[Vibecrewangel]

Sum - You never cease to amaze or impress me.

You, like me, seem to be in the minority when it comes to certain issues. Take for example the potential for war. You and I both feel quite the same way. Sure, a peacefull solution is preferable, however that is simply not a viable option at this time.

It really comes down too this.....

If we choose peace, it will appear that we have backed down. We will appear weak in the face of those that consider us their enemy. Weakness is always exploited. Weakness is always attacked. 9/11 is an exapmle of that. Our complacency was our weakness. We felt so safe in our ivory tower. Indestructable. Untouchable. Unmoved by anything that didn't effect us directly. Why should we? We were America the Great. The rest of the world didn't matter. Until of course they came and kicked in our door.
Bush will not allow himself or our country to appear weak. It just isn't in his nature. So this option is very unlikely.

If we choose war, we are the bully that the rest of the world thinks we are. We are trying to do exactly the same thing we are accusing others of doing. Pushing our will on people who don't necessaraly want it. We are ugly and mean in the eyes of the rest of the world. We don't want to play by the "rules" any more than say Saddam does. Of course our justification is we are bigger and stronger. In essence, we are a bully. A bully that is hated by most of the rest of the world. (unless of course they need something)
Bush would much rather be seen as a bully. That at least shows strength as opposed to weakness . At least in some peoples eyes.

I find it interesting the people who complain the most and who protest the most against this war are the same ones who don't vote and who generally DON'T EVEN CARE until something of this magnitude comes up. So I put this up to you. Register to vote. And do it federally and locally. Do something to actually make what you believe in happen. Protests and petitions are nothing more than a way to soothe yourself because when it comes down to it you sit back and let others make decisions for you. They don't effect change. Voting, being active, knowing what and who is on the ballots....that will effect change. Stand up for what you believe in in a way that matters or sit down and shut up and let the rest of us run things for you.

Don't get me wrong here. I think Bush is a terrible leader with a personal agenda that is dangerous to the country and the world. But, sadly, we allowed him to be elected.

Now, for the people who I am sure about to call me everything under the sun, let me give you a small intro to myself.

I am female, I am a "raver", I am bi-sexual, I am for lack of a better term a Buddist, I am a liberal (probably republican), I am a psychonaut (which is a nice way to say I am a drug user), I am an activist, but most of all I am a realist. And because of that, I accept that fact that though war is not my favorite answer, at this point it is as good as any on the table.