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Oct. 26, 2005 With the massive anti-war demonstrations in Washington recently, and the comparably tiny pro-war rebuttals, the 1960's art of protesting seems to have returned to the political scene. Hundreds of thousands have protested in recent months against what they believe to be an unjust an illegal war. They have shouted, prayed, pumped fists and raised fingers. The media has covered them like some side show that won't go away, a human interest story with tremendous potential explosive power. It's just a shame that such a wonderful opportunity was wasted. Protests, rallies and marches are nothing if their only purpose is to complain about an issue, be it War in Iraq, injustice in Palestine, racial problems or low wages for part-time workers. To be truly effective, protest must not only bring to light the greatness of the problem, but propose valid, workable solutions for decreasing the damage of the situation. For all of the creativeness seen in the various signs, chants and t-shirts, Operation Ceasefire failed to provide any solid solution for the problems in Iraq. Simply saying that the War in Iraq is an exercise in disaster is no longer enough. Politicians and pundits on both sides, including President Bush himself, have admitted that the post-war situation is far from ideal. A complete lack of planning and lack of significant amounts of troops has undermined the occupation of Iraq, and events such as Abu Ghraib and the lack of Arabic-speaking soldiers have failed to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi citizenry. But what can we do? Whatever personal opinions people may have on the justification of the initial invasion, soundness of the intelligent or motives of President Bush, what is apparent now is that our armed forces have reached the point where an immediate and full withdrawal would be suicidal to the stability of the Middle East. Whether or not this was a 'War for Oil,' as one protester's sign said, it is now clear that cutting and running is not an option. It is not in line with American principles to leave the job half done and resign the nation of Iraq to anarchy and the possibility of bloody civil war. What we began, we must now end. However, that does not mean that our situation in Iraq is perfect. There is plenty of room for improvement. The Department of Defense has floated the idea of extending the stays of volunteer troops even longer, perhaps even moving more troops into the area instead of withdrawing them gradually. Whoever says there is not room for improvement in Iraq ' more translators to speed up the criminal process, a larger emphasis on winning the culture war, setting up a framework for an education system ' is blinded by partisanship at the expense of human life. The majority of Americans now disapprove of the handling of this foray into Iraq, but the moderate majority will not simply accept protest if it fails to provide possible alternatives to the problems we now face. The problem with recent rallies over the war in Iraq has been the complete lack of compromise from either side. Perhaps the best way to support our troops is to finally sit down, put aside partisanship and figure out the best way to bring our fighting men and women home safely. ------------ About the author: Max Burns is an 18 year old moderate Democrat and student at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va, where he is a Government and International Relations major. He is a political columnist for the George Mason Broadside and author of the novel Alcardia, as well as several short stories. Email: centristdonkey@gmail.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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