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While political systems can be a complex issue to explain, here’s a brief look at how the Kazakhstan political system is setup.

The President

Kazakhstan’s political system is a presidential republic. The Kazakhstan President is voted into office by election and is often considered a decorative head of state. With the exception of being commander in chief of the armed forces and having veto power, the president has very little political power over the country of Kazakhstan.

The Prime Minister

The prime minister is the head of the Kazakhstan’s government. The Prime Minister is responsible for running the political side of the country, presenting laws and bills to be passed, and to help ensure that the country is running smoothly.

Currently, one main prime minister oversees everything in regards to the government. There are also 16 deputy prime ministers who serve on a board known as the Cabinet of Ministers. The Cabinet of Ministers works with the Prime Minister to make executive government decisions.

The Parliament

Kazakhstan’s Parliament is a two-house structure known as bicameral. There is the lower house, or Majilis, and the upper house or the Senate. Between 107 to 110 people make up the Majilis, while only 47 make up the Senate. Members of the Majilis are voted into office by popular vote, while members of the Senate are appointed by administrative divisions or by the President himself.

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A war consists of individuals dividing on an idea and concerning themselves enough with it that they are willing to kill each other over it. That’s what war is. War is devastating. Every war ends with people feeling dishearented, sad, angry, and many dead. If war is really “good for nothing” as some have sung, why then do we continue to have them?

Wars are necessary. There are some wars that have to be fought. The Rhodesians fought the Bush War because ZANLA guerillas were killing civilians. The British fought World War II because they promised Poland they would stand up for them. The Mexicans fought the Revolution to overturn totalitarian rule in their country.  These wars each turn on individuals holding different ideas and caring enough about them to risk their lives.

Pacifism is not to be sneared at. Avoiding the death and destruction of human lives is worthy. General Eisenhowever was lambasted by the public when he refused to capture Berlin at the end of World War II. His decision however, was based on the estimated 100,000 casualties the victory would cost; too high for a empty prize, since Berlin was to be governed by all the Allies.

It is unwise to issue blanket statements that all wars are useless. While they can be trials for all involved, saddening for millions, some wars have to be fought. It is important, therefore to elect leaders who will make wise decisions: to avoid conflict whenever possible, and to not put off necessary fights.

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There have always been attempts by politicians, war historians, and lawyers to define war crime. During war, certain things are considered best avoided. Many religious scriptures also essay this doctrine. Of being fair in war and not committing crimes. To do what is required to protect something or someone. And being humane even in morbid conditions.

The Hague Conventions saw laws being developed for war situations. Quite amusing it can be said. When war itself is lawless, how could there be a law? But yes. War should have laws. A war becomes a necessity when the security of a nation is at stake. Although war itself is a crime, but when done in protection of self-interest, has a lesser criminal stature.

During war soldiers are commanded to certain things. When the situation gets more and more gory, laws are not adhered to. During a situation of life and death, rules are forgotten. Forget about laws. For no one knows if they will live to see another day.
A war crime can be different manifestations. So many cases of rape of woman have been reported. When soldiers attack another region, people in that region become refugees and helpless. Nobody knows if they are alive or not, and nobody cares. In such situations, soldiers can become hostile to them, and engage in criminal behavior.

Some of the criminal behaviors are theft, unlawful confinement and torture, rape, willful deprivation of prisoners with basic needs, unlawful conduct towards prisoners or suspects, and so on. Soldiers are not supposed to invade homes on suspicion, unless such orders are passed by the higher authorities and sanctioned by the concerned people.

No matter where you stand, however, the fact remains that our service personnel need support. Many of them are returning from Iraq and other places—some with injuries you can see; others with injuries that aren’t so evident. Some may be having trouble getting the proper treatment for these injuries, while others may know about treatment options but may not know how to go about taking advantage of them.

This is where you can come in. You can help returning veterans take advantage of the programs offered by various government administrations. austinagainstwar.org can provide information on these and how to get in touch with them.

If you do help someone find the treatment needed and you can, take it one step further. Offer to help that person get to and from the treatment site. If you can’t do that, ask if you can help with family situations such as child care or meal preparation so that a family member can be free to provide the transportation and support.

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They are currently distinct blocks of the United States, the European Union and the ASEAN countries. They are all attempting to maintain peace and prevent war of massive proportions from rising. The need for regulatory bodies such as the UNO is needed, but the fact remains that, with the various thought processes of the governments it is sometimes hard to pull back nations from being on the brink of constant war.

As far as war for peace goes, several nations across the world – and it still happens in fits and starts – needed to break away from the bondage of colonization and ended up waging a bloody war to get freedom. There has not been a bloodless war for freedom anywhere in the world until today. It has happened in China, Indian, South Africa and so many countries under able leaderships. Such war is what has made the world take notice of the nation in question and make it a force to reckon with worldwide.

You can’t really separate war from peace. Some circumstances necessarily advocate the medium of war in order to reach a peaceful future. However, there have been times when governments and unscrupulous agents have used war for peace as a covert means of achieving other things.

The first thing all nations do is indulge in diplomacy. This is where two nations negotiate and try and arrive at a compromise. Though there are a few government administrations in the world that do not believe in diplomacy, this is largely the first step taken by most nations. The next step is to put a practical foreign policy in place. This should be based on mutual understanding and not threats and sanctions. It should uphold a nation’s values without undermining the values of others.

An effort has to be made to understand the cultural complexities of a nation. There are times that a misunderstanding of how the nation functions is attributed as being hostile. Such understanding will help make diplomacy and negotiations a bit simpler.

Government administrations should also consider lowering the budget given to military development. This will allow for better development of the nation. Developing military capacities to necessary levels is fine, beyond which the maintenance cannot be justified. Preemptive strikes should not be considered at all, especially if you are going up against a stronger nation. This will look like more of an offensive move than a defensive one and can get you in some serious trouble. Make sure that an effort to explore every possible option is made before war is even remotely considered as an option.

