Iraq the Casbah

Two years ago, my father retired
from the armed forces after serving
more than three decades as an officer
in the Air Force. At the end of his
retirement ceremony, my family stood
on stage as everyone attending queued
up to shake our hands. Three different
officers separately asked the same
question as they shook my hand and
the hands of my brothers: “Are you
planning on joining the military?”

My brothers and I politely said,
“No,” that we were going to college
instead.

“Well, if you ever change your
mind,” they all said, leaning in, “make
sure that you wait until this war is
over.”

This particular interaction really
stuck with me. The fact that three
military officers (all of whom had
never met us before) felt it important
to impress upon us that we should
not join the military currently shows
the magnitude of dissension about
the war.

This week will mark the 5th anniversary
of the United States’ invasion
of Iraq. As surely as our parents’
generation is marked as the “Vietnam
generation,” ours will be considered
the “Iraq generation.” Our generation
has witnessed this war like no other
war; we are watching it unfold before
our very eyes.

The reasons why the War in Iraq is
idiotic already have been put forward
numerous times. Instead of delving
into the normal debate about whether
we should have gone to war, about how
the war has been handled or about how
to get out of it, let’s discuss actions
that can take place today.

Today, we can march. We can
demonstrate. We even can call or
e-mail our congressmen and congresswomen
(the lazier but still effective
approach).

I’m heading to Washington, D.C.,
his Wednesday to protest the war that
possibly will be the biggest mistake
our government will make within
our lifetimes.

Civil disobedience is a testament
to democracy, and no action by a
group of people is more American
than to demonstrate publicly for
a cause. Where would this nation
be without Rosa Parks refusing to
get up from her bus seat in 1955
or without four black students
sitting at a “whites-only” lunch
counter in Greensboro, N.C., in
1960? Where would this nation be
without the boycott Cesar Chavez led
on grape picking, or without Martin
Luther King Jr. marching for civil
rights? Where would we be without
the Boston Tea Party?

The way this nation works – or is
supposed to work – is the government
serves the people. When we have
a complaint, we can run it by our
congressional representatives, but complaints
seem to have little effect when
they come from a 20-year-old with no
money or power to speak of.

Of course, voting has an effect-but
how will an elected official know that
someone voted against him or her for
a specific policy? Public demonstration
allows an avenue for “unimportant
persons” (i.e. me) to express their
opinions. If a certain demonstration
means a delay in a representative’s
morning commute for five minutes,
that interruption might get the representative
to rethink an issue.

On Wednesday, Washington, D.C.,
more than likely will be packed with
protestors. This is a chance to express
our opinions to our government. I
hope to find you in our ranks.

—

Contact your Congressman

Sen. John Warner (R)
(202) 224-2023

Sen. Jim Webb (D)
(202) 224-4024

Richmond Rep. Bobby Scott (D)
(202) 225-8351

If you’re registered to vote in a different
district, visit congress.org to find your
representative.