PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

to all editors
by Jill Bluhm Sunday, Mar. 23, 2003 at 5:57 PM
jfirestar17@mailstation.com (email address validated)

To explain it in my words

To all skeptics, critics, and those otherwise concerned with peace or war,

I am not anti-American. I protest this garish war because I, like others, am bothered by the lack of honesty and sincere reasoning that has been given by the US to go head on into a war without the UN's approval- without the people's approval. We hear over and over that the administration spent enough time trying to reason with Iraq, that 'we' gave the UN enough chances and opportunities to join in on this war, but really have they entertained anyother tactic (besides force) to achieve peace throughout the years?


The media doesn't spend much time focusing on the protests. Why? MSNBC just published a poll saying that 49% of the population think that protesters are anti-American. I for one love this country, I love my freedoms my liberties, my people (all races, all nationalities). It is not that we are anti-American, it's that we are anti-war, anti-force. All we ask is for a little understanding. If you are scared, it's ok, this is a scary time. If you aren't sure what to do or say, that's ok too, even the loudest voices sometimes have the hardest time speaking up. In a crisis such as this it is above all important to support eachother. We support the troops, but would rather them be safe, here with us. We support the government, as long as it listens to the public the way the constitution states it should. I'm not going to attack anybody, because that would go against everything I'm standing for. We're all just asking to be heard, to use the freedoms our four-fathers intended us to have.


"Peace cannot be kept by force, it can only be achieved by understanding." -Albert Einstien. I protest because I'm scared, I want to be heard. How can peace be achieved by forcing our way into a land not our own to disarm what's not there? What happens if the US goes in and finds no WMDs, will they be planted? Will the US apologize and grovel for forgiveness? And what happens if they do find WMDs, whose next on the agenda?


This is not a war about civil rights like it was in the sixties, it's a war about greed, power, want and lack of communication...on whose side- I'm not quite sure, some say Bush, some say Sadam. I say, does it matter whose pointing the finger at who? To some of us Sadam is evil, to some others it's Bush. Tell me again, why this attack on Iraq is not considered terrorism? Wouldn't the best way to disarm everyone and to ensure safety be to not use force. How is fighting fire with fire a healthy balanced way to achieve safety and peace?


We march the streets to say no, we march to cry, to yell and to do something because we didn't get to have a say in this unjust war. Many of us are humanists, socialists, democrats, even republicans. Some of us can't vote, don't vote, voted for someone else or may have even voted for Bush. Some are black, white, asian, european, arabian, or pennsylvanian...but we all come together to suffer and cry together over something that makes less and less sense the longer it goes on. We may be seen as radicals or as 'young, idealistic juveniles.' But inside we're all the same (didn't we determine that in the sixties?). I want something to be done about terrorism, but not like this. I want Sadam to step down, but not like this. I want to be safe, to love my government, to love my president, but I can't like this.


I may not be the smartest person, I may not know anything about the history between Iraq and America, does that matter when I know how I feel? When I know how others feel? Should the amount of knowledge one person has about this topic matter at all? I know children that weren't even alive during the 1991 war who know enough to realize that this war is wrong and has been started on false pretenses.


Now, you ask-"do you have a better solution to this problem?" Well, it may not be better, but it's an alternative. With the support of the UN, we could unite and have universal conferences with all leaders to decide to completely disarm. If there is a majority vote to completely disarm every country, nation, person, and military...we eliminate guns, weapons of mass destruction, biological weapons, etc. If anyone should fail to do so, we punish the person not the country. This may sound similar to the resolution to disarm Iraq, perhaps, but we're not punishing Sadam, we're punishing the entire world. Through oil fires, through mass protests that have become violent and killed, through shock and awe, through misunderstanding, through everyday conversations that suppress. Now, you say-"That's completely idealistic and would never work." If that's true, than my faith in the human race is completely unfounded.

Sincerely,
Jill Bluhm
Passionate American
Active protester

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