Having a member of one’s family leave home for battle is the equivalent of having a family member go out into the great unknown. Going about daily life knowing that someday there may be a knock on the door bringing in bad news is difficult. With children and elders at home, handling such delicate situations can be extremely difficult. Children ask questions on the whereabouts of a parent, the elders jump at the sound of the phone or the doorbell. Through it all, the strong one in the family has to maintain a façade of calm that can be nerve-wracking at times. In most cases, it has to be understood that such mental angst comes from supporting the soldiers and not necessarily the war they are fighting.

Families also undergo stress when their loved ones come back home. Whether they come home with an injury or not, there is mental trauma. Many soldiers come back with post-traumatic stress disorder. Dealing with such soldiers and maintaining the peace in the family can be quite difficult. If a soldier comes home with an injury, permanent or otherwise, it takes a massive toll on the family that is trying to look after him the best they can. They have to deal with tempers, emotions and pain while all time maintaining a calm face in front of family and friends.

The most common aftermath of war is posttraumatic stress disorder. This refers to some extreme situations that soldiers may have faced, which are often beyond the scope of human nature. The experiences remain suppressed in them and can take a toll on their mental and physical health. The extent of PTSD as well as the severity of its manifestations varies with each soldier and their emotional capacity. For some it may just be about going into depression. For others, there could be triggers that lead into panic attacks or hyperventilation. In some extreme cases, hallucinations and the thought of being transported back to the field come into play.

This disorder has to be diagnosed and treated in the early stages itself. It can reach the stage of preventing the soldier from trying to lead a normal life. There have been cases of suicide attempts. While for the soldiers of yesteryear, advanced medical and psychological help was not available; today, science has advanced to a great extent. A soldier can now sign up for several forms of treatment as well as become a member of a veteran’s organization and get counseling. There is Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure therapy, medication that includes anti-depressants and the like that a soldier can use. Of course, these have to be undertaken with strict medical and family supervision.

With the advent of technology, reporting, war has now reached epic soap opera type proportions. Bombings, air raids and street fights can literally be viewed in real time. Of course, we do have reporters telling us what it is like on the field, but the scope of wrong information coming to the people too has highly increased. Rumor mills run fast with stories about the persecution of women and children, ripping apart of innocent civilians and the like. Such stories often come from propaganda mills that try to tilt the war in various ways.

However, with such rumor mongering, an alternate source of possibly accurate information is from citizen journalists who, through their videos and photos captured live and on the scene, often tell a story that has not been told. This has brought to light several battles, which would have otherwise gone unnoticed. It has also laid to rest rumors that had been doing rounds. Those who indulged in wrongful acts in the name of the war have been brought to task.

Reporting news in this day and age of technology and information overdrive is not easy. Getting the real story out is also difficult since many news channels owe allegiance to different political factions of belief groups. All of this plays a role in what is finally conveyed to the people and how it portrays an ongoing war. In this respect the phrase, “nothing is ever what it seems” could never be truer.

Society as we know it is destroyed and it often becomes the survival of the fittest. Social relations go down the drain especially when there is a dearth of food and basic amenities. We have seen countless images of people fighting over emergency relief service vans and the food they offer. The economy of the country takes a beating as well since the nation will have nothing with which to do business with. If no income is generated for the nation, the country will stop being able to progress.

The nation then becomes dependent on foreign aid, which often comes without any riders. The war torn nation can also become indebted to foreign nations and this can put the country at a disadvantage when it comes to international discussions and debates.

War is a terrible thing for the people themselves. Lives are lost and disrupted. Emotions are raw and often the life of peace that seems to be on offer with the end of the war seems meaningless. More often than not people do not agree with the reasons behind the war, there are uprisings against the government in protest, and this can prove dangerous to the governance as well as the future of a country. War has to be the very last thing a nation resorts to for the sake of its people and its own existence.

Whether we fully support the war or not, it would seem that every American citizen would like to make a difference and contribute to the overall well-being of our world community. Generally most desire to make a real difference for change—a change for the better.

We may feel insignificant or feel that we are only one person, but we can make a difference and let our voices be heard.

The first place to start is at home. It may not be possible to directly influence or turn the opinions of the national government administration, but we can influence the rising generation. Parents can take time to properly educate their children about the war, whether it is through a simple discussion or actually watching the news together to learn more about the war. Children should be given age-appropriate information concerning our country’s current affairs. Since they will be the voters of tomorrow and the ones to have a real say on the future of our country, parents must educate and teach them the best they know how.

Next, citizens can make their voices heard in their communities. Write an editorial in the local newspaper or add your opinion on Facebook or other websites. Be gracious in your comments while still getting your point across. If you are too insulting, people may not take you seriously.

Lastly, if you do want Washington to know how you feel, give your state representatives a call. Let them know how you feel and what you expect of them. Although this may seem insignificant, they do take account of their phone calls. Also consider writing letters to them along with others to collectively share your views.

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There are many varying views on the war since its origin. While the events of 9/11 in 2001 connected deeply and resonated in the hearts of Americans, the war in Afghanistan may seem farther away for those who do not have a loved one serving in the military.

It is easy to jump to conclusions or feel confused from the differing reports concerning the war. Some reports don’t seem to match up, and one starts to wonder what is truth and what is merely rumor.

Obviously the government administration has the final and last say concerning the war and all that it entails. It is essential for Americans though to form proper opinions and gain what knowledge they can about the real circumstances of the war.

First off, if you want to have a better understanding of the war and its impact on America, Afghanistan and the rest of the world, it is crucial to know a little of this country’s history. Take out a map, do a little research on line, check out a book from the library. This way when names, dates, and places pop up on the latest news press, you’ll be able to fully comprehend what the news means.

Next keep an open mind to various views. Americans, like all people, take for granted their surroundings and every-day life things. It is easy to take for granted that other places are the same or at least similar. The truth is that various geographical regions, differing cultures and customs, and daily lifestyles hugely contrast, almost to the point of incomprehension. As Americans are used to relative peace, freedom, and safety, it may be difficult to image life in a country that is not peaceful, where rights are not guarantee, and where citizens fear for their lives at times.

