Children die... they are injured, maimed,
orphaned, and learn to hate. Without ever knowing why. They stand by, trembling
in unimaginable fear and watch their parents die before their eyes. They
see a playmate with torn off limbs screaming in pain and wonder, 'when
will it be me' ? They learn to cower in fear as they scavenge for even
the barest necessities of life. Through the eyes of a child we can see
what war does to humanity. How do we reconcile that knowledge when we look
into the eyes of our own children ? Do we not realize that we are creating
the foe they will face in the future?
How can any rational human being
ever expect the children of war torn countries to grow up loving their
enemy ? The enemy which took from them their innocence, their childhood,
their loved ones, and instead filled them with loathing for a people who
could wreak such havoc on their lives. It is as if we were placing the
weapons in their hands which will be turned on our own. And who can blame
them ? We have no conception of what it is like to face even for
a day what they face, thanks to us, each and every day of their young lives.
Ask yourselves, did the feelings we felt
after 9/11 breed understanding or tolerance ? Did those feelings and reactions,
which reverberate even today as the powers that be continue to manipulate
and propagandize that day to justify their actions in our names, lead to
a better understanding of our fellow man ? Or did they instill a hatred
which has fueled this obscenity of a war we wage at the behest of a leadership
which stops at absolutely nothing to achieve their aims. How can we possibly
expect better from a child whose formative years were so filled with violence
and hate ?
Lies, subterfuge, and the death of more
of our youngsters in uniform than people who died on that day of infamy.
The children of those who died in our name and who will now grow up without
their Mommy or Daddy. To say nothing of the hundreds of thousands of innocent
Iraqis who have suffered and died because of those lies and the holocaust
we unleashed by our actions.. Nothing is too much even today, for those
who led us into this hell, to use in order to wage this war which they
had been planning long before that day . And a war against a people who
had no part in that tragedy. Obscenity ? The word is woefully inadequate
to describe the grievous sin against mankind they have wrought in our name.
When do we say enough is enough ?
When do we regain our sanity and humanity and have the courage to stand
up in sufficient numbers that our voices must be heeded and say NO ! NO
MORE ! IT STOPS HERE !
We cannot and should not force our
way of life on others. They have the God given right to choose how they
will live and what they will believe. The same right we have to do likewise.
Who gave us the divine right to choose for them ?
The child asks " WHY ? " I
ask " For God's sake, and for the sake of our own children and the
future they will face ... WHEN ? ".
Children Of War
We sat side by side on that bright sunny
day
Not saying a word or even at play
She looked so much different from my other
friends
Her dark eyes were haunting, her clothes
not the trend
In a moment I realized where she was from
I thought should I hate her and get up
and run?
But those dark piercing eyes made me take
time to think
If I was thirsty for water would she give
me a drink?
I thought of my Dad, over there in that
war
A hot dusty desert where there's no hope
and they're poor
Now here in my country she sat next to
me
She needed a friend that was so plain
to see
On the ground right next to me was a flower
so bright
I wanted her to know we didn't have to
fight
You see we're just children, we don't
understand
Why grown-ups are fighting all over their
lands
So I offered the flower, she took it from
me
Her smile was slight but her eyes had
that plea
She gestured a thank you and I noticed
the tears
I thought, we are just children why should
we fear?
If great men of war could see through our
eyes
They wouldn't see colour, fighting or
lies
They could offer a flower to their enemies
instead
Our families could come home and sleep
in their beds
Not out in some desert where lives come
to an end
But right here at home just living as
friends
I know what your thinking, we are just
kids
Although this is true we have plenty to
give
We look at each other in our innocent ways
Just wanting to share what we have of
our days
So look through our eyes you could learn
very much
Maybe all it would take is a flower and
a touch.
author unknown
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MIDI - "Just a Closer Walk
with Thee" - courtesy of Les Gorven
April 5th 2007
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