I'm trying to avoid posting about the war. In part, because I'm busy grading papers. In part, because debate is now irrelevant. The war has already began. At this point, the only option is victory. I hope it's swift and that few people are killed or injured.
You can still get the latest war news from Command Post. It's much better and more frequently updated than any of the big media - including TV. At least fifty-some bloggers around the world are posting news as they see/hear/read it from various sources.
I do, however, want to pass along this story of Iraqi refugees in the US. Here's another and another and another and another and another and another. Other reactions, of course, are more mixed.
I'm not sure why more of these stories weren't published or aired during the debate leading up to the war. The exclusion of Iraqi voices from the debate (from the left as well as the right) was distasteful. If we really cared about Iraq and its people, there are four million of them living outside Iraq (hundreds of thousands of them in the US alone). We could've asked some of them what they thought. Why didn't we?
Finally, a recent colum by Robert Manne is a nakedly honest attempt to wrestle w/ the question of humanitarian principles. He recognizes that good humanitarian arguments can be made for both sides on the war debate. And while I disagree w/ him, I appreciate the concern he takes to be intellectually honest w/ himself. It's a good read.
Posted by Miguel at 11:47 PM