Take time to educate yourself before drawing strong conclusions about the war.

If you are like many Americans, you are concerned about our country’s well-being. You wonder about the well-fare of our soldiers serving abroad in the war, and have questions about war efforts which are trying to achieve peace. You may question military strategies or government administration policies about our presence in the Middle East.

As a concerned and active citizen, it is very easy to get caught up in the emotion of it all. This is what the news and media intend. Media thrives on readers. Often news press releases and news articles are not written to just convey facts or information. This would be too dry for some and they would lose interest quickly.

This would be a disaster for the media industry. Although it is their job to keep the public informed, they must employ methods that will attract readers to come back again and again.

Getting the public riled up about issues keeps them hungering for more news. Have you ever noticed that there are hardly ever conclusive articles declaring a complete happy ending? That type of article would be too final and really take the reader no where. The media wants us to join the band wagon, to have fiery opinions, and generally keep us interested.

Originally the news was subsidized by government funds. When times changed though, this funding was withdrawn, and the news had to rely on its own means to stay in business.

So before ranting and raving about the latest news, read various articles. Get a second opinion to decipher what is fact and what is put in to raise your emotions. You can then get the needed information without falling in to the media trap.

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The war in Afghanistan is on the brink of being a ten-year-long venture. When considering all that has been involved and the grueling day-to-day long activity, the war seems to have gone on a lot longer.

Such warfare has required the time and effort, even the very lives of some of America’s best men and women. Although there are different opinions regarding the war effort and its validity. It can not be denied that those serving our country deserve our heart-felt support and gratitude. They have served well and done the best they can to create peace and stability in a nation with a very rocky history that has been less than democratic or peaceful.

Tackling this kind of challenge has required the very finest of leaders that Washington could produce. Currently, the position of commander of the coalition forces in Afghanistan has been held by the four-star General David Petraeus. Many Americans applaud this great leader’s resume and exemplary qualities. He has credible work experience having worked under two Presidents of the United States in two different wars. He is praised for his work in the Iraqi War when he took command in 2007. Gen. Petraeus is also known for his intelligence and excellent ability to work with others. His public relation skills have been much needed in a country where negotiating and team work have been a challenge.

Although he only took up his current position in June 2010 to replace a former General who was let go for misconduct, General Petraeus is expected to close out his tour sometime in 2011. It is assumed that the administration will allow his release only after the American troops start to withdraw in July of 2011.

Some wonder what will happen since General David Petraeus is not the only top-level official to be nearing the end of his tour. The American Ambassador to Afghanistan will also be expected to leave soon as well as several others who hold high positions.

These leaders will greatly be appreciated for their hard work and contributions to the war.

As they return home from service, many find the transition extremely difficult. Whereas they have been surrounded by battle and weapons, constantly living in survival mode, they must learn to deal with daily life in everyday America.

With all the factors involved, such as health issues, injuries, lack of job training or opportunities, many veterans get stuck in limbo or worse find themselves living on the streets.

Many feel this is an injustice and that there needs to be more done to to help our Veterans comfortably transition to daily life.

In 2011, administration groups as well as financial providers recognize the need for providing affordable, quality housing for Veterans. An example of this is the Huntington Bank along with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs are working together to financially provide rental housing for Veterans in five Ohio and Michigan cities(Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit, and Northern Michigan). The Huntington Bank is grateful to have received a 3 million dollar grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati to help fund the construction project. The United States Department of Veterans Affairs will also be contributing a large sum of money to make up the majority of the difference for the 11 million dollar project.

This effort is not only well meant, but will greatly help the Veterans who need that extra boost in the transition process. As Veterans take advantage of this rental housing, they will have to worry less about finding shelter and can focus more on employment, family, and continuing to contribute meaningfully to society.

On Monday, February 14, 2011, about 200 such peaceful protesters gathered in Tahrir Square in Baghdad Iraq to demonstrate their hope for change in a Valentine’s Day protest. This square is a small plaza located next to a traffic circle. Soldiers and policemen were present in case violence broke out. But there was no need. In the place of guns and homemade bombs, the protesters peacefully waved red balloons and silk roses in the air. Their cries were of love for Iraq and the necessity of economical change.

It is reported that the demonstrators’ goal was not violence or to overthrow the government administration. Instead, they admitted they could live with the current government, but they want employment, more consistent electricity, cleaner streets and better security.

It is reported that one out of every five Iraqis is unemployed. They only get electricity a few hours a day. There call is for the government to truly mean the necessities of the people.

At the same time some speculate trouble since the majority of the unemployment is among the youth. With the current news of violence in surrounding countries, many wonder if the youth of Iraq may follow suit. They often vent their feelings on Facebook and have organized Facebook groups with names such as “Blue Revolution” and “Streets of Baghdad for Change.” As the newly established government takes full reigns and listens to these chants for better jobs and electricity, change can be peacefully brought about.

These protesters stance is a symbol that people can express their feelings in non-violent ways and still gain the attention of the press. While some may feel that the only means of turning a tide is through weapons or damaging actions, there are many that do believe that peaceful organization can help change the world and overcome the need for war.

The Reasons For A Prosthesis

The reason for using a prosthesis is usually as a result of two main circumstances. If you lost a leg while you were away fighting, then you could obtain a prothesis. A person who was born without a hand would also be able to obtain a prosthesis. Thus, these are the two main reasons that someone would lose a limb and need a prosthesis. Other situations might include cancer or a car accident. Overall it is mainly a circumstance that results in a limb or digit being lost and the person can be limited in what they are able to do. It is great that we now live in an era in which these devices are available.

Selecting A Prothesis

The cause for disability might have a limited effect on being able to receive a prothesis. In some instances it is the condition of the rest of the limb that the doctor could be concerned about. During the process the doctor will assess you to see if you are good candidate for a replacement. Therefore, if you are a good candidate, the replacement that you obtain, will be carefully constructed to match your skin color to appear natural.

