The Misconception of War
My Personal Refusal to Partake in any Warlike Action

Military “resolution” is not only morally wrong, but detrimental to the very societal structure Americans claim to uphold. In our conquest to spread freedom via an armed and domineering force, we only hinder the values freedom represents. As we focus our country’s efforts and funding towards warfare, social outreach programs are left forgotten in the wake of bloodshed overseas. No act of violence, especially one as premeditated and wrongly motivated as the war in Iraq, is justifiable, and I refuse to taint my conscience by participating in such devastation.

Bacevich claimed: “Western-style freedom for the entire world perpetuates US global dominance” (Seduced by War, 8). In our attempts to make a democratic and equal world, we are oppressing innocent civilians, intruding upon societies that cannot comprehend the difference between a severe dictatorship and American occupation. Perhaps that is because there is none. What freedoms are we granting the Iraqi people when we instill regulated curfews and check points? What rights have they gained through our brute intimidation and the religious segregation that we instigated? As Baramian quoted James Madison: “Of all the enemies of public liberty, war is perhaps the most to be dreaded…” (Seduced by War, 8).

As the years stretch on grudgingly, many have come to realize that the war in Iraq is entirely unjustified, including many within our armed forces. “Major Frank”, who is currently an active member of the American military, concluded that: “We are merely being used as military pawns in a political struggle for Iraq” (About Face: The Growing Antiwar Movement in the Military, 13). The majority could support the war when it was believed that we were defending the homeland from terrorist threats or bringing down the oppressive regime of Hussein, but our extended occupation with fruitless results has led many of those who were formerly adamant supporters to question our continued involvement. Protests to the war have fallen on deaf ears in Washington, and met only with the echo of empty promises. Lt. Ehren Watada of the Veterans for Peace organization has another alternative: “…to stop an illegal and unjust war, the soldiers can choose to stop fighting it” (About Face: The Growing Antiwar Movement in the Military, 14). By encouraging the nation to view this disaster with compassion and as a fatal error that needs to be reconciled rather than an ongoing mission that needs to be resolved, conscientious objection can bring this false-pretensed war to its demise.

War as a whole is dehumanizing and morally disturbing, and as someone who strives to lead a compassionate and empathetic life, I cannot fathom any reason – political, religious, even personal – that justifies the mass murder of other human beings. It is past time that we begin to focus on the common ground we have as a species, rather than the superficial or misinterpreted differences that separate us (And a Time for Peace, 13). It is this mental separation of “us” and “them” that allows war to persist. Often, we view the loss in warfare materially, as a financial burden or personal inconvenience rather than recognizing the immense human suffering it spreads. As Michael Franti of Spearhead said in his recent Iraq documentary: “I am fed up with hearing the economic costs of war rather than the human cost.”

The tragedy of war does not merely affect human life adversely by ending it abruptly, but also distracts from the need of social services within societies. Billons of dollars are spent weekly towards the conflict in Iraq while our health care system suffers and poverty due to unemployment is on the rise. We are on the verge of another economic depression, yet our tax money is spent by the government on weapons of destruction rather than focused in our homeland. This absurd imbalance is not only apparent in the US, but globally wherever war has left its devastating mark. “…The military has drained resources from all other social functions. North Korea is a particularly ghoulish example, where starvation coexists with nuclear weapons development” (The Roots of War, 15). There is no logic in observations such as these, and their cultural acceptance and thus continuation is perhaps the most frightening piece of it all.

Many feel that violent conflict is unavoidable, that war is inevitable, and without military prowess, the US would be left defenseless. The Seville Statement on Violence clearly disproves this theory of conformity and blind acceptance. In its conclusion, the document states: “The same species who invented war is capable of inventing peace” (The Seville Statement, 2). I could not agree more. With all the progression and scientific advancement humanity has accomplished, there is no reason why our efforts are not being utilized to abolish war. I hope not to sound naïve or idealistic – I do not believe there will be a time when conflict or severe disagreement will no longer exist – but merely that I believe there are means other than violent aggression that can effectively solve conflict.

Kathy Kelly shared her belief system quite simply, yet with profound insight. “…that nonviolence and pacifism can change the world, that the poor should be society’s highest priority, that people should love their enemies, and that actions should follow conviction, regardless of inconvenience” (And a Time for Peace, 6). My own philosophical ideals and aspirations could not be better summarized. If we could simply act out of love for our fellow mankind, not just Americans, but all people, and adhere to those compassionate actions regardless of the initial discomfort of doing such, war would only be a regrettable mistake of the past.

Works Referenced

From Class:
About Face: The Growing Antiwar Movement in the Military by Marc Cooper; Seduced by War by David Baramian; The Seville Statement of Violence; The Roots of War by Barbara Ehremreich; And a Time for Peace by John Malkin; I Know I’m Not Alone

Address:
Veterans For Peace
William Ladd Chapter
P.O. Box 10
Deer Isle, ME 04627


e-mail:
vfpmaine@vfpmaine.org


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