Dear Bartcop:
Ken O'Keefe and the Human Shield folks would
indeed rather die in defense of
the ideals of liberty and justice than
be complicit in the premeditated slaughter
currently being contemplated by the corrupt
Bush administration.
I think that's a big mistake. Their deaths change nothing.
What is there to gain by adding their names to the toll?
If Bush had a brain or a heart, and drastic measures could possibly
persuade him,
there might be some value to performing an outrageous
act to get his attention
But Bush is going to war with a single-minded obsession in his
small brain.
O'Keefe is powerless to stop Bush - as we all are.
How is O'Keefe complicit in Iraqi deaths?
It seems pretty clear from the excerpt you
posted that these folks understand
just what they are undertaking and are
willing to see it through.
Ok, but to what end?
What will sacrificing their lives change?
I could be wrong, but choosing suicide is no answer.
In blunt terms, O'Keefe is planning to murder himself,
and anyone else he can talk into going.
Rather than scoring them for an incredibly
brave and principled stand,
you might at least leave them alone if
you're not going to support them.
Wait, I'm on the side of "Don't do it. Stay alive, instead."
Why should we leave them alone to kill themselves?
I might also point out that you (and, let
us be honest, I as well) are supporting
in some measure the corrupt Bush administration
by our tax dollars. Some of
that money that we are supplying to the
federal government will be used to kill
a bunch of Iraqis who've never done us
any harm whatsoever. My conscience
bothers me mightily for that, and I wish
I had the courage to withhold or redirect
that portion of my federal tax payments
that goes to the military.
If you could do that legally, I'd be right behind you. But
going to jail serves no purpose.
(Susan McDougal is different) If 20,000,000 people
were waiting to see what your
decision was, and they were right behind you with their election-changing
20,000,000
votes, then I'd agree that going to jail would be a courageous
act.
But since the immoral simpleton is going to wage war either way,
I fail to see the
value in taking a stand that would kill you, and hurt your friends
and your family.
I admit that this failing is a measure of
cowardice on my part, and for that,
I feel singularly unqualified to tell Mr.
O'Keefe and his cohorts what to do.
Patrick O. F.
JFK, RFK and MLK were heroes who had their lives stolen.
Their deaths were not pointless. The GOP felt it necessary
to murder them
because they didn't want their ideas spreading to the masses,
which they have.
You and I agree that this war is wrong, we're on the same side.
It's my opinion that O'Keefe's death would be senseless and pointless,
and leading others to die in Iraq is extremely irresponsible
thing to do.