April 2nd, 2003
I am alone. Standing at the bus stop, holding my "Opposed to the war" sign, I feel a nameless fear in the pit of my stomach. People on buses going by look at me with mild curiousity; a few, with hostility. I am breaking one of the oldest taboos in the world: I am stepping out of line. I am standing up against my tribe. I am actively not supporting our troops. I am doing this out of a sincere conviction that what we're doing is wrong, and going to get more wrong. The fact that it is my country doing it doesn't make it any more worthy of my support; the United States has no exclusive claim to being right in every instance. Still, it's hard not to feel the fear.
The popular culture and news media reinforce this fear. On one side there are "Anti-war rallies" and on the other side "Support our troops" rallies. I reject this ingenious bit of moral jujitsu that tries to bring all of our citizens in line with the government's aims. Like most of the anti-war movement, I can say with honesty that I honor our troops for being willing to be put in harm's way for what is put forward as my benefit. I will treat any soldier who returns with due respect. I cannot, however, condone or support what our troops are being sent to do.
Sometimes the only way to see things clearly is to take what is happening and put different names on it. Imagine, if you will, that China begins agitating over Taiwan. For six months the message from China is heard consistently, over and over, that Taiwan and its military are a rogue state and a threat to the Chinese mainland. China has a go at bullying the UN Security council into endorsing what is put forth as the legitimate need to eliminate the terrible threat and reunite the long-suffering Taiwanese with the mainland. After failing to convince a majority of the UN or the world's population, the Chinese government issues an ultimatum and goes to war. Shortly after, an obscure news report comes out of China, and the Western press lauds the few brave Chinese willing to stand up to their government's ill-advised military adventurism. There is a picture of one man standing at a bus stop, holding a sign that says "Opposed to the war." That man is not supporting his country's troops. That man is me.
Kurt