I wish the American public had it in 'em, lady, but I don't think they do.
"The High Price of Talk"
"Jan 19, 2007
By Monica Benderman
“There was a consensus that last year was not productive…Our expectations were dashed,” so John Isaacs was quoted as saying at a meeting of anti-war groups last week. One group alone has been said to have “spent $12 million last year” in actions opposing the war.
“Our expectations were dashed.” Mine were not.
I oppose this war. I oppose everything about this war – from the total destruction of an innocent nation, to the abject disillusionment of the citizens of our country regarding their responsibility for this destruction. I oppose the irreverent disregard for the laws of our constitution by not only our administration and our congressional representatives, but also the citizens who should be rising to oppose such actions, who have chosen instead to believe in the empty promises of national organizations wasting their efforts on counter-productive multi-million dollar spending sprees of futility in opposition to equal efforts by the administration.
It is becoming more and more difficult for me to see the difference between the leadership of the right and the leadership of the left.
Twelve Million Dollars, and more, spent by one organization in one year – opposing a war – Wasted.
How do you oppose something so destructive, so inhumane, so violent – so massive that it destroys an entire country with its incursion, and threatens to destroy its country of origin as well? How do you oppose something as hateful and angry as war and have any expectation of succeeding, when that opposition is simply a superficial public relations fiasco with no substance behind the banners, posters, puppets, television ads and interview slander?
Twelve Million Dollars and more – Wasted.
In the years since the immoral, unethical invasion of Iraq, I have witnessed as the administration and congressional leadership of our country have laid waste to the opportunities they were given to help direct a conscientious nation of citizens to become true leaders in a world aching to move closer to international peace. As they became more enraptured with the false sense of power their positions gave, those elected to serve the people have come to stand as nothing more than gatekeepers to a downgrading society whose true colors are showing as tempers rise, power continues to corrupt and in their angry response, the organizers of the opposition to present policies demonstrate how little conscience plays into any decisions regarding a new direction for the people.
Protesters, counter-recruiters, activists, American citizens all give voice to their opposition to the war – but no one seems to want to organize an alternative for what they are talking so hard to try and stop. Everyone is yelling for peace.
WHAT is peace?
How will we know when it gets here if we do not stop yelling, if we do not stop spending in futility, if we do not get started implementing the real actions necessary to ensure that peace has a place from which it can grow lasting roots?
So – you don’t like what our administration is doing? Well – oppose it. Not by yelling at it, but by taking action against it.
Our constitution gives the power to the people – and it is through Congress, not the Presidency, that power manifests itself.
Our Congress is not representing the voice of the people so… Fire Congress!! … And use your voice to do more than simply complain about the lack of representation. BECOME the representation you are demanding.
Across the nation members of counter-recruiting organizations are opposing the actions of military recruiters; shutting down recruiting stations, handing out publications outlining the lies being told by military personnel, telling students the horrors of what they will face if they join today’s military.
What is being offered as an alternative? Once success has been achieved and that student, that “poor manipulated young innocent,” is out of the grasp of the military recruiter, what is there to give in place of what they had been promised for enlisting?
I have been on military installations. On every installation ordained to be necessary to the defense of our nation, multi-million dollar deals have been made with contractors across the country. On every installation, state of the art education centers are being built, along with shopping malls, and brand-new three bedroom homes with energy efficient appliances now cropping up in gated military sub-divisions complete with playgrounds, swimming pools, gymnasiums, and neighborhood associations.
To a young man or woman who grew up believing they would never have a way out of the poverty that was their childhood reality, the military offers every dream come true. With no assurance that their life was going to matter anyway, it is not a stretch to understand why they are willing to sign it away for a chance at the success they were certain to only dream about before the military offered its collateral.
What are you giving them in return once you have succeeded at turning the next generation of potential leaders away from their perceived "dreams come true"???
Twelve Million Dollars wasted – on puppets, television ads laden with empty promises, and false visions of hope soon dashed when the real support needed to help these youth move in a strong, positive direction never manifests itself.
Veterans are returning from war to face financial problems, marital problems, physical problems and the psychological and emotional trauma of the reality of war. As protesters and activists, American citizens, proclaim the need to ensure that concerns of the veterans are met with resources for recovery, millions of dollars are spent trying to force bankrupt government agencies to provide the care their inadequate services cannot possibly achieve. “We, the people” protest the actions of our government officials, and rather than work, applying funds to programs which would foster change, spend countless millions simply complaining that nothing is getting done.
Twelve Million Dollars, and more – Wasted.
American citizens lose more and more every day as their elected representatives to government spend a few hours each week offering reassurances that they are working on the “people’s behalf", only to return to their self-serving offices once they believe the insecurities of the people have again been temporarily placated.
Corporate entities rake in profits as jobs for Americans are sent overseas; quality and durability sacrificed as cost-effective measures are implemented. Struggling local businesses close their doors while leaders of the opposition to our present administration, representing “the people", protest loudly of the need to save the American economy, spending millions on banners when those millions would be better spent rebuilding our shattered local communities.
We are wasting millions of dollars publicly denouncing our administration’s policy of wasting our tax dollars on efforts that only benefit themselves.
Twelve Million Dollars, and more – Wasted.
I once thought talk was cheap – I have since learned – the high price of talk is money wasted, laws disregarded, the needs of the people reduced to empty promises and freedom destroyed.
“There was a consensus that last year was not productive…Our expectations were dashed.” Mine were not.
The voice of the people has to become more than just a voice if the people hope to become what they proclaim themselves to be.
Twelve Million Dollars, and more – wasted.
Freedom deserves far more than wasted millions and wasted breath.
Monica is the wife of Sgt. Kevin Benderman, a ten-year Army veteran who served a combat tour in Iraq and a year in prison for his public protest of war and the destruction it causes to civilians and to American military personnel. Please visit their website, www.BendermanDefense.org to learn more."
