I turned on CSPAN hoping to see something about the peace rally, but found a replay of Washington Journal. Their guest was a Gold Star Mother who is very happy about her son's death in W's war.

It was very disturbing, to say the least. When asked how she could reconcile her son's death with the fact that no WMD were found in Iraq, she said, "There was a WMD found, and he is in jail. His name is Saddam Hussein."

OK. I'm used to hearing that from vision impaired Bush sycophants.

But, what really got me was her response to another caller. She did not want us to pull out of Iraq because of the "egg on our face" from Vietnam.

It hit me like a ton of bricks. This woman is my age. Her son was the age of my children.

When I was a teenager in the early '70s I thought the only good thing about the Vietnam War was that my generation understood that we should never do such a horrible thing again. I was wrong. I was so naive.

I thought we were all together, and we were going to make a beautiful new world.

Of course, I gave up that pipedream many years ago. But, somehow this woman's words made me realize something. Back in the early '70s I thought the kids who did not participate in the peace rallys were just shy.

Now, I understand, they didn't join us because they wanted the Vietnam War! They wanted to grow up and donate their children to die for the military-industrial complex.

Some of them got their wish.

jeez, yeah, i just dunno. she looks like she's been a sheep for a very long time, but maybe she hasn't. maybe she's just recently converted because of the massive aura of fear and uselessness that's currently in the world. i've seen many activists turn into sheep you know. it's like first a person is clueless; then they wake up and learn about the new world order; then they say they're going to fight it; then they just turn around and become a part of the new world order! it's because of this frigging aura. there's a massive amount of fear and incomprehension going on, and we can't underestimate it! but don't worry, you won't turn into a sheep if you remain AWARE that THE WORLD IS CRUMBLING; and that you can do something about it.

that's the problem sheeple have; being scared, but not aware. it's alright to be afraid, but only with good reason! how can you be so afraid of thinking for yourself, while at the same time not realising that the world is in flames??? govern-mental brainwashing is a probable reason imo.

It's not that they wanna have their children "donated"
And it's not so much that they are scared or afraid!

Some people simply are not leaders.
In fact, some people cannot function unless someone leads them!

You and I tend to be free thinkers. We can and in fact, expect to think for our selves!
As bizarre as it sounds to you and me, many people are no similarly capable!

So who do they follow?
The ass hole!

The loudest, most arrogant ass hole in the crowd!
Why?

Remember, they can't think independantly.
So the LOUDEST voice is the one they hear and listen too!


It's not that these are bad people either!
Have a conversation with one about almost any other subject,
and you will usually find a very nice person!
You will also very likely find them in Church,
or otherwise have their lives structured so that someone is leading, and they follow.


Sheeeeeit, "the church" even refers to it's people as "it's flock"

Anyway, when you offer these followers a viable alternative they can follow,
they will have no problem shifting course.
Your leader has to be louder than their leader!

(Kerry was viewed as being weak)

The poor woman who was happy to sacrifice her son (for any cause) is a prime example of the myth of whiteness. She thinks that her son's death somehow confers upon her the benefits of whiteness that the nation's elite enjoy, and further seperates her from the poor, the "common" people. She is now "special." This special status will magically prevent her husband from being downsized or laid off, because they have paid the price of admission. She will always have enough, now. People who have never known poverty are beginning to fear it in the extreme, and for many, the only apparent way out is sell out. She is frightened, self-centered and stupid. I am a Viet Nam veteran, and staunchly anti-war, pro-peace. But I know other Viet Nam veterans who still think the war was a damned good idea, and believe the myth that "we'd'a had that fuckin' war won in six months, if the politicians woulda stayed out of it." Most of that ilk are white, not surprisingly, and make their argument from a bar stool at the local VFW. It's the only thing they have to seperate them from the poor, the common, from people of color. It confers whiteness upon them. They live in a culture that only acknowledges three stations in society, slave, cracker and massa. They are incapable of knowing that all human beings are inalienably endowed with the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, not just the rich. We have, through the rule of the military-industrial complex, created a cult of human sacrifice. Our gods are the wealthy, our children our sacrificial lambs, given up on the triptych altars of war, oppression and personal comfort.

I'm sorry Johnny, but you have to die so that I can feel special.
My need to feel special is even stronger than my maternal bond with you.
(shrug) Sorry Johnny!