Visions of Chaos

I dreamed last night of an Iraq without Americans. It is not pretty. Shiites and Sunnis fighting openly, oil wells on fire, Iranian interference to the west, Turkish troops cascading across to prevent an independent Kurdistan. Innocent civilians falling in every hour of every day, victims of bombs and crossfire.

An Iraq with Americans is equally ugly. American troops fighting side by side with self-proclaimed nonsectarian Shiite troops against guerilla Sunnis, Kurds using the American presence to continue building their strength against the inevitable conflict with the Turks. Innocent civilians falling in every hour of every day, victims of bombs and crossfire, some of the ordinance fired by American guns.

When a dictator falls, stability falls with him. Marshall Tito kept Yugoslavia intact for a lifetime. As soon as he died, the Balkans erupted and the genocidal disasters of Serbia, Bosnia and surrounding areas mowed down hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians.

Children, women, men who would just as soon go to work in the morning, make good products and live peacefully are being ripped apart by bullets and shrapnel. We - you and I and our counterparts in relatively peaceful societies - seem to be completely unable to stop the carnage.

However, we do not have to take a role in it. We can march - like the thousands of people protesting the war throughout the nation yesterday. We can vote. We can elect representatives committed to feeding the world, fair and beneficial trade, and securing our own homeland. The only way to beat terrorists is to provide a more meaningful alternative. The only way to protect ourselves is to mind our own business.

National elections are held every two years. However, in our democratic republic, our ability to speak out and influence policy is sustained 24/7. Get up, speak up.