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Those who wish to take our country down a path of never-ending war, budget cuts for our most vulnerable and tax breaks and loopholes for our most wealthy are very adept at using our own media against us. Unfortunately, many in America are small-minded enough to only read headlines without actually reading the full story or searching out additional information. Such was the case with Vietnam... Iraq... and is becoming the case with Iran.
While we fight for the overall human rights of all people, we must never lose sight of the fact that we can be enchanted by the drums of war. There are things which can be done to stop miscarriages of justice that do not include military force. Words can be spoken, appeals can be made, governments can be isolated and UN sanctions (which do work, if given the chance) can be applied against countries which refuse to acknowledge basic human dignity and individual rights to liberty.
When faced with something as obscene as a death penalty for a rape victim, do not allow yourself to fall into the propaganda trap. Just because one person or one government entity upholds such 'law' we cannot automatically assume that every individual within that nation believes and upholds the same. (Just look at how many American oppose the Iraq war.) We rally against those who do not respect human life, but we cannot allow ourselves to stereotype.
As we denounce the violence of Christian fundamentalists... Muslim fundamentalists... neoconservatives... and all other groups, let us be the first to move away from the drums of war and seek out a peaceful route to change.
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