It is for the war and peace swap...i reread the title

There are a lot of things that could be spared to feed and educate everyone... the costed of wasted food in the united states alone could probably feed an entire continent for the rest of their lives... I don't remember the statistics, but there are like huge food storages in the US that are going to nothing right now, just stored up in case of a famine. I highly respect that, but... geeze.

-Jesse

Yeah, if not for the war in Iraq, lots of things could be spared... like my oldest friend, the best artist I ever knew, and the kindest man... blown up 2 years ago. (bleep bleep bleep bleep) I miss him a lot. So does his family, who I still visit. I keep bringing cookies... like it'll help. Sorry you lost your oldest son and the best man I ever knew... have a cookie.

Unfortunately, war isn't just in Iraq. War is here, too. War is on the streets, and most people don't even hear about it because the media doesn't care enough to report it and the justice system doesn't do anything to stop it because to them, the victims are not important. That makes me very sad and very angry.

That poor baby. I feel like crying everytime I hear about or see something like that. It hurts, even when you don't know the victim. A whole world away, and there's nothing much we can do about it besides donate when possible, and even that isn't enough.

Until people learn to care, really care, this kind of thing will keep going on, both internationally and right here. But caring, that really is something, so I think everyone needs to keep it up. Without it, we're all lost.

what gets me is people are so hung up over what religion, what race, what country people are from...looking at that picture above...that man holding the baby is a Taliban soldier. When will people realize we are ALL humans regardless of race, religion, country??? And not just people, meaning peoplw who read this? I mean people who CAN make a difference, people that CAN stop this? When will Bush stop seeing this war as money in his pocket and start seeing it as food in a child's belly?

I wish I could answer that in a satisfactory way, Elizabeth. I don't understand it either. I don't get why so many people refuse to see that other people are just as valuable and important as they are. I don't get racism. I don't get sexism. I don't get homophobia. I don't get any of it. People are hurt and die because of these things every single day, and I just don't get it. Too many deaths for no good reason. Too much pain.

I guess I could say that "life isn't fair," but that's just not good enough. I don't think any explanation is good enough. I just want to see people stop hurting and dying for things that don't mean anything. Someday. I just hope I live to see it.

War is big business. There'd be a lot of people in this country out of work and on unemployment if we got rid of our war machine. We have also had a lot and I mean A LOT of really incredible and amazing technological advances because of war. Take Sharpie markers, for one example. Doesn't seem like a big thing, but felt tipped markers were developed for Viet Nam.

And no, I am not pro-war at all. What I am against, is completely black and white thinking.

I'm counting down the days to the next election.

War is horrible in any circumstance... but talking to people who've been over there, either as reporters or as soldiers or as relief workers or whatever... a lot of good is actually being done. The news, our sensationalistic media, is only talking about the bad things that are going on. They never report about the hospitals and schools being built, the people they've helped, the terrorist movements they've actually STOPPED. They only talk about the failures.

Not trying to be the weak, lone voice sounding like I like killing people and starving children... but I'm saying it HAS done some good, it's not just about money. The media just wants you to hate the president 'cause the media is liberal and Bush isn't. XD

But there have been quite a few people who've actually been to Iraq that I got an opportunity to talk to... and there are good things happening over there. Sometimes the news will report it in the very smallest corner of the middle of the newspaper, and put the latest failure right up at the front. Or they'll write about something good that happened.. my history teacher used an article from the KC Star newspaper about the war as an example of bias... it was about a victory, that there was some terrorist movement that our soldiers stopped, and the article's entire focus was that there were two others before it that they failed to stop.

Buuut yeah. Lone voice standing up and about to get pummelled by the masses, so I'm just not gonna post here anymore... ta ta.

-Jesse

i agree with you Candy Star. We are doing good in some places and bad in others.

My little sister is in the Navy and i pray every night and every morning that she never leaves Virginia. I pray that she stays there for the rest of her 3 years and never has to see the horrors that are going on in Iraq. And if she does go i will pray everyday for her safe return. I am not a religious person but i love her more then anything and i would be devastated if i lost her.

War is, sadly, sometimes necessary. I know a lot of people don't believe that, but it's true. A lot of good has been done by war, even while people are dying and things get devastated. It's hard to see that, and that's no surprise. But sometimes there's just no other way. It's just hard to see those times for a lot of us. And while some will see bad in any war, others will see good come from it, too. Seeing both sides is really hard for most of us.

War bad, peace good. 'Nuf said.

When I was growing up, my Father was at war more often than he was at home. He fought in Korea, and in Viet-Nam... he was in Viet-Nam before the government admits we were. (kind of hard to argue with the pics, reel-to-reel tapes he sent back and forth to 'home' and such, tho) ...he was always out doing 'war stuff'.

He retired, and went on a new career.

He remained a drunk and a man with PTSD that exhibited itself in Rage-attacks against the family for most of my life. He finally quit /drinking/ but is described as a 'white knuckle' alcoholic- he doesn't drink, but he would if he could, in a heartbeat. Mom would leave him if he did, and they're both too old now to go through that.

I saw, heard, and even to come extent, witnessed the things they went through- via pictures, phone calls, long drunken talks... and the fact that all my 'godfathers' were also millitary, and fought with the same issues...

My heart goes out, in EVERY way, to the people fighting this war... and their children and mates... I know what the soldiers go through, to end UP that way... I know what they do to their families even with the absolute BEST of intentions... even leaving them in one case, was not the 'right' answer. another killed his family, sat by them four days, then killed himself.

These were my /godfathers/ and my FAMILY... This is what I experienced first hand.

The only 'right' thing for the world, is to find alternative ways to handle 'policing' those who think they can kill, maim, bomb, etc just because they have some ISSUE with someone.

Many of my family were in simple Law Enforcement... and the results, tho less dramatic in type, were MUCH the same. Suicide, depression, PTSD, and even homicide...

War is War, Killing is Killing... Trauma is Trauma, ya know? It takes a serious toll.

I try not to take a stance on war or law in public, but I have to admit, sometimes I think the whole concept of 'law' by war is just... twisted up, inside and out. The 'war on drugs' or 'the war against terrorists'... are they much different?

:(

War is not going to make anyone happy, at any rate... :(

I'm sorry... I'm too much the 'try and be nice' person, to a fault. Sometimes, it seems to me like the world has gone nuts.

Iraq is just the war we hear about the most. War goes on in so many more places than most of us know, in places we've never heard of sometimes. In my opinion any warfare is always a bad thing & the absolute wrong way to solve problems.

Fortunately we have come a long way in how we express our personal outrage. At least now we do not blame the soldier for the war. We support our troops even while we protest our government's involvement in an unjust occupation of another country.

Clayshaper, the world has gone crazy. It's just that not enough people have noticed it yet.

My father was in Korea and Vietnam as well, Clayshaper. He was career Navy. He died when I was seven, and we're pretty sure he was a victim of Agent Orange, meaning he was killed by his own country. That's a bitter pill to swallow.

I honestly don't know anymore about the war in Iraq. I honestly believe that it was best to take down that regime, but we're trying to force things on the people there that just isn't them. They're not a democracy, and that idea is foreign to them. It's wrong to try and force them to become one, just like it's wrong to try and push Christianity on them. I guess I just am confused about the whole thing these days.

But sometimes, war doesn't have to do with law. Sometimes it has to do with freedom and with survival. Those kinds of wars are fought sometimes without government intervention, or the government even caring, as I mentioned in my first response to this. But again, those wars aren't often heard about by most people. And most people don't want to hear about them. We need to look at what's happening on our own streets, and really see what's going on. But doing that would seriously shift some realities, and people don't want that.

That's my own personal crusade, I guess, getting people to see this and understand. But this really isn't the forum for it. That's what my LJ is for!

It is often overwhelming, I agree. I completely feel you, Elizabeth. It does often seem as though "the world has gone nuts," like you say, Clayshaper. But every time, in every moment of your life, that you choose the path of the light over that of darkness, you add that much more clarity and warmth to the world. Taken in sum, humanity's current state can be paralyzing.

The world is made up of families of individuals, each living their interconnected lives, which we measure in units of time we call days, months, years. When you hook up your empathy to the "big picture" collective pain that we all face, it is only natural to feel "beside yourself" and not be able to stop crying. To be able to be aware that that's what you're doing and to be moved to action because of it is a rare gift. It means you have the power to change the world--in each moment and in each interaction with other beings, when you choose to do the best that you can do. You may not see the immediate impact of that specific action, but it is there. No act of kindness is ever wasted.

I'm glad you guys exist. I love that you "put yourself out there," Clayshaper. Having you all here talk to and send fun stuff to and laugh with makes getting through the rough stuff possible.

