RE: Do Not Participate in the Ill Considered "Peace" Rally

[kkhowe@moscow.com]

>  Thank you Duncan... I must say I agree with you whole-heartedly.  Now is
> not the time for division or second guessing.  Now is the time for
> solidarity of the American people. As a parent of one who is on a ship

It is the most sacred responsibility of the citizens of the most powerful 
nation in the world to second guess their leaders. Some of the greatest 
atrocities of our century have come about because a people chose to remain 
uninformed and irresponsible about the powers their leaders were exercising. 

> what this government is doing now, I can't help but question their poor
> timing.

Unfortunately, the only other time to hold this rally would be after we had 
already killed thousands or millions of undeserving people once this war comes 
to a close. You may not see the events in the same light as others, but can you 
in good conscience recommend that these people do not act on their own beliefs 
to prevent what they think is a horrible mistake? Would you have counselled 
sympathetic Germans to set aside their convictions for just a little while and 
ignore the massacre of innocent Jews because of bad timing?

We have historically faulted the people of many a nation who have remained 
silent and complacent to horrendous acts against humanity. We may not all see 
the actions in Afghanistan as a mistake, but do not attack those who do. Defend 
convictions on their own merits, do not try to villainize those who are willing 
to speak and act on their own views and beliefs. I hope as a community we never 
hide behind the horrible veil of "solidarity". This indecency has permitted 
great crimes to go unopposed in the past, and if ever it becomes a valid point 
of attack against our people, then it will permit great crimes to go unopposed 
in the future. 

The safe return of your child is, at heart, the sole purpose of this rally. We 
all hope that our nation will not have to spend the blood that our servicemen 
and women have committed to its defense. The leaders of our nation and the 
leaders of this rally are working to the same goal: the safety and protection 
of our country, and the lives of those in it. Everyone wants to see justice 
served without the needless loss of life.

It is your right and their right to disagree on how this may be accomplished. 
Yet I have not seen a single rational fact to contradict what the promoters of 
this rally have said. They have clearly stated that information is their weapon 
against terrorism. With the knowledge of the history and politics behind our 
nation and the region in which we are now fighting, it is everyone's hope that 
we can bring a resolution to this monumental event without taking the lives of 
so many who need not die. Though it may not be possible to end this war without 
bloodshed, the hope itself is noble. And if blood flows in this era, then only 
knowledge and information will prevent this kind of tragedy from occurring 
again.

This rally is not only to hope and work for a peace that will help your child 
come home safely, but also to hope that no citizen in this country is ever 
again faced with the agony of sending our loved ones into harms way. Without 
the wisdom to learn from our mistakes; without understanding how we have come 
to such a huge cross-roads in our history; without the honesty and courage to 
face our responsibilities in this matter; without these things, then sadly you 
will not be the last parent to fear for their child in this country. 

In this trying time, it has been difficult to find a way in which to act. We 
have felt paralyzed by the strangeness of this attack and the lack of a clear 
target. Where is their country? What are their borders? Who is the enemy?

Ignorance is the enemy.

Do not brush aside the facts that have brought us to this awful event, nor 
fault those who seek to learn how to ensure that we will never face this kind 
of tragedy again. Rational debate will slay ignorance. We can overcome the true 
enemy we face, but we cannot do it through fear and hate. We must learn from 
each other, now, while we have a chance to prevent future mistakes. Those who 
seek to silence this debate are only helping our one true enemy: ignorance.

Please, use the freedom of this forum to speak your minds and your hearts, not 
your hates. 

- Keith Howe


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