**Update, evening of Feb. 8: France and Germany are actually working on a proposal for peaceful disarmament.
I guess I’m not alone in the idea that war is not the only answer. Anyway, read my blog and you’ll see what I mean.
End of update**
One thing that’s been weighing on my mind this week, as Bush pushes uscloser to war, is that the national peace movement may be losing relevancyas it continues to focus on Bush, oil and American imperialism.
My sense is that the American people and the media are much moreconcerned with Saddam Hussein’s alleged weaponry — and they should be.
Tangent alert: We all should be worried about any nation’s weapons ofmass destruction. Bush is right — weapons of mass destruction in the wronghands are a threat to us all. Unfortunately, there are no “right hands” inthis world; show me a peaceable, responsible nation with a peaceable,responsible leader and I’ll show you to be terribly confused about reality.We should get rid of all the weapons if we’re actually aiming for peace.Otherwise we should acknowledge we’re liars and we really just want tobully people around. Tangent over.
Given Hussein’s past record and present action, the world should befocused on disarmament. And the peace movement — if it is to make anydifference at all, if it is to be heard by anyone in America, if it isn’tto be disregarded as the same-old liberal propaganda — needs to focus ondisarmament as the goal and propose some peaceful solutions that couldactually achieve disarmament. War won’t, not in any safe way, and notwithout murdering a whole lot of innocent people.
One way (perhaps not the best idea, but at least it’s AN idea) to workfor disarmament: Get the U.N. to pass a new resolution laying out amultilateral plan to seek and destroy weapons of mass destruction. Powellwas right when he said that the U.N. inspectors’ job right now isn’t to bedetectives. right now, they are charged with verifying what Husseinvoluntarily says he has. Obviously that isn’t working very well.
So let’s change the inspectors’ job with a new resolution making themdetectives. Let’s get the entire world on board to bring in U.N.peacekeeping forces, multiply the current inspection force by five or 10times, and let’s track down the weapons and destroy them responsibly, sothat we don’t spread any chemical or biological agents and we don’t killinnocent Iraqis (Didn’t Bush say we need to liberate them? Then how aboutwe don’t kill them, eh?).
With the entire world’s will behind such an effort, and with the entireworld watching, Hussein would not have the option to use military force –especially if we weren’t. Then, while we have detective inspectors findingweapons, let’s continue the diplomatic pressure from the Middle Eastnations and let’s start talking about ways to ease the sanctions andprovide REAL liberation to the Iraqi people.
In short, let’s actually try to resolve this conflict in a rational,mature, responsible way. That may be completely unthinkable for some peoplein this country, but it would show that we aren’t idiots and bullies andthat we are actually civilized people who care about democratic processes,open dialogue and peaceful resolutions to tense situations. Right now, wereally look like imperialist dicks, riding about the range on our big,thick, muscly steeds, swinging our long red weapons at everyone who doesn’tbuy OUR interpretation of what the “ideal social structure” looks like. I’mcertainly not saying that’s what America IS, it’s just what we appear to bebecause of our foreign policy attitude of the past few years.
Tangent alert: It seems logically impossible to be pro-war and pro-life.Tangent over.
The reason that this idea — finding a solution other than war for thedisarmament problem — occurs to me is because of Powell’s presentation tothe U.N. Security Council, ironically enough. One of the more compellingparts of Powell’s slide show was his explanation of the Truck-MountedMobile Biological Weapon Production Facilities. If you’re not familiar,apparently Iraq has all of the pieces-parts necessary to produce ricin,sarin, smallpox and anthrax — and these pieces have been installed onflatbed trucks (they look just like every other 18-wheeler on the road)that can be moved whenever needed to stay hidden. A fully functionalproduction facility takes three of these trucks.
Powell said we know of at least 18 of these Truck-Mounted MobileBiological Weapon Production Facilities, and he asked how the inspectorsare supposed to find them, as they are hidden on the thousands andthousands of miles of highways in Iraq.
I ask in return, how will we “disarm” these hidden trucks with bombs?Will we bomb every inch of highway in Iraq (and murder innocent civiliansin cold blood)? Do we blow up every truck we see (and murder more innocentsas we do so)? What happens if we hit one of these trucks as it’s finishingits production run — will it spread liters and liters of deadly biologicalagent to the winds (and murder more innocents)?
What happens if we bomb the heck out of Iraq, unseat Hussein and leave ahost of unstable, warring tribes (that’s what’s most likely to happen,promises from Bush aside) — will these Truck-Mounted Mobile BiologicalWeapon Production Facilities fall into the wrong hands?
If we don’t embark upon a REAL path of disarmament and diplomacy, wewill guarantee more attacks on America, more attacks on our allies, andmuch more murder.
Complete change-of-subject alert:
Another thing that’s been weighing on my mind this week is the joys ofyouth. I’ve had the pleasure of some private time with two young menrecently, and I had forgotten how refreshing the 18-year-old mindset canbe. Conversation is light and fun, and it’s a puzzle to keep up with themsometimes. And that’s not mentioning the 18-year-old skin.
That’s all a topic for another time, though.