Clayshaper, what you said is exactly what I have always thought. Every soldier brings war back with him. The effects of all the desperation and insanity which that person has seen and went through stick with him for the rest of his days. "War at your doorstep" takes a different meaning.

I have so much to say about war but I have no stregth to put so much frustration into words. I pray everyday that the nearly 30 conflicts and wars going on in the world today are somehow solved. And I do expect a miracle, because Men are too much involved in their own blind beliefs to think of what they are doing.

I used to leave home in fear of never returning. Now, I just stay around my neighbourhood. Not having Panic Syndrome living in Rio is the actual problem.

I hate the Iraq war, but I respect (most of) the people out there actually fighting it, and wish them well.

I'm by instinct a pacifist, but how would I have reacted had I been around in 1939? Sometimes, we have to stand up to bullies or protect others from bullying, in our own lives and at world level. I just think wars are often started too easily and for the wrong reasons - internal politics, very often. Also, lies are told to take us to war, or sometimes they aren't actually lying, it is just wilful ignorance - the politicians don't want to know the truth if it gets in the way of what they want to believe.

'Peace' isn't always what it is made out to be either. Sometimes it is just turning a blind eye to horrible things that are happening because it isn't expedient to see them. Nuclear MAD (mutually assured destruction) may have helped keep the peace in Europe and N. America during the Cold War, though I doubt it would have happened anyway for economic and political reasons, but it just meant the superpowers fought it out between themselves in 'little wars' all over the world, backing one side or the other but with it rarely being their own nationals who died so no-one at home cared enough to stop it. Anyway, the big powerful countries don't want the little wars to stop because they make too much money through the arms trade

Call me a cynical pacifist who hates bullying ... no, just call me confused and depressed ...

My husband is currently a United States Marine, therefore, I choose to sit on my hands for the rest of this thread. Just remember that some among us love the men doing the "killing".

Nicole, I don't think anyone here has said anything negative about the ordinary servicemen and women out there, just about the policies and economics behind the Iraq war and war in general. I have friends whose dear ones are out in Iraq and Afghanistan and I worry about them just as much as I would if I was in favour of the war.

Also, it's an unfortunate fact that servicemen in a war which is unpopular at home get much less support when they get back, in some cases physically injured or psychologically damaged. It's not their fault it was unpopular, and they still deserve as much support.

Nicole, most people do not blame the soldiers. I know I don't. They have a job & are doing what their bosses tell them to do. I don't always agree with my boss, but do what my job tells me to do. I don't think this thread is meant to slam our troops in any way. We worry about the safety of our troops & the devastation of all families & lives. I feel for you, especially if your husband is overseas.

Fortunately we have evolved as a country to not blame our soldiers like we did in Viet Nam. Many of us know someone who is or has been in Iraq. These are people we care about. We know that they don't want to kill. They are just doing what they have to for the job that they have. I feel bad for anyone who has to kill another person. I can not imagine, nor do I ever want to know, how it feels to do so.

Just as much as I feel for our soldiers, I whole heartedly despise the government that has put them in this situation. We should not be in Iraq & I will never forgive the government that put us there.

Nicole, I wish you had joined my War & Peace swap. It is intended to help all of us express our thoughts, dreams, fears, hopes - everything & anything that we feel about war & peace.

I agree in every extent with cherrythepig. I never could have put it in better words.

no no we are not blaming the soldiers. it is the politics that irks me. What i dont understand is why we are over there? Like someone mentioned...we are trying to force them to do something they dont want to do...so why dotn we just leave them alone???? I am counting the days until Bush is out of office. It seems like anytime a Bush is in office, there is a war!

my first memory is from a war time. it makes my want to cry thinking my sons first memory probably also be from a war time. living in Israel I have been the victim and the conquer. we have been the good guys and the bad guys. less then one year ago my husband was fighting on foreign land while me and my children (both under 3 at the time) were siting in bombshells. it is terrible either ways. why is it better that the enemys children are getting killed and not ours. have we forget that all kids are innocent and deserve the chance to live? I don't have answers, I just know I don't ever want to experience war, and I hope non of you will ever have to.

I can't imagine how hard that must be for you. That area is so volatile, and so many innocent people get hurt and killed. It's terrible when it happens, and even worse when it happens to the children. I wish more people could see it the way you do, but sadly, too many people don't bother thinking about the more personal aspects of war.

::hugs::