Irked by Iraq

I hate this war.

I thought at first it was a knee-jerk reaction because I was a teenager during the worst of the Viet Nam tragedy. It's not. I hate this war.

I hate it because from the very beginning, I was branded and labeled for opposing it. Before the first soldier set foot in Iraq, people were flipping me the bird because I had an anti-war bumper sticker on my car. Every time I spoke out against the war, I was told that I was unpatriotic, inappropriate, or hateful. My pastor refused to pray for peace during Sunday services, even though there is a perfectly good prayer for peace in our prayerbook. My relationship with the church was the first casualty of the war for me.


I hate it because I worry about it gobbling up my children, because I've worried about the children of friends and friends of children for the last four years that they've been in harm's way. People don't see my wanting the troops brought home as support for them, but something else. The Democrats' recent attempt to use the one power they have--that of the purse--to rein in President Loose Cannon Bush was seen as "lack of support," when it was most certainly the truest form of support.

I hate it because it's crystal clear to me that the war is about making money and getting oil, and that no price is too high for us to pay to make a few fat cats fatter. And because I've written and protested and e-mailed and phoned my representatives and it feels like a waste of time.

I hate this war because war is an immoral thing, and it demoralizes everyone it touches, both us and the Iraqis.

It will take years to get the mess we've created cleaned up, and then, only once we all agree that something needs to be done.