note to a friend in Europe

Hi Friend,

Thanks for the kind words. I agree that the current U.S. administration has done a lot of damage, but who they are and what they do are not un-American or inauthentic, they merely represent some of the worst we have to offer, rather than the best. They are not bad Americans, but rather they are mostly good Americans being misled by other good Americans who have their heads up their butts. These misleading Americans are operating in the dark, having failed to learn the lessons of history. Their world stinks. They are paranoid and desparate to hold on to their myths, regardless of the impact in the world. No blow is too low for them, no excess too great. The greed and hubris that have driven the ongoing insanity in Iraq are truly American, albeit wrong on so many levels. The greater tragedy here is that so many of our otherwise decent people have been drawn into the sphere of the necon imperialists and pseudo-religious evangelists.

In my case my political speech activity is more out of frustration and dismay than courage. I protest individually because I have a unique perspective and approach, not particularly compatible with others. I am not a committed pacifist, and would willingly take up arms if that seemed right to me. I am also a democratic capitalist, with specific and distinct libertarian, socialist and even communist sympathies, so I don’t line up well with any group in the political realm. On the street, I yell back when people yell at me for carrying the big sign, and I reject party affiliation, religion, or ethnicity as a primary premise for action. Between and among those stances, I alienate almost all of my war-protesting colleagues. (There are two similarly active people, Atia and Melissa, who seem to accept my approach and welcome me wherever they are. Even they, however, generally stay with the larger group while I have the other side of the street or the other corner to myself.)

Here in Cincinnati there are many thoughtful, perceptive people, who agree with those of us who take public stands against the war in Iraq, but there still seem to be many more people for whom thoughtfulness and perception and circumscribed by fear and short-sighted self interest.

We all do what we can. Perhaps tomorrow’s elections here will herald a better day.

Thanks again,
Ray
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From: Friend
Sent: Monday, November 06, 2006
To: Owens, Ray

I am truly moved by your courage to protest on an individual basis. In Europe, in the last few years, people are increasingly wondering what happened to the “good” American that we all used to know and love. Makes me soooo sad to see how much affection and good will for Americans and the US have been lost. Congratulations on having the courage to still be a “good” American!!

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