These benefits can be a variety of services such as medical care, education or even a pension. Within the United States, the benefit system for veterans is administered by the federal body known as the United States Department of Veteran Affairs. This is the federal body that all veterans must make an application with in other to receive any veteran benefits. The situation or process is not difficult as long as you have the necessary documentation.

The Department of Veteran Affairs will only issue benefits to those veterans that were actively serving. Thus you would need to prove that you actively served within the military. Someone serving in the Navy will qualify also. Proof that the person did serve within the last five years is one of the main requirements to qualify for benefits for the government.

A veteran should also be able to show that they finished their active service. This could be as a result of the period of service ending, or the person being discharged. Normally we think of someone being discharged for medical reasons, but it is also possible to be discharged for family reasons that they need to resolve.

To qualify for benefits, the veteran would just need to show why they are no longer serving within the military. After getting the necessary proof, it is just a matter of going to the local veteran’s office, applying online or giving them the office a call to place in your application. You will just need to answer the appropriate questions to see if you qualify.

Casualties

Definitely within a war the number of casualties are unbelievable. The longer the war persists, the worse the number of casualties. The awful part of this situation is that the people killed or injured are usually those who have no idea why their is a war going on. In the country the war is against, the bombs might injure or kill the wives, mothers, and children that the men left behind to fight in the war. These are the people who are greatly affected as they are to poor to leave the area. Not only are the civilians injured but also the soldiers who have left or drafted to fight in the war.

Disruption To Family Life

Another reason in which there is no real winner in a war is the disruption it does to the life of a family. With the father or brother away, the women in the country must earn a living and provide for their children. It could take years before the male returns to the household, and this is if he ever returns. Therefore, there are some countries in which there are villages of only women.

Disruption To The Economy

A third reason no really wins a war is the way it affects the economy of both nations. In the end it is such a drain on the country’s financial resources.

Bake or Cook Them Something

One way to start by appreciating a veteran who has fought in a war for us is to cook them a meal. If you are not able to cook, you might try baking them a cake or a pie. It doesn’t really matter what you prepare, but what matters is that you extend the gesture to show them that you care, value, and appreciate what they did.

Provision and Care

If the reason the veteran has returned because they have been injured or disabled, this is a perfect opportunity to show you care. This might mean helping provide for them financially or caring for them emotionally. They might need people to visit them in hospital and to show that they have not been forgotten. Even needs to know that someone cares. In the beginning, they might be sad about being injured or disabled and you extending love might help them during this time.

Help Them With Employment

Veterans who have returned from fighting will need to be integrated back into society. They would have been hard-working individuals with skills before they left and are now looking to earn money again. Therefore, if you can or know any who is able to employ a veteran, this can help tremendously with their integration. Don’t be hesitant to help in this way!

Volunteering abroad is one way to extend the hand of peace and friendship to another country. This is a great way to invest into another country’s future. Another benefit of volunteering abroad is the ability to learn more about the language, culture, and beliefs of another country. You cannot truly know someone from another culture until you have interacted with them on a daily basis. This is an adventure in itself. You will be able to see all of the areas that your country has in common with another country, as well as the differences.

This is a great way to bring people from different cultures together for a common goal of trying to improve a nation. If you are seriously considering volunteering abroad, there are quite a number of volunteer organizations that might be of help. They can send you more information about the various countries and programs available for you to volunteer with. If you already know the country you would like to go to or the type of volunteer work you would like to do, this is even better.

Each program will be different so it is just a matter of contacting the local office in your country to get the application process started. They will be able to educate you on what is needed and what funds should you have available. Some of these programs even provide a small stipend.

Thus it is possible to have PTSD after experiencing a war or on return as a veteran. How PTSD Affects When looking at how this affects someone, it is possible to see that PTSD is categorized by certain symptoms and signs. A doctor will need the details of the the traumatic event that happened to you. For a few people who have gone through this trauma, they can develop various signs and symptoms of PTSD that show mental, physiological or social changes. When people have PTSD they might state that they have nightmares constantly.

This can result in them being afraid to close their eyes at night. They can relive the traumatic event that they experienced. A person can have some form of anxiety that makes them refuse to even want to watch the news about any fighting or wards. In some cases, the sound of a car “back-firing” or a sudden pop of a balloon can trigger the memory of gunfire during the war.

This can lead to someone becoming withdrawn, sad, and feeling very low. At other times they feel nervous and uneasy. They can be quiet tired if they experience nightmares that keep them awake at night. The person might even feel nauseous. Keep in mind that this does not take minutes for PTSD to develop. In some people, it might show up after a few years. If you have a loved one like this, encourage them to get help.

• World War II. Dozens of nations involved. 1939-1945. Cost up to an estimated 72,000,000 lives.
• An Shi Rebellion. Within China. 755-763. Cost an estimated 36,000,000 lives.
• The conquest of the Ming dynasty by the Qing dynasty in China. 1616-1662. Cost an estimated 25,000,000 lives.
• Taiping Rebellion. Within China. 1851-1864. Cost an estimated 20,000,000 lives.
• World War I. Dozens of nations involved. 1914-1918. Cost an estimated 20,000,000 lives.
• The Second Sino-Japanese War. China with foreign support against Japan. 1937-1945. Cost an estimated 20,000,000 lives.
• The Thirty Years’ War. Various European nations against the Holy Roman Empire and allies. 1618-1648. Cost up to an estimated 11,500,000 lives.
• The Russian Civil War. 1917-1921. Cost up to an estimated 9,000,000 lives.
• Chinese Civil War. People’s Republic of China against Communist Party of China. 1928-1949. Cost up to an estimated 6,100,000 lives.
• Napoleonic Wars. Over two dozen nations involved. 1804-1815. Cost up to an estimated 6,000,000 lives.
• Vietnam War. North Vietnam and allies against South Vietnam and allies. 1945-1975. Cost up to an estimated 3,800,000 lives.
• Korean War. United Nations against North Korea and allies. 1950-1953. Cost up to an estimated 3,500,000 lives.
• Afghan Civil War. Within Afghanistan. 1979 – Present. Cost up to an estimated 2,500,000 lives, so far.

