Simi Valley Sophist

The Simi Valley Sophist ruminates on all manner of topics from the micro to the macro. SVS travels whatever path strikes his fancy. Encyclopedia Britannica: Sophist "Any of certain Greek lecturers, writers, and teachers in the 5th and 4th centuries BC, most of whom travelled about the Greek-speaking world giving instruction in a wide range of subjects in return ..."

Name:
Location: California, United States

Retired: 30years law enforcement-last 20 years Criminal Intelligence Detective.

Monday, September 10, 2007

Veterans For Peace Have Their Heads In The Sand



On Sundays, Chapter 54 of the Veterans for Peace construct Arlington West at the foot of the Santa Barbara Pier at the intersection of Cabrillo Blvd. and State St., in Santa Barbara. The commemoration is for each U.S. military life lost in Iraq. Chapter 54 posted this on their website:


Veterans For Peace (VFP) is a national non-profit 501(c)(3) educational and humanitarian organization dedicated to the abolition of war. Santa Barbara Veterans for Peace, local chapter 54 was formed during Operation Desert Shield in 1990 to question the use of war as an instrument of foreign policy. Our chapter of Veterans for Peace initiated the Arlington West memorial to call attention to the human cost of the war in Iraq.

Operation Desert Storm was a coalition of countries under the auspice of the United Nations specifically charged with removing Sadam Hussein’s Iraqi forces from occupying and raping Kuwait. There can not be much of a better rational for the use of force than the repelling of a brutal tyrant that has taken over a peaceful country solely for his own benefit.

VFP Santa Barbara says that they wish to abolish war. That is a noble idea, if both sides of a conflict are in accord on the issue. Based upon written material at the site, VFP zeros in on some conspiratorial military-industrial complex that is alleged to be at the root of our wars. There was also something about global warming, but how that is relevant to war is beyond me.

The national VFP website says this.


We draw on our personal experiences and perspectives gained as veterans to raise public awareness of the true costs and consequences of militarism and war - and to seek peaceful, effective alternatives.

I assume that the VFP would never sanction the use of military force under any circumstance, until the enemy began cutting off their heads. But, I could be wrong. They could die bleating like sheep.

What struck me as strange was that the Santa Barbara VFP members on duty at Arlington West yesterday were all about my age; Vietnam War age. That means that they probably have grandchildren. I am not interested is gambling with my grandchildren’s lives when there is a sworn enemy who wants to kill them. What’s wrong with these VFP? Were they so scared by war that they are willing to sacrifice their own grandchildren? What happened to the concept of standing up for those you love? Wishing that the world were different and placing all blame on the U.S. is intellectually stupid. Life has many inequities and hardships. Get over it!

As soon as someone comes up with viable “…peaceful, effective alternatives.” to military conflict, I’d sure like to see them put in operation. Until then, I’ll discount the VFP who advocate a foreign policy that facilitates the eventual enslavement or killing of my grandchildren.

However, I thank VFP for Arlington West to remind each of us of the sacrifice being made for us by our own people. That’s not the sacrifice of a Sunday standing around in the beautiful weather on a Santa Barbara beach. For all the VFP’s good intentions about ending war, they might just as well stick their heads in the sand instead of all those white crosses. Their time would be better spent educating the public about the Islamo-fascist evil that is causing all of those crosses in the sand.

Links in this blog:
Veterans for Peace Chapter 54 Santa Barbara



Veterans for Peace