Every Saturday at 11 a.m., a group of veterans in Queens protests the Iraq War.
Any candidate who wants my vote this fall, and I urge any reader to take this pledge as well, cannot back any war of any kind. I have taken this pledge because we have all seen in abundant detail the consequences of war.
War has shown us what happens when we have such complete disregard for human life and the infrastructures humans depend on for survival. It boggles my mind to think of the various ways that bombs manufactured in our country have rained down, causing irreversible damage not only to the human body, but also to the integrity of the planet on which we all depend. It is our tax dollars that make these bombs – dollars which are now lining the pockets of war profiteers.
If only we could stop it. Many of us say this every day. We say it when we pray; we pray for peace. We ask where are the young people out on the streets, leading protests against senseless acts of violence upon civilian men, women, and children who have done nobody harm?
For many of us Baby Boomers, memories of marching against a war remain vivid. I remember that it worked, and my generation is probably the only generation that has the experience of bringing an unjust war to an end by protesting and mobilizing ourselves in the millions.
The first step for us now, as far as I’m concerned, is to take the pledge and keep that pledge in mind when the people running for office this fall ask for our vote. Remember to ask just where they stand when it comes to war, and if they would support the use of force against any country to promote so-called American interests.
If the answer is yes, there is no need for any further discussion. But as a reminder of how difficult this task will be, when the Democratic Leadership Council met in Denver on July 22-23, the most urgent issue on the minds of most of those 400 delegates was the economy. Little mention was made of the war, even with protestors lining the street in front of the hall where the meeting took place.
Yes, there comes a point at which a one-issue election is necessary, and this is it. There is no more important Republican vs. Democrat issue; if we want to continue the stewardship we were handed by the creators of this country, war is not the answer.
When we think of war we must always remember it is about inflicting pain, death, and nightmare on those who survive. We kill the souls of those who fight for us. We kill innocent children who will never grow up to become full members of the human race. We destroy those places and homes people have worked for generations to preserve, and destroy every day a little bit of ourselves when we don’t say no.
When I went to speak to the men who hold the peace vigil in Forest Hills, one of them told me he had not been active in the peace movement when he returned from Vietnam because he had been so ashamed of participating in that war. What a statement that is.
Think of it: We ask these young men and women to do our bidding, and they return ashamed of what they have done. They have to suffer not only the responsibility for their actions that will haunt them for the rest of their lives, but must also hide in shame for what they have done in our name.
Please take the pledge with me. Say after me that you will not support any candidate who is in favor of any aggressive action that brings death and destruction on another country, or citizens of another country, in our name. It is quite simple and it is quite effective. If we did it once, we can do it again.
OP-ED