In just the above listed wars, up to over 230,000,000 lives were lost. Many of these lives were not soldiers. The civilian lives lost during World War II alone were almost 50,000,000. These numbers are staggering. So much so that the human mind can’t really wrap around them. These are the costs of war.

You can help by supporting our troops. Supporting the troops is not supporting the war. It’s encouraging the individuals who have been and are being affected by war and telling them that they are not forgotten and that the anti-war protests back home are not directed at them.

Support the troops’ families. Whether the family has lost someone or not, there is an absence in their life. A child, spouse, or parent is gone. In the case of a young family, it’s often the primary breadwinner that is gone. The family back home could use some help.

There are a number of charities and organizations dedicated to helping military families. One of them is No Greater Sacrifice (nogreatersacrifice.org). NGS was “created to help educate the children of those in the armed forces who have been permanently wounded or have fallen in the line of duty.” NGS puts together events to raise funds for support programs and provides scholarships to family members. Other organizations like Operation Homefront (operationhomefront.net) and Scholarships for Military Children (militaryscholar.org) also work to help military families.

Of course, it doesn’t take just money to help. You can volunteer. You can lend an ear and provide emotional support. You can provide meals, baby-sit, or adopt a military family.

Military families need our support. Helping the families is not approving of the war. They are under the stress of a temporary or permanent loss in their home and could use someone or something to help get through that.

Treating PTSD should be done carefully. Some sufferers attempt to self-treat with a number of self-destructive behaviors. Some suffers may try to alleviate the psychological problems with alcohol or narcotics. Some also try to cope by retreating from the world and isolating themselves socially. Anger may be used to push the world away.

There are a number of healthy ways to cope with PTSD. Many of them include some sort of social interaction. Joining a PTSD support group can help suffers with their own problems by sharing and listening to other suffers talk about many of the same things that they may be experiencing. Members of such a group can rely on and lean on each other for support. Maintaining personal relationships with friends and family or speaking with a counselor can also help.

In addition to social coping practices, there are a number of personal practices. Those individuals with PTSD can educate themselves out it and learn relaxation exercises. They can also do things to distract themselves from certain thoughts and feelings by reading, watching non-threatening movies or television, and exercising. Spirituality has been shown to help people with PTSD.

As PTSD can alter brain biochemistry, medication can be beneficial. There are a wide variety of medications designed to combat the symptoms of PTSD like anger, flashbacks, nightmares, irritability, social anxiety, exaggerated startle response, etc.

PTSD can be dangerous. Its effects on people, their lives, their friends, family, and jobs can be complex and stressful. Treating PTSD should be done with care. Suffers should not think that there is no help out there for them or that they are alone. The help is there and waiting.

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Negotiation and deterrence: two of the more often used methods for avoiding war. Both have seen success and failure throughout history. Let’s take a look at both negotiation and deterrence and evaluate their pros and cons.

Deterrence

A deterrent is something that prevents someone from doing something. In terms of keeping the peace, deterrence generally means having a bigger stick than the other guy. Hoping that, upon viewing your position of strength and ability to defend yourself, the other guy won’t want to attack.

• Pros. The nuclear bomb kept the peace, on a large scale, for decades. The Cold War was a nuclear stalemate between the United States and the Soviet Union. The threat of nuclear retaliation and mutually assured destruction kept the two superpowers in a nervous relative peace for over thirty years. Military buildups can also make the other guy think twice about attacking.
• Cons. Deterrence makes assumptions about an opponent. It assumes that the other side is well enough informed about your own strengths to want to avoid a fight. It further assumes that the other guy is as interested in keeping the peace as you when, in fact, he may not be and your own strength is irrelevant.

Negotiation

Negotiation is discussing something to come to an agreement. It’s an attempt to resolve a contentious issue through discourse, not armed conflict.

• Pros. When conflict is avoided by (or limited to) words, the various ravages of war like lost lives and economic stresses are also avoided.
• Cons. Like deterrence, negotiation can make assumptions of an opponent. One side may use negotiation simply to delay a war until they can strike. In WWII, Japan and America were engaged in talks right before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Negotiation can also become unending capitulation as one side takes advantage of the other’s desire for peace.

Negotiation and deterrence have historically been used to avoid fighting, but, unfortunately, neither is perfect.

Image by The U.S. National Archives via Flickr

Ideally, there would be no war. Ideally, rational discussion and give-and-take negotiations would prevent any armed conflict. Unfortunately, we do not live in an ideal world. We live in a world where disagreements over any number of things can often degenerate into open conflict. But under what circumstances, might war even be considered an option?

Could a war against oppression be a justifiable war? The American Revolution could be a sort of war against oppression. In the late eighteenth century, the young United States was bucking against the oppressive English government – a government in which they had no representation that held complete sway over them. Petitions for changes weren’t working and it eventually took the Declaration of Independence and a war to throw off the English rule.

Is war an option if it is retaliatory? If it is meant to prevent what happened from happening again?  In 1941 America declared war on Japan following a devastating attack on Pearl Harbor. Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001 was, at least initially, America responding in retaliation to an attack by extremists.

Can war be an option if it is in self-defense? During WWII, France, other European nations and England fought a Germany that had already violently attacked its neighbors and looked to continue expanding. Choosing not to fight in self-defense could have been choosing total defeat.

Is war an option if it involves coming to someone else’s aid? In WWII, Germany never attacked America, but America entered the war and helped defend European allies and England against probable defeat.

War should never be a means of forcing a way of life on someone or punishing them for not sharing a way of life. When negotiations fail, when pleas fall on deaf ears, when capitulating becomes only temporary appeasement, and when an unchecked force would cost lives…only then can war, as bad as it is, even be considered an option.

