The Coming War
Last week, when Murray and I went out for coffee, he reminded me that I should soon consider expressing interest in being a "conscientious objecter" in the coming war.

As far as I know, being an objecter means you may abstain from the draft and therefore not take part in the war. It's not based on religious views, rather on philosophical or moral stance. Truth be told, I don't know that much about the technical aspects of the position, just that it allows opting out of any military-involved activity and that's what I want.

I refuse to take part in a war I don't believe in, or to let my friends and family be taken from me. While I realize that there is an active threat posed (moreso by Korea that Iraq, in my opinion), I don't think that combat is a reasonable option. So we know or suspect these countries of having illegal weapons... what do we want to do, force them to use them? I wonder if provocation is just what Bush is going for. *shakes head* It saddens and confuses me. But whatever the reason and whatever the cause, I refuse to take part in an activity that causes me to indirectly be responsible for the lives of innocent civilians. It seems a silly thing to protest, as every action I make in my daily life (including especially the purchases I make) affects the life and environment of such people but to be able to make one conscious choice not to harm others is enough for me. If war is neccesary, there are people to fight it. Let me not be one of them.

Murray has urged me, and interested friends, to write letters to confidantes and mentors stating our interests to become conscientious objecters. In the case there is a war, we'll have record of our dissent and a dated, copyrighted document with which to state our case. In other words, when the masses flock to flee battle, you'll have a spot in line guaranteed by the evidence that you were considering this beforehand. Think about it. What do you want?