Where has the horror of war has gone?

Went to the Anti-war rally at Pioneer Place today , and it naturally stirred up some thoughts and feelings.

First off, I don’t hate America, nor am I ashamed to to be an American. If I did or was, I’d be gone, somewhere else, dedicated to learning to be a citizen of another country.

But it probably wouldn’t be Canada. How did Canada become the Shangri-La of lefty liberals of the USA? Sure, they do do some things better than this country, but some things not so well. Canada, like here, has racism, censorship, kidnappings, murders and gun nuts to boot. Maybe their gun deaths are less per capita than ours, but I’d like to see some specific statistics, as L.A. and Manhattan are unique creations onto themselves and always have been. (For the record, I’m for gun control)

I have nothing against Canada and think certain parts and people of Canada are wondrous. It’s just that it’s full of humans like everywhere else. And Canada does get special points with me for issuing a travel advisory for the USA because of our habit of detaining suspicious nationals and whisking them away to God knows where.

My attitude certainly is not one of love-it-or-leave-it. Am I happy with the state of my country? Hell no. Do I some things are mindblowingly fucked up? Hell yes. Just because I am thankful to have been born in this country, especially as a female, doesn’t mean that certain policies and officials don’t excite my rage and disgust. I was particularly gratified to see my favorite bumper sticker slogan at the rally: “If you aren’t outraged, you aren’t paying attention.”

Many of those present at the rally were challenging the accusation of being unpatriotic by simply protesting. Hell, this country was founded on protesting. Our constitution and Bill of Rights were created to ensure we could continue to do so. Funny—the Founding Fathers: a bunch of essentially elitisist slave owning snobs who established the electoral college under the assumption that the common man was too dumb to know how to vote. But they crafted some excellent documents that enabled many civil liberties that might make them shudder if they knew. (like my sex being able to vote)

I can actually be moved by the sight of the American flag in certain con texts. What can I say, I’m deeply affected by symbols and icons. Kip moans how badly designed it is, but that actually makes me the more fond of it. But I don’t think I would be if we weren’t allowed to burn it, it just wouldn’t mean so much anymore.

I remember the resurgence of flag pride after September 11th 2001. And how I couldn’t help but wonder how many of these vicious flag waving, try-and-burn-this patriots actually voted? Or were registered to do so? And why don’t they know how to treat the flag? You don’t let it get wet, touch the the ground or leave it out at night without a light on it. (you have to burn it immediately after any of these infractions) And you most certainly don’t staple gun it to the side of a house. Backwards. My friend Brad actually had a great anecdote about the first heavy rain on the highway October 2001. All those antennae flags ripped off from the weight of being wet and then ground into so mush patriotic mush underneath many, many tires.

I love my mother, and respect her, but there are some things we will never see eye to eye on. Whether we should have the right to burn the flag is one. The other is the definition of “military target.” Which honestly the Pentagon was on September 11th. Mom decried that, speaking of all he civilians that worked there. Now who the hell works the factories and bases of the USA enemy of the week? The generals? Fanatical devotees to the destruction of the free world? Or people in need of a job, any job to support themselves and their families? Military targets, god, I always despised that slippery moral dodge.

But let’s go back to my original question, when did we loose the horror of war? As one of the speakers at the rally asked, when did an act of war move from being our last resort to our first response? I was pleased this same speaker pointed out that the majority of people who join the various military services aren’t looking for the glory of war, they are looking for a chance, for a job and the possibility of a college education they normally wouldn’t be privy to. Pity that the true war glory hounds aren’t the ones charging into battle, writhing in trenches and dodging our “smart’ bombs.

Send them all to Quaker school, I say. Not learn peaceful behavior or brotherly love but to put the fear of war into them like my classmates and I had done with explicit accounts, books and films.