The biochemistry of the brain has often been altered in those suffering from PTSD. The traumatic event may cause an overproduction of adrenaline that can change how a person responds to fearful situations in the future. The hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and amygdala are three areas of the brain that can be altered in PTSD. These changes can affect memory, emotional responses to stimuli, and even personality. A few of the other psychological or emotional effects can include flashbacks, nightmares, aggression, irritability, and intense distress when reminded of the traumatizing event.

One of the earliest reports of possible PTSD is described by Herodotus, a Greek historian, around 500 BC. He describes an uninjured soldier who goes blind after witnessing the death of another soldier. In more recent history, what is now believed to have been PTSD was then called battle fatigue or exhaustion, shell shock, or the thousand-yard stare – a detached, unfocused facial expression following a traumatic event.

Advances in the fields of neuroscience, psychology, and others allow a more detailed understanding of posttraumatic stress disorder and how to treat it. Therapy or counseling and medication are popular treatments. Biochemical changes in the brain are best treated with medications, but counseling or therapy can also be helpful for those attempting to return to a normal life after the traumatic experience.

One way or the other, by having a child you’ve committed yourself for several years to a full schedule and very little free time to do that which you are used to doing. And sometimes, it can seem as if society cuts you little slack. While you’re trying to make ends meet and even save up a few dollars to move into a larger place, everyone thinks you’re not pulling weight as an equal parent. The only way around this obstacle is to be clear to everyone that you do your own share to ensure the raising of your baby is split as equally as possible between you and your partner. And that means a lot more than just earning a living working at a place such as Seattle Property Management.

It also means coming home early when afforded the opportunity. It means doing the dishes if your partner has put time and effort into making a meal. Your obligations during the crucial ‘baby years’ don’t even begin to end there, either. They involve doing everything in your power to pull your weight and make things easier for everyone under the roof. That means it’s up to you to think of others long before yourself.

If you have kept up with the news, it is a fact that soldiers are dying daily due to the war in Iraq. You might believe that soldiers are meant to be tough. It surely is a shocker to learn that the number of soldiers who are dying in the war is on the rise. Regardless, the chance for the soldiers to die in a war is 100 percent higher than the civilians. The truth is that the war has not really been solving any problems at all. Remember the lyrics of the song, “War”, by Ugly Rumors? “War, what is it good for? Absolutely Nothing …” completely describes the situation.

Although all the damages and losses from the war in Iraq have brought to everyone’s attention, the situation does not stop or ban the military branches from playing their recruiting advertisements on television. As a result, plenty of soldiers who are newly recruited can look forward to get killed in Iraq very soon. No wonder organization like the United for Peace and Justice exists in order to spread out the anti-war message to everyone. The UFPJ holds different kinds of events to promote peace such as: protests, educational events, vigil, legislative action, etc. all over the world.

You might get an impression that most of the veterans are in a much better position than the soldiers in Iraq. No one can deny that the veterans are totally done and over with the war. However, many of them are suffering from PTSD. It is a non-curable mental disorder which can last for months, or maybe for years to come. Besides having PTSD, what happen to those veterans who have prosthesis due to severe injury? They will have a much harder time getting over with PTSD when looking at their prosthesis.

Hopefully, the soldiers will return, veterans of a war. This can be a very difficult time for both the soldier and his family. There are many organizations to help with this difficult time. There are Veterans’ hospitals all across the country to deal with physical injuries, which can range from not so serious, to loss of limbs, which require many surgeries and possibly prosthetic limbs. Another casualty of war can be the PTSD, or post traumatic stress disorder. Many of our brave have to relive the horror of seeing innocent people killed or the feeling of being threatened on a daily basis, in their minds. This disability requires ongoing psychiatric care and, wtih time and patience, hopefully a way back to their “life before war.”

Obviously peace is the answer, but until then at least we have organizations and efforts to help our soldiers cope with their experience.

It’s hard on children to know that mom or dad won’t be around for several months. It’s hard on spouses to go without the daily support of their husbands or wives. Of course there is also the inevitable worry about whether their family member will return home safely. Luckily, the vast majority of deployed service members do return safely, but that doesn’

t keep their family from worrying while they’re away.

We all want a peaceful world, and we can work towards the goal of a world without war, but the reality is that our military families need our support regardless of how we feel about war.

There are simple ways to show your support, such as merely saying paying for the meal of or saying thanks to a soldier in uniform. These are two simple actions and ones that will surely be appreciated.

However, soldiers aren’t the only ones sacrificing for our country and their families need help, as well. There are organizations you can donate to that help military families. For example, the Air Force Aid Society, a non-profit organization and the official charity of the U.S. Air Force, helps military families financially if help is needed.

The American Red Cross is another charitable organization that provides assistance to military families. They provide assistance to veterans, relay emergency information to military members anywhere in the world, and help in many other ways.

As we work towards a peaceful world, we sometimes need to provide help to the people who need it most, and many times those people can be found in our own neighborhood. Military families need the support of their country and it is a certainty that any help will be appreciated.

There are numerous different ways that you can get involved in order to see progression in this world, all it takes is just a little bit of commitment and a little spare time. There are even plenty of things you can do from the comfort of your own home that can help us get one step closer to the peace most of us crave. For example, consider signing online petitions that you stand for! This is a very easy way to get involved without having to commit to much time or energy when you simply don’t have it.

On the other hand, if you are looking for more ways to get involved then you have many different options. Fundraising, passing out flyers, meeting with other like-minded individuals, wearing homemade shirts that spread your message, and teaching your children the importance of peace in the world are all basic yet effective ways to really make a difference. Joining clubs or groups that are dedicated to efforts on peace can yield you numerous other ideas as well. As long as you remember that every little effort you make adds up to something that is spectacular and powerful.

