Sunday, June 18, 2006
Watada
Ehron Watada, the lieutenant that refuses to go to Iraq after educating himself about the criminal war, was in town on Saturday to discuss his actions. He faces up to 2 years in prison, and is willing to accept those consequences. It was a good talk, and he is a man of peace, though not a claimed pacifist or claiming non-violence. His reasoning was how could he send his men into what he believes to be an illegal war, because, it is.
Jeff Patterson was there as well, as well as many vets who now resist war and realize its destructive bullshittiness. Jeff Patterson was the marine, one of three, to refuse to go to Bush Sr.'s illegal war with Iraq. The two others were forcibly carried onto the planes. Patterson was lucky in that he got media attention.
However, there was no mention of Suzanne Swift, which bothered me.
My question was not asked either and I was overlooked several times when I raised my hand. I had even written out the question as instructed, but it never made it into Watada's hands. That's fine, especially after getting pushed out of the alleged list of peace. I'm used to these types of things and know that if I was more forceful, I could have asked my question, but it was really of no significance.
I talked with a woman there on the e-mail list who liked the discussion I was bringing up at the Watada event. She was upset that I got pushed out. I informed her that I'm used to that type of behavior against what I have to say. People don't like having their narrow minded views challenged or expanded upon. I told her that this is not the first time that I've experienced such behavior from white people. Thus the title of my book, "Tremble in Fear Before the Soft Pudgy Indian." A lot of people don't like hearing what I have to say.
I was just discussing with my honey that how can one declare themselves to be peaceful and non-violent if they don't define what is and isn't violence and non-violence. I live in a place of privilege where I have the PRIVILEGE of living a non-violent peaceful life, but will NEVER declare myself a pacifist or non-violent. I am neither, I just live in a space where that is possible for me.
This particular alleged peace group also refuses to deal with the more personal issues of violence. They are willing to deal with the violence of war, but not the violence of racism, sexism, police brutality, genocide, reservations, racial profiling, domestic violence, rape, poverty, homelessness, etc. They are narrow minded elitist, exclusivist, racist, sexist, and one of their members I've witnessed being verbally abusive. This man declares himself to be some guru of peace by being against war, but refuses to deal with the personal wars that narrow minded piece of shit declares against his fellow activists for not worshipping for the god he likes to believe himself to be. He is a poser, and he heads this alleged group of peace.
And then, to top it off, the other liberal white male is attempting to discuss with me some of my political discussion that I was putting on the list after telling me he agreed with the alleged guru of peace that such discussion had no place on this list. I refuse to respond as this apparent to faced maneuver has nothing to do with any civil resistance action that they told me was the only purpose of this list.
So, I leave them to go play with each others genitals and pretend that they are doing something in this world with their exclusivist, racist, sexist, elitist behavior, but they get to pat each other on the back while people right in front of their faces are falling to many wars that happen right in front of their faces. It all seems to be about giving themselves brownie points and getting boy scout badges for being, at best, anti-war, because they definitely don't embrace peace as a practice.
Anyway, enough of discussing this bullshit.
I am PROUD of people like Watada, Swift, Patterson, Funk, and the many others in the military resisting this war and all illegal wars. Some of the best fighting is done from the inside. These guys have the eyes and hearts of those on the ground. They get ostracized and take many a personal risk in coming out against war. They get threatened by their own and can face a very real violent retaliation for their behavior. But they also find good alliance amongst their fellow military personell and can have an influence on them.
Like the old saying goes: "What if they gave a war and nobody came?"
Jeff Patterson was there as well, as well as many vets who now resist war and realize its destructive bullshittiness. Jeff Patterson was the marine, one of three, to refuse to go to Bush Sr.'s illegal war with Iraq. The two others were forcibly carried onto the planes. Patterson was lucky in that he got media attention.
However, there was no mention of Suzanne Swift, which bothered me.
My question was not asked either and I was overlooked several times when I raised my hand. I had even written out the question as instructed, but it never made it into Watada's hands. That's fine, especially after getting pushed out of the alleged list of peace. I'm used to these types of things and know that if I was more forceful, I could have asked my question, but it was really of no significance.
I talked with a woman there on the e-mail list who liked the discussion I was bringing up at the Watada event. She was upset that I got pushed out. I informed her that I'm used to that type of behavior against what I have to say. People don't like having their narrow minded views challenged or expanded upon. I told her that this is not the first time that I've experienced such behavior from white people. Thus the title of my book, "Tremble in Fear Before the Soft Pudgy Indian." A lot of people don't like hearing what I have to say.
I was just discussing with my honey that how can one declare themselves to be peaceful and non-violent if they don't define what is and isn't violence and non-violence. I live in a place of privilege where I have the PRIVILEGE of living a non-violent peaceful life, but will NEVER declare myself a pacifist or non-violent. I am neither, I just live in a space where that is possible for me.
This particular alleged peace group also refuses to deal with the more personal issues of violence. They are willing to deal with the violence of war, but not the violence of racism, sexism, police brutality, genocide, reservations, racial profiling, domestic violence, rape, poverty, homelessness, etc. They are narrow minded elitist, exclusivist, racist, sexist, and one of their members I've witnessed being verbally abusive. This man declares himself to be some guru of peace by being against war, but refuses to deal with the personal wars that narrow minded piece of shit declares against his fellow activists for not worshipping for the god he likes to believe himself to be. He is a poser, and he heads this alleged group of peace.
And then, to top it off, the other liberal white male is attempting to discuss with me some of my political discussion that I was putting on the list after telling me he agreed with the alleged guru of peace that such discussion had no place on this list. I refuse to respond as this apparent to faced maneuver has nothing to do with any civil resistance action that they told me was the only purpose of this list.
So, I leave them to go play with each others genitals and pretend that they are doing something in this world with their exclusivist, racist, sexist, elitist behavior, but they get to pat each other on the back while people right in front of their faces are falling to many wars that happen right in front of their faces. It all seems to be about giving themselves brownie points and getting boy scout badges for being, at best, anti-war, because they definitely don't embrace peace as a practice.
Anyway, enough of discussing this bullshit.
I am PROUD of people like Watada, Swift, Patterson, Funk, and the many others in the military resisting this war and all illegal wars. Some of the best fighting is done from the inside. These guys have the eyes and hearts of those on the ground. They get ostracized and take many a personal risk in coming out against war. They get threatened by their own and can face a very real violent retaliation for their behavior. But they also find good alliance amongst their fellow military personell and can have an influence on them.
Like the old saying goes: "What if they gave a war and nobody came?"
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