Nothing about the war in Iraq is easy, and it is essential that we continue to talk to each other and exercise our rights to express our opinions, beliefs and attitudes.
There is one attitude, however, that I find disheartening and disturbing. It was recently expressed in a letter to the editor from Will Connolly, but the idea is widespread: Many seem to think that by protesting war in Iraq, people are opposing U.S. troops. This could not be more wrong. Proponents of the peace movement are trying to bring the troops home from a war we believe they should not be fighting; a war for which they should not be risking their lives.
It is ridiculous to imply that those who have opposed this war for months or longer should suddenly change our minds simply because fighting has begun. We tried to stop it, but now that war is here, we will do whatever we can to end it. And in the meantime, of course we support U.S. troops. We will keep them in our thoughts--as well as the Iraqi civilians and countless others whose lives could be lost--just as we have all along.
The erroneous notion that these two ideas--to the war and support for U.S. troops--are somehow mutually exclusive is part of a greater problem. All over the country and in every level of government, people are being called unpatriotic for opposing war. The fear this causes is very real and people are becoming less likely to speak out. Don't allow this link to be another tool that the government may use to instill fear in protesters. This could lead to a national complacency that no one should want, even if you do support the war.
Those who oppose war in Iraq support the U.S. troops more than anyone--we want to bring them home now, alive and in one piece.
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