So it started last night. Aquarion says it well: we have probably passed the increasingly blurred line that's labeled
When I heard about the few missiles launched at Saddam Hussein last night, I wondered where the big assault was, and whether it was really starting yet. I think that if there had not been the deadline which ran out last night, I would not have been at all sure. As it was, the war got a start which was less extreme than expected but nevertheless prompt and shocking.War Begins Here.
Shock is a very accurate description of what I'm feeling at the moment. Funnily enough, I wasn't terribly affected by 9/11 — it was horrible, of course, but I refuse to alter my life because of terrorism. If an attack affects me, it has succeeded, and I will not accept that. In contrast, this war is being led by my country, against my will, against the will of many of my countrymen, and against the will of the international community. I couldn't quite believe that it was really going to happen, and now that it has, I'm feeling disoriented, caught between this reality and one where politicians are sensible. As I listen to NPR, I am also torn between my opposition to the war and my opposition to Saddam Hussein's regime; since it's really started, what do I want? What am I protesting for now? It's not enough to protest against something. I need to provide some alternative, or else my protest is meaningless.
My state of mind is probably not a little influenced by the fact that I haven't eaten for 16 hours, and by the fact that I'm falling sick (sore throat, runny nose, etc.), but I have no intention of breaking my fast, especially since Jeff and Alita are fasting with me (thank you guys!). Fasting is a personal protest, but Burningbird reminds us that the time for public protest is still now, and I am considering attending a peace rally today, in spite of my stomach and my head. It is too tempting to give up and give in, and I am grateful to Burningbird for her words of determination and encouragement.
On a positive note, not all is running smoothly in Mordor. The Shrub's plan to allow oil drilling in the Alaskan wildlife refuge has been voted down by a mere two votes! I could kiss the two Republican senators who voted against it at the last! (They were Coleman of Minnesota and Smith of Oregon.) I guess our troops will just have to work extra-hard to save those Iraqi oil fields for the Iraqi people.
*kof* *kof*
