Anti-War Rally Tomorrow

For the last two weeks, I've been mulling over writing about the anti-war rally in Greensboro tomorrow. On the one hand, I'm thrilled to see some major anti-war happenings locally; on the other hand, I don't agree with everything the organizers stand for or all of their methods. But sitting here, staring at the empty blogging screen, it occurs to me that at this point, my relatively minor disagreements pale in comparison to my very strong belief that this war has got to end.

Staying in Iraq, throwing more lives and more money into the mix, is not the magic remedy to finding an easy or peaceful way out. It's going to be ugly whether we leave now or leave 10 years from now. Yes, we broke it. Yes, it would be nice if we could then fix it - but this isn't a thrift-store vase - it's a country with a dramatically different culture than ours and three currently warring factions. The lives of our soldiers are not the glue that can piece it all back together.

Tomorrow, anti-war protesters will gather on the corner of E. Market and Dudley and parade to the Governmental Plaza on Greene Street for the rally that starts at noon. The Gathering of Eagles will apparently be staging their counter-protest on Greene.

Each side has a right to be there to make their views known - it is the beauty of America that we can disagree in the public sphere. But my fear is that people will forget that we share this democracy, that both sides are spoiling for a fight so intently that the important message, the anti-war focus, will be lost in inter-faction fighting.

Come out - join the debate. Be a part of democracy.