When I was in 11th grade in the spring of 2003, my classmates and i staged a walkout in protest of the invasion of Iraq. Now, there were a few reasons i did this, the first being that i could tell the whole WMD justification for war stunk to the high heavens, and SUPRISE: we never found any chemical or nuclear weapons. It’s also impossible to make any connections between Iraq and 9/11, if our leaders weren't in Saudi oil pocket, that’s the country we should have invaded. The other reason i did this was because i had a crush on the raven haired beauty Alison, who was all in for the protest. One can have all kinds of reasons to do things, and contain multitudes.
I come from a very red pocket of a blue state, and the young republicans of the school were yelling and taunting us as we took our anti war position in the little square outside of Plymouth South High School.
Let me get into my understanding of the war on Iraq, as i see it: fucking Dick Cheney Haliburton shareholder cash grab, blood for profit. Haliburton got all of these contracts to provide everything from troop toilets to mercenary paramilitary support, and all the neocons (the Karl Rove movement) had roots in the petrochemical industry. The whole entire Iraq quagmire reeks of war crimes, and the whole entire W. Bush administration is guilty. those motherfuckers lied about the dangers of Sadaam Hussein so that they could cash in on the continuation of an oil, military industrial complex. I guarantee you the invasion of Iraq was being masterminded before any planes hit any buildings on 9/11.
Ok ,I'm also going to take a slightly unpopular position here: Yes Hussein was a brutal dictator, but he was staunchly secular. therefore the kind of Islamic fundamentalists shit out of ISIS would never fly under his control. It’s no nation’s right to go and overthrow the government of a sovereign nation, but we’ve done it it so many times, either in the forefront of CNN or via CIA proxy wars. Do you want to know why we have ISIS? because our invasion of Iraq left a vacuum of power ripe for a group like that to take hold.
Iraq is probably more fucked up than it was in the first place. you know who else is fucked up? my friends in my generation who have PTSD from being blown the fuck up by roadside bombs. today is veterans day, and i support and love those who fought in wars that i protested against in my quaint little town at the age of 17.
“Come you masters of war
You that build the big guns
You that build the death planes
You that build all the bombs
You that hide behind walls
You that hide behind desks
I just want you to know
I can see through your masks
You that never done nothin’
But build to destroy
You play with my world
Like it’s your little toy
You put a gun in my hand
And you hide from my eyes
And you turn and run farther
When the fast bullets fly
Like Judas of old
You lie and deceive
A world war can be won
You want me to believe
But I see through your eyes
And I see through your brain
Like I see through the water
That runs down my drain
You fasten all the triggers
For the others to fire
Then you sit back and watch
When the death count gets higher
You hide in your mansion
While the young people’s blood
Flows out of their bodies
And is buried in the mud
You’ve thrown the worst fear
That can ever be hurled
Fear to bring children
Into the world
For threatening my baby
Unborn and unnamed
You ain’t worth the blood
That runs in your veins
How much do I know
To talk out of turn
You might say that I’m young
You might say I’m unlearned
But there’s one thing I know
Though I’m younger than you
That even Jesus would never
Forgive what you do
Let me ask you one question
Is your money that good?
Will it buy you forgiveness
Do you think that it could?
I think you will find
When your death takes its toll
All the money you made
Will never buy back your soul
And I hope that you die
And your death will come soon
I’ll follow your casket
By the pale afternoon
And I’ll watch while you’re lowered
Down to your deathbed
And I’ll stand over your grave
’Til I’m sure that you’re dead”
