"Noise will not cease by noise but by silence alone"

I read Brad Warner's blog, Hardcore Zen. He also writes a column for Suicide Girls, which I read once in a while when it shows up in the comments for his blog. In his latest column he says, in the context of freedom via American military might:

"our ability to walk down the streets of Akron, Ohio in 1982 in our green Mohawks and leather jackets was largely underwritten by the threat of violence by the cops against the many rednecks in the area"

An amazing insight. I wish more "counter culture" types would understand it.

Likewise, American vegetarianism is enabled (in the Freudian sense) by a strong corporate economy.

I posted most of this post as a comment on Brad's blog. But I felt the need to put it here, too.

His column was in response to an article by Stephen Bachelor

I'm Buddhist, and I'm a Soldier. I joined out of Compassion for my fellow Americans. That's you guys, even the anonymous 9/11-Inside Job freak(s).

And for the Soldiers that will be coming home and driving down the road toward me for the next 50 years, and shopping for produce near me, etc.

Remember those guys. They need your love now, and later. Not your resentment, immature comments, or fear.

The war-crimes commited in Mahmudia made me sick. I wondered where those boys' leaders were. I decided I could do my little bit of "right effort" by doing my job well, not badly.

I didn't create this war, and I can't end it. But if I have to go over, I'll make sure MY guys are fighting for good, not evil, as much as I can.

Many Americans, left and right, are calling for the immediate removal of troops from Iraq, without any sense of history, or politics, or even common sense. Bush may have started a stupid war for stupid reasons, but now we're the cops-on-the-beat in Iraq. If we leave now, Shiites will still be shooting at Sunnis and also at other Shiites.

"Give peace a chance" doesn't mean jack shit for the jihadists stirring up ancient hatred in the desert. Or for the Iraqis afraid of the Iraqi National Police.

If we just up and leave, will your Compassionate heart weep for the dying Iraqis?