ere are some random thoughts about the ongoing war. I’m sure most of you have already heard these sentiments expressed many times elsewhere. However, I just want them down for the record for some as yet unfathomable reason.

01. The people who think that the military in Iraqi is defending our freedoms are misguided and misinformed beyond comprehension, and shouldn’t even warrant a comment here. Let's put it this way. If Iraq was some banana republic without petroleum reserves, we wouldn't be putting so many of our young persons in harm's way.

02. Why do most Americans think supporting our troops means that we should encourage them to be placed in harm’s way, so that they can harm or kill other people? What can be more supportive than to actively campaign to bring them home to safety?

03. Aren’t I and millions of other dissenters already “supporting” them when we pay our bloody taxes? What more do they want? Send them a bouquet of flowers and a Hallmark card? I still think it's better to honour them by just removing them from harm's way.

04. I don’t have anything particular against the people who are serving in the armed forces, just as I don’t have anything against folks who have a job to do and who are trying hard to make a living one way or the other. I also support the troops in the sense that they have a job to do, just like millions of other Americans who also have a duty and the endeavour to do their jobs well. However, doing a job under false pretense of removing WMDs is unspeakingly cruel for all involved.

05. What really disturbs me about all the mindless rallying cries to “support the troops” is that it truly reflects the glorification and domination of militarism in our society. Let's face it. As a society, we're constantly bombarded by the romantisation and glamourisation of the military in the media (and often paid for by our government). Joining the military is somehow the noble and patriotic thing to do. The troops are often deemed as “heroes” in our society, but most Americans seem to forget that the American military today is a volunteer force. The persons going into the military expect that it’s not going to be Club Med. The people who join know that it’s their job to carry arms, and that there is the possibility that they may be harmed by either friendly or unfriendly fire. It's what they're paid to do. It's a job like any other.

06. Many Americans seem to believe that persons who enlist in the armed forces are somehow making the ultimate sacrifice for their country. I disagree. I think that there are millions of other Americans outside of the military who are making equal, if not greater, sacrifices for humanity without much fanfare, praise, support, or compensation. (How do you quantify sacrifices anyway?) I’m thinking of folks who really fight for the people of this country, instead of for some questionable at best foreign policy devised by right-wing academics and greedy businessmen. I don’t want to denigrate anyone in the armed forces, or anyone with a profession for that matter, but how many people in the military would be brave enough to forego glamour and risk poverty in order to serve as low-paying social workers or teachers in inner-city neighbourhoods in criminally dilapidated schools? Would they be willing to become doctors, policemen, social workers, or attorneys who work tirelessly for the indigent in dangerous ghettoes? How many of us would be willing to fight for at-risk youths, the disabled, the mentally ill, and others who have been criminally ignored by our government here at home? Who in our society are willing to dedicate their lives to becoming caregivers for the sick and elderly? Why aren’t these heroes being honoured and celebrated at baseball games?

07. Here I’m also reminded of the unsung heroes who are willing to selflessly fight and care for marginalised peoples throughout the world (and often victims of American foreign policy) regardless of nationality. Remember Doctors Without Borders and countless aid groups working in war-torn regions around the globe? Who’s supporting the people who are working to curb the AIDS pandemic in Africa? What about journalists (especially the fearless ones who stayed in Baghdad) who risk their lives so that they can tell the truth? (Let’s not even get into the topic of journalist casualties in this war!) Who in America remembers (or even knows about) Rachel Corrie, the local heroine from Olympia who recently killed in Gaza by Israeli troops as she tried to block them from harming Palestinians and their homes? (Now I’m also reminded of Central America and Ben Linder from way back in the 1980s. Remember him? He was an American engineer killed by the Contras while trying to help villagers there.) Unfortunately, I can go on and on forever. So many heroes just don't get their due.

08. There's no link between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda. Shouldn't we be devoting our resources to going after al Queda and Osama bin Laden instead?

09. This war is giving terrorists and potential terrorists around the world a pretty good reason to attack us. If they didn't hate America before, they certainly hate us now. Thanks to Bush and his advisors, we're now in more danger than ever before.

12 April 2003