Pligget

I suppose it's got to start somewhere

I hear and read a fair few news reports, articles and blogs about the Iraq crisis, and I get more and more depressed. Psychobabble-fluent friends assure me that depression is suppressed anger. OK so I must be angry - but what about? Let's try listing a few things (in no particular order):

Bush saying "if you're not with us, you're against us"

Conversely, people who say that unless you are opposed to Blair you are pro-war

People who say "I went on the march because I'm anti-war". Who isn't?

People who can't see the difference between the threat of military action and actual military action

How readily critics find flaws in the stance of others, without offering constructive alternatives (just like I'm doing now...)

Right-on anti-racists who think it nevertheless legitimate to slag off 'the Americans'

Politicians who behave as though we think they're altruistic, thereby justifying their self-serving actions

People who refer back to "who did what for whom" in WW2 (and even further back)

People who say "this has nothing to do with oil/money/power"

The way Blair switches between different objectives (from regime change to disarmament to terrorist links to regime change again and back to disarmament) as soon as someone challenges the validity of his statements

The self-righteousness of pacifists and war-mongers who are blind to shades of grey

People who ignore the military commanders who oppose military action

People who ignore the Iraqi exiles who support military action

People who think that when Bush or Blair makes a speech, he's speaking to us rather than to Saddam

Bush (and Blair)'s evident belief that a single American (or British) life is more valuable than an Iraqi one

People who believe that war is a solution - that kicking Saddam out will solve the region's problems

People who believe that simply refusing to fight is a solution

Above all, the thing I get most angry about is the fact that I don't know what the hell should be done for the best. I just can't bring myself to agree with anyone for any length of time.

On the other hand, there are some things I'm grateful for:

I live under a system where a million people can march peacefully through a city together to express an idea

I live under a system where the government is my servant, and I can kick it out if I don't like it

I'm too old to be conscripted, and my children are too young

I don't believe in God, so I don't have to worry about what a bastard He appears to be

I don't have to choose between two evils, both of which involve the deaths of thousands of people like me

Given that we're all about to find out what our future history is, let's hope it'll be a good one.