5-1-05; Early Morning On The West Coast

[Michael]

At 3:49 AM on a Sunday morning here on the west coast of the former United States of America, I woke up with a start. It’s as though I experienced an epiphany, but I didn’t.

The thought that woke me was something about which I’ve been cognizant for a very long time. It’s not news at all.

I don’t know if I’m going to ramble here or I’m going to keep this short. I guess we’ll see when I’m done, hey?

I woke up, as I mentioned, suddenly and filled with anxiety. The room was dark and I thought that it’s under these same conditions, under the dark of night, that bags or boxes are off loaded from a plane and placed upon rollers or a belt like produce off loaded at one’s local grocery store. These bags and/or boxes are being respectfully saluted by military personnel, but those salutes, as respectful and somber as they are, don’t inject a single cubic meter of life into those bags and/or boxes.

Instead, inside those bags and/or boxes are still, dead bodies, human beings who have the ability to use their humanity to do absolutely nothing anymore.

The word “lifeless” is sending chills throughout my body. This is happening as I’m typing.

They’re permanently taken from the people who, before they went to Iraq or maybe Afghanistan, were able to speak with them, laugh with them, hold them, look up to them, teach them, help them carry the groceries into the house, help them change a tire. I guess I could go on and on.

Maybe the word “lifeless” seems so suddenly frightening to me because I don’t believe in an after life.

The thoughts are coming so much faster than my fingers can type.

Maybe those who believe in an afterlife say that this is OK, that they somehow stopped breathing and can no longer interface with those here on earth in order to preserve our freedom and the American way, but that they’ll reunite with people in the afterlife.

Will the God be pleased with that explanation?

Will the God be pleased that such heart wrenching sadness was caused by the whim of someone, somewhere, anywhere, in anyway? Is that the reason that the God put those lifeless beings on this earth?

Bush’s new foreign policy states, and I paraphrase, but it can be researched and my paraphrasing can be validated, that The United States has the right to preemptively strike anyone who poses an immediate threat or may become capable (emphasis mine) of posing an immediate threat to American interests (emphasis mine) anywhere in the world. Look it up. That’s what it means if, indeed, that’s not exactly what it says. It says nothing about freedom, democracy or human rights.

I know no one who is killing and possibly dying in Iraq. I imagine if I can awaken with such a start, realizing that death, in my opinion and at least as it relates to this earth, is permanent, then, and this is such an overused phrase, but it’s a good one, the "loved ones" of those who have died must awaken like this on a regular basis and realize and re-realize and re-realize, maybe night after night after night, that they’re never going to see that "loved one" again, at least not here.

I know we’re all going to die. It’s part of life.

It should never be part of life to learn to hate and kill a human being about whom you know nothing. That seems like some kind of insanity to me! Does that not seem like insanity to you? I don’t care if your politics is progressive, conservative, neo Nazi, communist, whatever. I mean put all of that baggage down for just a second and think of those lost, lifeless bodies and tell me that it’s not insanity.

I’m sure that someone will say that war is sometimes necessary. Is it?

I believe that the person who writes "war is necessary" believes in the God and in the bible.

I believe that person will claim to be a Christian as well.

Ah, but the bible is such a useful tool. The contradictions come in handy.

You may choose, “My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless.” Exodus 22:24 to validate the “war is necessary” statement or you may choose “But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” Matthew 5:39 to invalidate war.

The second quote, it seems, would be more important to one who claims to be a Christian as it’s from The New Testament and attributed to “The Christ”.

I guess the answer is “ramble”, isn’t it?

I mention I know no one in Iraq. I didn’t mention that there are people being off loaded from that plane, under the veil of night, that I’ll never know but that I could have known.

There’s someone I’ll never meet, from whom I’ll never learn, with whom I’ll never laugh, to whom I’ll never give, from whom I’ll never take. There’s someone I’ll never have the pleasure of meeting.

I guess I’ll finish now. This was not cathartic for me as writing it just intensified the feelings.

This isn’t news, but, this morning for me, it was news. It was frightening, angering, frustrating, sad, literally unbelievable news.

I wanted to share some news with you in the dark of early morning.

I respect all of you, but I hope with every fiber of my being that what disturbed my sleep tonight was equally disturbing to whomever reads this.

[jimboloco]

I had me eye on yer scribbled ramblin, matey, since last week, but I knew it would keep, yet since you were in a disturbed state, I wonder how you may be doing now. I am glad that you were wakened by dread, a psychic connection to airplanez and body bags and caskets. Not glad in one sense, but glad that you were sensitive to it.

Headlines today's Tampa Tribune, will try to get it and post here, a family's pride, their son KIA in Iraq. Back soon!

http://www.tampatrib.com/MGBKHT4BJ9E.html

ah here it is! incredulous, the rationalisations they use. Brainwashed is the word.