//my anti-war entry
this is where i'm going to spout off my thoughts on the just-about-imminent war on the iraqi regime.

//americanism, patriotism, and nationalism
this last weekend, there were pro-war rallies. now, i think that it is cool that people will stand up for what they believe, even if i don't agree with it. so, if you're pro-war, that's cool, i don't agree with you, but hey, to each his/her own. the only problem that i really have with it is that they were called pro-american rallies. in calling the rallies pro-american, there is an implication that those who do not support the war are anti-american, which is not true, and, frankly, is a load of bullshit.

i love my country. i'm not necessarily a fan of the administration, but, i love this country. i am very american. the very fact that i have the opportunity to disagree with what is going on is very american. the virtues of free speech and free thought are very american. i have the right to disagree and still be american. i'm no less american than the war supporters...i'm no more american either...i'm just as american. i'm anti-saddam. i think he should go too. but, diplomacy was working until bush destroyed it.

if i'm not american, what am i? i'm sure not filipino. if you go to the phillippines, you'll be hard-pressed to find someone walking down the street that is anything like me...someone that does their hair like me, dresses like me, talks like me, has the same mannerisms...anything like me. that is because i am culturally a part of america. racially, i am filipino...culturally, i am american--in one way or another.

it angers me when fox news belittles the anti-war sentiment by constantly showing the statistic that so many more americans support the war than those who do not. i think that the statistics are very inaccurate. they only reflect a part of society that watches fox news, which is a very conservative news network watched by conservatives, and only americans. the views don't reflect the rest of the world that doesn't watch fox news, nor does it reflect those outside of the united states...many of whom question the motivation behind this war.

it is startling that many americans have failed to distinctify between patriotism and nationalism. i saw this statement on mtv by an nyu professor...and it makes a lot of sense. the belief that many americans are holding are that everything that america does is right, and anyone who disagrees with us is wrong. that is not patriotism. that is ultra-nationalism. in my opinion, nationalistic attitudes are the roots of that which destroys rich cultures that we, as americans, are not familiar of--solely on the basis that they are different. much of the administration in america is adopting a nationalistic attitude...not good.

//why war?
really now, why are we fighting this war? it's like we are charging guilty before any crime has been committed against our country. personally, i think that george w. is simply trying to fight his father's war that ended over 10 years ago.

there is no link between osama bin laden and saddam hussein, no matter what george w. tries to propagandize.

i agree that iraq shouldn't have weapons of mass destruction.
neither should we.
who are we to say that one country is too irresponsible to have these weapons while other countries can?
thank you beastie boys for the insight

//now that the war is 99.9% imminent
there isn't much to do by protesting, since war is just about guaranteed now.

all i can really do now is hope for the best. hope that saddam is eliminated. hope that this war is swift and that very few to no lives are lost in vein of this war without a solid purpose.

hope that we can re-establish a good relationship with the united nations, because by going forward with this war, we break ties with several nations.

hope that we can re-establish what the monroe doctrine was all about...because george w. has pretty much thrown that in the trash.

hope for the best.

hope.

father, father
we don't need to escalate
you see, war is not the answer
for only love can conquer hate
-- marvin gaye : what's going on