our responsibility as humans to be violent towards others just because we have the might. it is our responsiblity to go beyond that.

for those who continue to think that this is about saving the people of iraq, i feel sorry for you. that was the same propoganda that was given about afghanistan and maybe you should read up on how things are going there. or how about the people of eithopia, if we give such a damn why isn't that making such big news? or or or? or why the fuck doesn't the USA give a damn about how the women of saudi arabia are treated, or that the vast majority of the terrorists who blew up the WTC were saudi? answer those questions for me.

but i. i don't give a flying fuck.. what i care about is not being nestled over there. what i care about is the voices of what i have heard here, voices of compassion and reason. voices of those who honestly care..

if you care so much, then start figuring out a way past the violence. there is NEVER ever a need for violence.

Comments

Interesting point. NEVER a need for violence? I would agree with the caveat that we need it to remove those that are violent. Everything Bush said of Saddam actually applies better to Bush himself. If you want peace, I think we should hope someone gets Bush and his greedy corporate cronies. Thanks for letting at least a few people know that not all Americans are naive enough to buy into Bush's propaganda.

Posted by Jon at April 3, 2003 3:38 PM

Everything Bush said of Saddam actually applies better to Bush himself.

Care to back that up Jon? I want to hear how bush ordered his own people attacked with chemical weapons.

Really, it's easy to talk, the hard part is backing it up.

Posted by Jon at April 3, 2003 8:00 PM

Attacked with chemical weapons...tortured, made to watch their female relatives being raped, killed for not being loyal and all the other little tidbits that we should ignore because it's not our country, so it's none of our business. Saddam is more than just a "bad dude" and if we turn our backs on what he does, that makes us no better than the animals who do his bidding.

NO ONE likes this damn war...We all wish for peace for EVERYONE, but tell me this Brooke...should we all sit back and let people be killed and tortured while you and your friends figure out a way to peacefully turn
animals into human beings??? In theory, your way would be the best way,but this is reality not theory and the reality is...there is no other way
right now.
One question Brooke...if it were your family being put through what some of these people are going through, would you still feel the same way,
or would you go to bed at night and pray for someone to help put an end to the cruelity, the unfairness, the pain? Would you then think it was no ones business what went on in your country?
I don't give a damn what the "real agenda" is for the war. All I care about is the fact that people are going to be free of that monster. And when I see those beautiful baby faces of our service men and women on the TV, I am more than proud of them and proud to be an American.
If YOU care so much, then YOU come up with a peaceful solution to things like this and I will be marching right behind you backing you all the way. Problem is...it's never going to happen. Talk is cheap Brooke. I thank God that there are people in this world who are willing to put their lives on the line to help others. I thank God that they are brave enough to do more than just "talk".
In an ideal world, everything would be handled peacefully, but this isn't an ideal world and it full of less than ideal people.

Posted by Debbie at April 4, 2003 2:42 AM

The problem with the "free the Iraqi's" is that there are so many people who aren't free--the Chinese, the Tibetans, the Palestinians the Muslims in Kashmir. We aren't fighting for their freedom. Of course, they aren't sitting on the second largest oil reseves in the world. And spare me the line about the cost of the war and rebuilding Iraq. The American taxpayers foot that bill while the American corporations make the profits.
As for Saddam gassing "his people" (the Kurds are no more his than the Chechans are Russian or the Confederates were American), we certainly didn't mind at the time. Dear old Rumsfeld even went so far as to provide intelligence so Saddam knew where to aim his chemical weapons.
As for ridding Saddam of WMD's, there are four faults with that arguement. One, we never proved he had any (and appeared to fabricate data to falsely implicate him). Two, other countries have them (North Korea, Pakistan, India, Israel, etc.) and we aren't attacking them. Three, we have them. How hypocritical is that? Finally, one doesn't need WMD to cause mass death. We saw it in Serbia, Palestine, Rwanda, the U.S.S.R. and Germany (among others) without the use of WMD.
What disturbed me most was not the lack of any single reasonable arguement for the deaths experienced by both sides, but the random wavering from one arguement to another. I have had the unfortunate experience to encounter pathologic liars and the pattern of searching for an excuse for a course of action already decided on is typical. Bush fit the profile to a T. Since he is a stupid man (watch him in unscripted situations--its actually funny when you get over the embarrasment that he is our president) its even more likely that others pushed for the war.
If we can't get justice, at least its likely we'll have cheap gas for our SUV's by summer...

Posted by Jon at April 4, 2003 7:31 AM

Jon, if you're going to resort to the 'no war for oil' rhetoric, you could have just said that. I guess it's whose propaganda you choose to believe.

Posted by me at April 4, 2003 9:49 AM

And Jon, as you call the president stupid, you may want to learn to spell 'embarrassment'.

Pot. Kettle. Black.

Posted by meyetagain at April 4, 2003 10:02 AM

I see many americans speak about how they bring the gift of freedom and democracy to Iraq. If the Iraqi people, civilians and military, wanted to be liberated by american soldiers, why do they fight back? Why do Iraqis from all over the world who hate Saddam and has fled from his regime, go back to Iraq to fight for their country, against the coalition forces? Maybe one can't bomb a country into democracy. As Immanuel Kant wrote: You can't build a democracy on bayonets.

Hope you're having the best vacation in Greece, Brooke :)

Posted by Nico at April 4, 2003 12:25 PM

If the Iraqi people, civilians and military, wanted to be liberated by american soldiers, why do they fight back?

Because they were scared. When you have someone like saddams secret police watching you, you want to make sure they don't suspect you of not being faithful to those in charge. Clearly you haven't thought of the toll it takes to live under a ruthless dictator for 30 years.

Hopefully, you saw them celebrating today. THAT was the answer to your question. You were wrong.

Posted by again at April 10, 2003 6:10 AM

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