My address book is the first casualty of war

The Times (U.K.) ^ | 02/18/03 | Stephen Pollard

[Pokey78]

I am a warmonger. I am bloodthirsty. I am rabid. My friends want only peace and harmony, but I want to wreak destruction and killing. I want to see British soldiers doing the Texan moron’s dirty work for him.

Almost alone among my friends, I did not go on The March. My absence was not due to ambivalence, but because I considered the march to be contemptible. I think the marchers are not only wrong but dangerously, wilfully, shamefully wrong.

Since this is, literally, a matter of life and death, I have been prepared to tell them precisely why I think that they are so in error. Their response has been to tell me what they think of me.

In all my 38 years, I have never before felt such a sense of personal shock. I am shocked that so many of my friends would rather a brutal dictator remained in power — for that would be the direct consequence if their views won out — than support military action by the United States. I am ashamed that they would rather believe the words of President Saddam Hussein than those of their own Prime Minister. I am nauseated that they would rather give succour to evil than think through the implications of their gut feelings.

It is a shocking experience to realise that your friends are either mindless, deluded or malevolent.

I used to think that 9/11 was the most important day of my life. It was indeed a day which transformed the world; its influence will be felt for decades, if not centuries. But however foul the “America had it coming” refrain, that came mainly from the usual suspects. This is different. This time the words come from friends.

I have many friends with whom I disagree politically; it would be a small-minded person who could not say that. But this goes beyond mere politics. This is about fundamentals. And what makes it truly shocking is how many normal, apolitical, otherwise decent people are so deeply wrong, so stridently misguided.

I have tried to point out that saying you are in favour of “peace” is meaningless. Which sane person is not? The question is: peace on whose, and what, terms? If it is peace on the terms of brutal dictators, secured by allowing them to build up whatever weapons arsenals they wish, then that is not peace. It is suicide.

Aha, but it is the UN which should decide this, not the US. Tell them it has, through 17 resolutions, and they tell you that Iraq should not be singled out for action, or that we need to give the arms inspectors “more time” — as if 12 years were not enough. And what should we do when they have had more time? “You are just looking for an excuse for war.”

Most of my friends on The March could not place Iraq on a map, let alone describe the contents of Resolution 1441, which finds that “Iraq has been and remains in material breach of its obligations” and imposes a deadline “not later than 30 days from the date of this resolution” for Iraq to supply “a currently accurate, full, and complete declaration” — a date which fell on December 9. Tell them this, and they say that it’s critical to stick by the UN, without being able to grasp the contradiction.

How can I use the word “friend” to describe such people? It is not that they are wrong, but that our moral frameworks are so entirely different. They wallow in their sense of superiority, but what they wish to protest against, I thank God for. What they consider an affront, I salute. What they regard as a moral outrage, I regard as the only safe way to conduct world affairs. What they stand for, I feel sickened by.

This is not about Left versus Right. It is about freedom: those who are willing to protect it, and those who take it for granted.

The author is a senior fellow at the Centre for the New Europe.

[Pokey78]

I want to see British soldiers doing the Texan moron’s dirty work for him.

Take that out and it's OK.

[Rocko]

I think the writer was being ironic.

[M. Thatcher]

I want to see British soldiers doing the Texan moron’s dirty work for him.
Take that out and it's OK.

Leave it in. It's elegant sarcasm.

This is a truly wonderful essay. Every word of it.

[RichInOC]

I suspect that and the entire opening paragraph were samples of Mr. Pollard's "friends" telling him what they thought of him for opposing the march.

[sarasmom]

Got a source for that?

[Rocko]

Got a source for that?

My common sense, and that's enough. The posters that followed me (before you) realized it as well.

[Pokey78]

Ahh! Been a long day. I need my batteries recharged.

[ConservativeConvert]

"It is a shocking experience to realise that your friends are either mindless, deluded or malevolent."

This article really hit home for me because it describes exactly what I have experienced with several people in my life. Indeed, one of the closest personal friendhisps I have ever known became a casualty of the polarizing effect that 911 has had on our nation and the world. I realized that despite a 15 year friendship, our understanding of such basic moral tenets - such as the difference between right and wrong, good and bad - were fundamentally different and out of sync. Have any other FReepers had similar experiences? How did it affect you? I'd be interested to know.

[NovemberCharlie]

"I want to see British soldiers doing the Texan moron’s dirty work for him."

Take that out and it's OK.

I think he meant it in the sense of, "somebody's got to do it, and I'm proud that it can be us."

[Bahbah]

I agree that the writer is being ironic, particularyly in light of the tone and substance of the piece in its entirety. He no more thinks Bush is a moron than he thinks our position is wrongheaded.

[TrappedInLiberalHell]

I think he meant it in the sense of, "somebody's got to do it, and I'm proud that it can be us."

He was describing how his friends interpret his stance. Stick the words 'My friends think' in front of the sentence, and put quotation marks around "Texas Moron" and the meaning is obvious:

'My friends think I want to see British soldiers doing the "Texas moron"'s dirty work.'

[Bahbah]

"Have any other FReepers had similar experiences? How did it affect you? I'd be interested to know."

Since you asked, yes. My dearest friend in the world, whom I would stop and visit with frequently and spoke to every day on the phone, when Ronald Reagan once came on the TV during a visit, said "That man is evil." I was quite disturbed by that. Then came Bill Clinton. Long story short. My friend, who I dearly loved notwithstanding her knee jerk liberalism, didn't just drop me. She became unkind. It was devastating beyond words and has affected my dealings with people ever since.

[Gorzaloon]

I realized that despite a 15 year friendship, our understanding of such basic moral tenets - such as the difference between right and wrong, good and bad - were fundamentally different and out of sync. Have any other FReepers had similar experiences? How did it affect you? I'd be interested to know.

I fear it is quite a common thing. Over the years, "fun people" which may have been the original reason for being friends, begin to fade in priority as reality intrudes.

The new commonality may be revulsion and disgust as to the directions Society is going, etc., and friends who slowly arrive at the same basic conclusions retain that commonality, whereas other who drift leftwards can only do so until they consort with, and then become, the Enemy.

I myself have lost relatives over principle.

[Dark Wing]

This is an interesting flaming datum.

[ricpic]

I for one did not know that the deadline for Iraq to comply with Resolution 1441, and come up with "a currently accurate, full, and complete declaration" of it's potentially harmful chemical and biological inventory, was December 9th! We are now more than two months past that date. What's the holdup?!

[kimchi lover]

We have ABSOLUTELY lost friends because of our stance on this subject. My husband and I are both artists(try being a conservative artist!) and the VAST majority of our 'work friends' are liberal...I mean, REALLY liberal.
We get anti-Bush and anti-war emails on a daily basis. The latest really infuriating one advised us all the contact the UN delegates from Germany, France and Russia to tell them to not fold under U.S. pressure. I was in shock and I sent back a flaming email off to this sender. Hopefully this will stop him from sending us any more of this crap. I asked him if he was sleeping during Colin Powell's presentation to the UN...how could the information he shared with the world about Saddam NOT chill him to the core?
Well, we are a little lonelier than we used to be but we choose not to hang out with those who would rather believe Saddam than their own President. Most of them STILL can't get over the fact that Gore isn't the president so, it's an OLD grudge.

[P.O.E.]

Most people just read the local rag. The ones here in the 'States are usually pretty far left of center, and certainly not conservative. Newspapers and the network TV news give more information on "how to think" about the facts, than real info. We all know the usual news cliches.

So it's not surprising that a lot of people are deluded.

[ijcr]

France!