Anger and violence, especially during a protest leads to more negative attention than positive. Often with a violent or unruly protest the actual meaning behind the demonstration gets left behind and what everyone leaves with is the actions of the participants. When protesting any kind of action, the best and most effective way to do so is through a peaceful demonstration. You will get your point across and everything will be kept in order. We have learnt from history that peaceful demonstrations eventually will bring about successful change. What is more is that the public will actually remember why the protest is taking place and will take an interest in the cause.

Whether the protest is to show your feelings for the war at hand or to show your dismay at rising costs, you and your team will make more of a difference with a peaceful protest. After all the aim of a protest is to bring about change and not harm anyone in its path. With violent protests, often it turns into a blood bath with arrests and other social problems. With a peaceful protest, you will notice that things will run a lot smoother and you will actually have a larger crowd. You are not there to discriminate anyone, nor are you there to hurt anyone and as an organizer, you will receive credit and better coverage of the demonstration you have organized. Also with a larger crowd, your agenda is taken a lot more seriously and your voice is heard.

So next time you organize a protest, make it a peaceful one. Think of the benefits and the increased awareness. In the current global situation, it is more effective to have a peaceful protest to express your views. Think before you act as your action can speak volumes.

The first thing you can do is write to the people in charge. You elected your current senator. Let them know how this war affects you and your family. Let them know that in no uncertain terms that if they vote for bills and amendments to other bills that will result in troops spending further time overseas in a war that they will deal with you starting an effort to get them out of office. These aren’t kind words but they are the only words worth getting your senators attention.

You might feel like it’s high time you started your own charity to help out the troops but you’d be better off hooking yourself up with an organization with an established history and solid standing in the community. You are going to need their already established connections to make things happen.

That doesn’t mean you can only be a quiet participant. The truth of the matter is that you can be far more than that. All you have to do is step up your efforts by volunteering for everything you can. Now, once you have explored these avenues you will find yourself feeling good about the hopes of bringing the troops home safe and sound.

You Don’t Support the Troops

This is a viewpoint that will really affect you to your core. No one wants to be considered someone who is not in favor of the troops. You have to stand firm on the fact that you have never been against the troops. Try telling those opposition that you do, in fact, care about the troops but that your caring for them actually is what made you want to stop the war. You don’t want innocent troops going to foreign soil and not coming back home. That is a stance that every one can get behind.

You Are Unpatriotic

This is another attack that you shouldn’t have to be subject to. You are simply not a bad person for not wanting war. Just start there and ask them how it makes you a bad person to not want your country men and women to die in war. Let them know that it is within your right to oppose the decision your country makes even if it’s a decision that others seem to be behind. Stand strong and know that opposing the war is ok and doesn’t make you a bad citizen. No matter what the opposing side has to say.

Not all veterans experience PTSD, but those that do will need assistance in controlling their anxiety and fear. Veterans that are experience PTSD will often have these symptoms of fear and anxiety for longer than four weeks after they return home. There are four main symptoms of PTSD, these include reliving the event, avoiding situations that remind you of the event, feeling numb and feelings of hyperarousal.

For a veteran with PTSD, reliving the event may mean reliving combat when hearing a car backfire and thinking it is a gunshot. Avoiding situations that remind a veteran of an event may avoid visits from other veterans that they served with, avoid going to any veteran sponsored events and refusing to talk about their time in combat. Feeling numb can include the inability for a veteran to show feelings of love and affection to others, not being interested in activities they used to enjoy and the inability to actual remember parts of their traumatic combat experiences. Hyperarousal feelings include a quickness to anger, difficulties with sleep, difficulties with concentrating, easy to startle and always feeling on guard.

It is important that if a veteran is suffering from PTSD, they get assistance right away. A local Veteran’s Affairs hospital, civilian medical doctor or mental health therapist will be know how to help the veteran get help with talk therapy and possibly medications.

Their perspective has changed. While it might not be pleasant to think about you can certainly say that you are not going to get back the same person who left. They have seen things that you can only imagine and wouldn’t ever want to. When it comes to the world around them they have their own thoughts and feelings on it and it may not be the same kind that they went to war with.

You have to be clear to them that you want them to feel comfortable at home and normal again but be ready for them to not feel normal anymore. You cannot imagine what they have gone through. They may need to sleep in a separate room or they might not like to be approached from behind. These might seem like quirks but they are essential to keeping them feeling safe.

Just know that making them feel better will take time and they may need to have the help of a licensed therapist. They need someone who has had specialty in dealing with soldiers who are returning home from war. With special help your loved one can deal with coming home form war.

Discrimination against any race, age, gender, and lifestyle is never an answer when it comes to solving fights. Often we hear about discrimination within our armed forces and servicemen but that only leads to further problems within rather than solving the issue at hand. Then when we are abroad we bring a certain level of discrimination to the region and we add to the conflict out there. The bottom line is until we stop discriminating others we can not bring peace to our own nation. It is not right to look down on the whole population when the ones who act in uncivil ways are only a minority of a certain community, and yet we forget this and target the mass. For those working hard to restore our liberty, discrimination can bring more than just problems in their field. With discrimination and judgment comes hatred and that leads to casualties that we can not even begin to imagine.

Think positive and before a whole society is targeted, think of our troops out there and what kind of consequences they may face due to any discrimination portrayed at home. In order to stop the war at hand, we must first establish a certain level of trust, but that is close to impossible when everyone has a different point of view. One should be able to display and share their points of view but it should not be done in a way that would harm others who are trying their best to bring peace. Next time you feel that a certain community or a certain group of people should be targeted, think about the danger you are putting our servicemen in. They give their lives to bring about peace and we as citizens should do what ever is necessary to protect them in every way possible.

War time can be an extremely stressful and trying time. Many soldiers experience events or witness things that are better left behind in the war zone. Unfortunately, those events don’t always stay in the war zone and live forever in the soldier’s mind. They often reply the event or what they saw over and over in the minds and it can lead to a lot of distressing problems in a soldier or veteran. The reliving of distressing events is known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD.

