Sorry that blogger has started to eat my archives. I don't seem to have the power to stop it at the moment, but I am trying to do some archiving of my own, so I can republish the eaten entries elsewhere on my main site later.
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I'm going to take just over a week off from all forms of computing, and while tempted to leave an impenetrably long message to tide you over, I'll try to keep it short and disorderly.
The SARS virus has taken over the front page news in most publications I see. But the impact of the U.S. military's action in Iraq is still being widely felt, just as the impact of the U.S. miliatary's actions in in Afghanistan is still being felt. (Remember Afghanistan?) Sure, the U.S. collapsed the existing order, resulting in destroyed world cultural treasures, ransacked orphanages and hospitals, and a free-for-all microcosm of the current U.S. administration's 'right makes right' view. Sure there are massive protests in Nasiriya and Baghdad, with people carrying signs in English that say "Bush = Saddam", or generally protesting the foreign military presence there. But "it's over" and we can all stop paying attention and go back to the joint Chevron/McDonalds/drive-thru Starbucks in our SUVs and go on with our lives now, right?
Well, no. There's a reason that some local folks are still getting naked for peace. As one of the organizers said, "It's really not about the war in Iraq, it's about the fact that the conditions that breed war are still here." (--Alan Moore of Musicians & Fine Artists for World Peace.)
The pre-emptive attack doctrine is still wrong.
The media is still representing corporate interests over journalistic accuracy. (S listened to protest coverage on the radio earlier this week. A protest in Baghdad was described in one report as a tribute to freedom which featured prayer; a second report on another station described the specific, anti-occupation banners being displayed. What gives?) Most Americans have a very fuzzy understanding of U.S. foreign policy or of events occurring elsewhere in the world. Our collective ignorance can at least be partially attributed to the cheap fluff info-tainment which is provided to us in place of real reporting.
The military is still shirking responsibility for its actions by simply saying that it 'has no information' on any incident it doesn't want to take responsibility for, and the domestic media doesn't question it. (Thankfully, others do. My current favorite is still the BBC, which directly contradicted military announcements passed on unquestioningly by the American press, because their correspondents are eye witnesses to very different scenarios.) The military will apparently be in Iraq for a while, and needs to be responsible for what it has taken on.
The U.S.' relationships with its allies are still devastated.
I could go on and on. (I suppose I already have: see my comments on what we should demand from our country now as continuing steps on the long road to a peaceful and just society.) But because I need to be on my way to the airport in just a few hours, let me just say that the system is still quite broken, and we need to fix it.
A few suggestions (because someone asked me):
Stay informed. Subscribe to alternative media sources.
Join an organization that is actively advocating for positions you believe in. Support their work to make it more effective.
Stay active. Every peace demonstration in this country has cracked the lie that our country is unified in its to bomb our way to a less violent and more orderly world.
Another world is possible, and we pledge to make it real.
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I'll be back online in May. Take care.
