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[ Presenting plain-text part of multi-format email ] Good point, Judith. I once regarded the situation in Iraq as "far off" and not in any way directly effecting myself and my family, however, "911" should have convinced us all otherwise, shouldn't it? (although I was actually convinced, some time before that) How much of a future do you think there will be for us and our children, if these sorts of circumstances continue? (yours or my children may be the next ones to get blown up, by some disgruntled "terrorist", who feels there is no other way to get his or her point across) And how long do you suppose your own conscience will be able to bear the weight of the atrocities your nation is currently committing? What sort of people do you suppose your children will grow up to be, if they are raised in a society where they are taught that this sort of thing is "ok" and somehow excusable? Will that sort of future even be worth seeing? The whole point of such a protest would be, to end the stalemate that is currently going on, as quickly as possible, by making a statement so powerful, that it could not be denied, so, hopefully, it would only be very temporary, and would not have to be endured for very long. I have heard it said, that Saddam, at one point, offered so many millions of dollars to impoverished American citizens, (of course, we know, the US government would never allow any of that money to get through to anyone here, even if the offer were legitimate, just as a matter of pride) so maybe this would be a good use of those funds, if in fact they do exist? Many of these people might also bring their own resources with them, where available, which could be of help to all concerned. And, quite frankly, Judith, there are a large number of American citizens today, who do not have jobs to get back to, or mortgages to pay, (an excess of 40 million are on welfare, right now) who might find this a worthwhile use of their time, in the absence of any other, and those who do have these things, might want to ask themselves, whether it is really worth it, to live and prosper, and pay taxes, in a country with no better values than ours presently has? Perhaps a change would do them good, and they would find new and better opportunities, by placing their resources elsewhere? I am so ashamed of my government's actions, and of the moral decline, in general, of American society, I, for one, would not be at all adverse to making Iraq a permanent home, if need be, and if it were possible for me to be accepted. I, for one, could use a change. (After 20 years as a "welfare mother", in this country, I'm open to the idea, that life just might be better, and might hold more opportunities, and be of a better quality, somewhere else.) Your first impression might be, that bringing all these extra people in, might only make things worse for everyone, but it is surprisingly true, that when people get together and start helping each other, things have a tendency to get better, rather than worse. (because each person brings with them new resources and new ideas on how to improve the situation.) And, of course, when you are the one in that situation, the need to improve it becomes very urgent,and so things get done much more quickly and efficiently. As they say, "Necessity is the mother of invention". They also say, "You only get what you give", and I believe this is true. The more you give, the more your own blessings will be increased. (in this life, and perhaps the next, as well.) so you never really lose anything, in giving. Please keep in mind, also, that quality of life, is not always best defined by the material possessions and wealth one has in their possession, quality of life is also about whether or not you feel you are fulfilling your own personal destiny, which is intrinsically connected to what you personally believe is right and good in life, what kinds of values you want your children to be raised with, and whether or not you feel you are making a real difference, and really matter, in the community where you live, and whether your values are being represented in that community. If your society and government does not uphold and represent those things which you believe in, why are you still there, why are you still supporting something which does not uphold your values and beliefs? Just for the money? Just for the house and car? Though those things can be nice, life has to be about more than that! Why is it, that here in America, we feel that our lives are about no more than that 9 to 5 job, and the next mortgage payment, and all else that we believe in and hope for, must be sacrificed, for those things? It seems to me, we are all becoming deeply demoralized, in our efforts to just pay the bills each day, with nothing else to live for. We should be demanding a better quality of life, than this. Such an "exodus" would also send a message to our government, that we are fed up, and will take our resources elsewhere, if things don't change, maybe for good. It is taxpayers money which pays for these war campaigns, which pays the inflated salaries of the politicians who make these things happen, why should we pay for what we do not agree with? One thing I am very concerned about, is the fact that the media is giving the impression that the average American citizen really supports all this, and I just simply do not believe this is true, there needs to be a way, that we can show, very publicly, that the media is wrong, we, the people, DO NOT support the war on, and sanctions against Iraq. We, the people, have more humanity in our hearts, than that, it is the politicians, who are doing this, not US. There needs to be a way that this fact can be displayed, in no uncertain terms, for all the world to see, and in such a way that our government can no longer deny it. Enough said. _______________________________________________ Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk