Anti-Everything Protestors

To mark the anniversary of the invasion of Iraq the local chapter of Women in Black had intended to hold one of their silent vigils on the corner of the main intersection of town. Unfortunately, Global Warming didn't cooperate and the were forced to cancel when mother nature unceremoniously dropped 5 inches of snow on us today.

The question I have for WIB is, if as your mission statement clearly states:

We have seen that violence takes many forms, from the physical and psychological violence of war, to death and suffering from economic inequality, from neglect, from lack of medical care and degradation of the environment. The violence we mourn transcends any single political point of view. We mourn what happens to people because of racism, greed, and the denial of individual potential. We mourn domestic violence, intolerance and crime. We mourn war and terror. We share a particular concern for worldwide violence against women and children. And we share an understanding that there will never be peace on earth while there is political, social and economic acceptance of this violence against more than half the world’s population.

If you mourn the violence against women and have as you state a "shared perspective [that] seeks to invoke those qualities and values that cultures tend to label as 'feminine'," how can you in all honesty protest the war in Iraq when the military actions in there have elevated women into positions they could never have held in traditional Islamic countries?

In Iraq right now women comprise 25% of the Iraqi Parliament, which is the highest proportion in the Arab world and one of the largest percentages worldwide. Gulf Region Division water treatment projects have provided the capacity to serve an additional 2.2 million Iraqis with potable water. At the end of the program, the added capacity could serve approximately 5.2 million Iraqis with potable water. And, in 2006, educational opportunities improved for Iraqis with 838 of 849 schools completed. Each completed school serves approximately 400 students for a total of 335,200 students nationwide.

With all that the US Military and our allies, the Coalition Forces, are accomplishing why do you still seek to protest against the United States for promoting the health and welfare of your sisters in Iraq. Shouldn't you instead be pleased that a country has stood up to the medieval beliefs held towards women that are inculcated in Islamic culture? Never before have women in Islamic countries enjoyed such freedoms and you are asking them to throw it all away simply because you hate our country more than those that oppress your fellow sisters.

Is this the schizophrenic response we can expect from modern feminism? A group that should be applauding the actions of advancing freedom to women that have been oppressed for centuries one would think would gain the admiration of feminist movements around the world, and instead all we get is more denouncements and hatred.

One of your prime supporters and friend in protest Code Pink, actively seeks to continue the violence you mourn the world over by giving cash donations to the terrorist group Hamas, and you stand quietly by and accept their help in your misguided vigils. You mourn everything that occurs in the world and protest against those who say, “enough is enough” and take action to right the wrongs.

The feminist movement should be applauding the action taken in Iraq by the US and our Coalition Allies instead of supporting the very people who will respect you even less if they win. Perhaps if you were a little less anti-everything and a little more pro-freedom we might take you a little more seriously.