It hurts to draw breath in D.C.
Drawing breath sends shards of ice into my lungs, but soon melted by the pain of disappointment and fury. Fury at our democrats and others for even considering buying the continuation of this war and occupation. Deep disappointment with national codepink for not offering support for our month of efforts ending war.
Fury and disappointment in the American people for not caring to relegate ‘lifestyle’ just under ‘life’. We care more about our jobs, our mortgage, our schools for our precious children – i.e. our ‘lifestyle’ - then we care about lives and living. We care so little about Iraq women, children and men; even less about Iranian human beings.
We love to spout about how much we care about “our soldiers” but really, if we cared, we would NOT allow them to remain in harms’ way – not after 4 years of occupation and war; not after the lies that led us to war and kept us in war for so long have been broadly uncovered and accepted; not after our awareness of torture, of eliminating habeas corpus as a sacred protection for all human beings on our planet.
Even before men become soldiers, if we cared, we would not tout ‘soldiers’ as heros; we would not shove militaristic values and mores down the throats of our boys especially; we would not accept war as a viable let alone desirable option in life.
I’m deeply saddened we are still not ready as a people to stand and refuse to allow the continuation of this war and occupation that allows us to embrace our lifestyle.
People object when I have said the powers that be are fighting this war – and we are accepting it – in order to continue our lifestyles. Folks want to believe we are fighting this war so Bechtel and Halliburton can get richer – which we are. But we are also fighting so we can continue consuming up to 60% of the world’s resources.
So we can continue to live in the fine neighborhoods most of us live in; continue to send our children to the fine schools most of us are so privileged to send our children to; continue to pay our cell phone, our internet, our phone, our pg&e, our credit card bills; continue to shop at the fine grocery stores, drive the cars, ride the planes, trains, and buses we do; continue to buy “cheap” everything – gas, coffee, clothing, services – we deserve cheap, convenient, comfortable; continue to attend the yoga classes, the universities, to coffee shops, bookstores, department and shoe stores, all the places that we spend money to support our lifestyles.
When people talk about having to have 3 jobs, or having both parents working for money outside the home, or having to work long hours and many days – MOST of those people are not talking about working to survive: they are talking about working to maintain a certain lifestyle. Very, very few of us in this country are working to survive – there are too many working to survive in this country but I’m talking about the rest of us, the majority of us – who are working to maintain a certain house in a certain neighborhood in a certain community in a certain city or town in a certain state in this country.
We are not talking about the few grams of fat, protein, vitamins, minerals and water it takes for a human life to survive. We are not talking about the minimal clothing and structure that we need to shelter us from the elements. We are not talking about the barebones knowledge it takes to thrive in the world.
Fury and disappointment in the American people for not caring to relegate ‘lifestyle’ just under ‘life’. We care more about our jobs, our mortgage, our schools for our precious children – i.e. our ‘lifestyle’ - then we care about lives and living. We care so little about Iraq women, children and men; even less about Iranian human beings.
We love to spout about how much we care about “our soldiers” but really, if we cared, we would NOT allow them to remain in harms’ way – not after 4 years of occupation and war; not after the lies that led us to war and kept us in war for so long have been broadly uncovered and accepted; not after our awareness of torture, of eliminating habeas corpus as a sacred protection for all human beings on our planet.
Even before men become soldiers, if we cared, we would not tout ‘soldiers’ as heros; we would not shove militaristic values and mores down the throats of our boys especially; we would not accept war as a viable let alone desirable option in life.
I’m deeply saddened we are still not ready as a people to stand and refuse to allow the continuation of this war and occupation that allows us to embrace our lifestyle.
People object when I have said the powers that be are fighting this war – and we are accepting it – in order to continue our lifestyles. Folks want to believe we are fighting this war so Bechtel and Halliburton can get richer – which we are. But we are also fighting so we can continue consuming up to 60% of the world’s resources.
So we can continue to live in the fine neighborhoods most of us live in; continue to send our children to the fine schools most of us are so privileged to send our children to; continue to pay our cell phone, our internet, our phone, our pg&e, our credit card bills; continue to shop at the fine grocery stores, drive the cars, ride the planes, trains, and buses we do; continue to buy “cheap” everything – gas, coffee, clothing, services – we deserve cheap, convenient, comfortable; continue to attend the yoga classes, the universities, to coffee shops, bookstores, department and shoe stores, all the places that we spend money to support our lifestyles.
When people talk about having to have 3 jobs, or having both parents working for money outside the home, or having to work long hours and many days – MOST of those people are not talking about working to survive: they are talking about working to maintain a certain lifestyle. Very, very few of us in this country are working to survive – there are too many working to survive in this country but I’m talking about the rest of us, the majority of us – who are working to maintain a certain house in a certain neighborhood in a certain community in a certain city or town in a certain state in this country.
We are not talking about the few grams of fat, protein, vitamins, minerals and water it takes for a human life to survive. We are not talking about the minimal clothing and structure that we need to shelter us from the elements. We are not talking about the barebones knowledge it takes to thrive in the world.
posted by Xan @ 7:06 AM
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