Home > Cindy Sheehan exposes the absurdity of warfare
Movement Wars and conflicts USA
The flashbulbs are popping at a prodigious pace and typically soft fence straddlers are climbing off their pedestals and throwing their feathered hats into the mix which can only signify that an empty cause is about. The celebration of unaimed and late-arriving anger in this instance is the current pulsating spectacle that is taking place in Crawford, Texas at what is now being termed Camp Casey. At this "camp", a mother of a fallen soldier is quickly gaining the attention of the Fox News nation by remaining outside of Bush’s ranch during his latest "working" vacation. She has demanded a personal conference with the president and promises not to cease her efforts until this expectation is fulfilled. Her words have managed to resonate throughout communities who are slowly realizing that when a country enters into a war people die. These newly molded sympathizers are also beginning to deal with the harsh reality that sometimes countries enter into wars of attrition that have no clear objective or definite timetable for conclusion. I must comment that the people who find this to be new information, especially in regard to the farcical war in Iraq, should be ashamed of their ignorance and previous blind obedience.
The personal situation of Cindy Sheehan is one that I cannot admit to relating to and, let me say, she has my utmost sympathy for the empty and horrific loss of her son. The soldiers within this war are typically forgotten after the local newscaster reads their names and even the most elaborate monument of their memory cannot compensate for their presence in the lives of those who love them the most. With this said, I am forced to question the direct influence of Casey Sheehan’s loved ones who allowed him to join the armed forces which then developed into illegitimate warfare. The embarrassing extension of foreign policy taking place currently in Afghanistan and Iraq is in some ways unique, but, in others ways, is just another example of how a superpower remains in that position of oppressive dominance. His mother in particular, who currently finds herself in the midst of a national controversy, is not alone in her feelings about the absurdity of this war, but, unfortunately, she learned this too late to save the life of her son. Her son’s death occurred in April, 2004 and since then she has mobilized herself as the co-founder of the Golden Star Families for Peace which has since declared finally, that this war is unjust. She continues to mount support for an intimate conference with Bush, but does she really feel that this will do anything but infuriate her more? She cites in an article in the Washington Post that she met with Bush in one of his hollow machine-gun consoling sessions and that he did not even recognize her son’s picture when shown it and dodged the issue of sending his own children into such a supposedly righteous war. The conduct of the president in this meeting is not surprising, although one would postulate that an aide at the very least would brief the president about the dead soldier before he meets with their family. The dominating logic of my own mind doubts that a future meeting would produce anything of soothing substance and most likely would only further insult the family of the fallen.
The trumpets continue to blare for the make-up caked head of Bush to show up at Camp Casey, but do these people honestly believe that he does not understand the repercussions of his actions? The man may be completely devoid of any redeemable qualities, yet he does understand that soldiers are being killed and wounded and that, subsequently, a nation will look to him for answers. The protesters outside are not preventing Bush from enacting his pre-produced orders. They are only inhibiting him from enjoying a nice brisk round of golf. I suppose that to aid in a determent of this activity in any form is time well spent, but this is truly the only direct result of Cindy Sheehan’s circus at Camp Casey. A silver lining does exist, however, from these events, but it will not take place in the dusty depths of Crawford, but in the living rooms and kitchens of America.
The decision of whether or not to fight does not originate from nothingness, but is a product of the environment in which one is raised. I was instructed at an early age by veterans within my family that war was not a suitable option for my future. My great uncle served in the supposed "Good War" and even landed on the famed beaches of Normandy. He served nobly during his tour, yet he returned in an altered state and remained a virtual recluse until his death. My other uncle served in Vietnam and was wounded and later contracted diabetes from his exposure to chemicals used in warfare. He returned in a very Kovican spirit and devoted his life to more spiritual pursuits. These men share a common lineage with people like Casey Sheehan and the other gradually nameless soldiers who are being killed and otherwise wounded in the Middle East. I only wish that there were more men like my two uncles who were willing to share the illegitimacy of any taking of lives to deter young people from joining the armed forces because they think that America is a country that is free from guilt in its actions.
I must close now and submit the obligatory statement that I am certainly not against the troops in any manner. I agree with Cindy Sheehan and the countless others who feel that these young men and women need to be brought home as soon as possible because what they are fighting for is not "freedom" as we understand it. I would also like to conclude with a somewhat lengthy quotation from Thomas Paine in order to silence those who will undoubtedly attack my patriotism as the result of me saying that the U.S. government sometimes acts in ways that are worse or equal to the way that the terrorist organizations that we fight act. Pain wrote, "When it shall be said in any country in the world my poor are happy: neither ignorance nor distress is be among them: my jails are empty of prisoners, my streets of beggars; the aged are not in want, the rational world is my friend because I am the friend of its happiness; when these things can be said, then that country may boast of its constitution and its government." I implore the reader of this quote to look around them and absorb their surroundings before questioning my patriotism in this regard. I also maintain my hope that we all continue to think for ourselves and question authority.