Many soldiers and veterans may be suffering from this disorder without realizing it. It is important for loved ones or friends to realize the signs of post traumatic stress disorder so that if their loved one is suffering from it they can encourage them to get professional help.

Here are the symptoms and signs a person is suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.

Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. Often times these people are reliving these events and have a problem with sleeping.

Irritability or Trouble concentrating on things.

Avoidance of talking about the event or area. Many times those suffering from the post traumatic stress disorder often will try not to refer to the place they were at or the event that occurred. When a person brings up the event watch for signs of irritability, anger or a number of issues that could be signs of post traumatic stress disorder.

Depression Symptoms. A lot of the symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder mimic those of depression. It can include mood swings, anger, suicidal thoughts, avoiding friends or loved ones, outbursts, sleeping a lot, fatigued and a number of other issues.

Noticing the signs of post traumatic stress disorder can help loved ones know if a veteran or soldier needs to seek medical help to treat the disorder. The sooner the problem is tackled the better chance they have of recovering.

The National Center for PTSD is a division of the veterans affairs office that is devoted to helping those that suffer from post traumatic stress disorder. This center can help tackle the issues that arise from suffering from post traumatic stress disorder ranging from financial assistance, therapy sessions, rehabilitation and even helping those at war re-acclimate themselves back into normal society.

Here are some of the services that the National Center for PTSD offers veterans who return from war.

Clinical Help. There is help finding the right placement for this type of disorder. This can range from figuring out if just therapy is needed or a more intense rehabilitation program will be needed.

Financial Assistance. While a veteran is dealing with the issues that arose from post traumatic stress disorder they will need financial help for themselves and their family. The Center for PTSD will help sort out the issue of medical bills, daily living costs and other financial issues that may arise such as disability or pensions that can be obtained if one suffers from post traumatic stress disorder.

Community Awareness. Friends and family members still do not realize the potential for post traumatic stress disorder that a veteran can have upon returning. The Center for PTSD works to educate family and friends about the risks and signs of post traumatic stress disorder. By having them educated they can see the signs of this disorder and get the veteran immediate help instead of waiting and having them struggle through it.

Operation Shower is a non-profit volunteering project aimed at enhancing the status of military families. Through this project concerted efforts to help military families are taken. Operating Shower has an interesting concept; providing baby showers to military families who are currently facing situations of deployment.

By providing baby showers this project attempts to spread love, mirth, and happiness. The concept of Operation Shower is simple. Provide and coordinate baby showers for expectant mothers. Through programs like ‘Shower in a Box’ pregnant moms of military personnel can get themselves heart-warming baby showers.

Now you might be wondering what a baby shower is? A baby shower is a celebration of a pending childbirth. The celebration is held by carrying out some gift-presenting to the pregnant moms. By arranging a party, pregnancy moms are felicitated and honored with gifts. Here the ‘shower’ has nothing to do with having a bath. Rather, it is used in the context of showering gifts for pending childbirths. This concept of baby showering is prevalent in India, United States, and Canada. It is soon catching up in other countries.

Every year, Operation Shower mobilizes gifts from people for pregnant women of military personnel who are on deployment. Lots of women benefit from the tens and hundreds of gift-presents. The gifts may be baby clothing, baby food, and anything that will benefit the baby and the mother.

Operation Shower has seen amazing sponsorships from people. Lots of donations are made every day from all across the country and the world. As a volunteer you can contribute to Operation Shower by donating or hosting a party. You can even become a sponsor, and fund Operation Shower’s various baby showering activities.

After gathering all the gifts, presents, and donations, moms-to-be are selected from the different departments of the military, and gifts presented to them. Operating Shower is indeed a great way for people to give back to military families. Baby showering is one of the ways to do that.

You can support American military personnel and their families by joining various volunteering organizations. These non-profit volunteering organizations help military people who are in service and also their family members. You can volunteer to provide monetary resources, your time, or your talent to keep the morale and welfare of American troops as high as ever.

Operation Homefront is a non-profit volunteering initiative designed to help military families. You can join this organization to be part of projects that require volunteering people. Due to lack of people in projects, these non-profit volunteering organizations seek the help of even professionally trained people. One of the projects is to assist school going children of military people get school material like books and clothing. As a project volunteer you have to participate in efforts to procure these materials.

Operation Homefront also deals with a lot of other projects designed to meet the needs of war veterans and military families. As a volunteer with these organizations you will benefit immensely by supporting such causes. You can become the support system that military people need. When they fight our wars, we need to take care of their loved ones. And this is the best way to do it.

You can freely donate how much money you want to the Operation Homefront project. The project accepts donations from people. The donations are used to aid to the welfare of military families. It has to be said that some families might have lost a sole bread winner in war. These families might not have the means to support themselves into getting a respectable standard of living. Projects like Operation Homefront seek to solve these situations of military families.

Supporting American troops is the best way to give back to them for the good that they do to us. There are plenty of military families whose men and women are out fighting wars, or involved in peace-keeping activities. It is our prerogative to support such military families.

The struggle for peace in an ever changing political climate is constantly relevant. The slogan “Make Love, Not War” first appeared during the 1960′s at the heat of the Vietnam War, but similar slogans such as “Make Peace Not War” have cropped up with equal fervor, both from individuals who are at the forefront of the anti-war movement, and those who are open to exploring other options besides war to accomplish things.

The “Make Peace, Not War” slogan is simplistic in its meaning, yet powerful in its resonance. It has been present in pop culture through films, books and television. Additionally, it is commonly seen on articles of clothing and jewelry. There are numerous options for a person to display this slogan through their clothing choices, depending on if they want to show the slogan boldly, or in a quieter manner.

There are also several organizations who are intent upon spreading the slogan through videos and compact disc releases. The popularity of websites such as YouTube, combined with the fact that most digital cameras and cell phones have the capability to record video make it easier than ever for pro-peace activists to show their point of view in a way that is engaging and memorable, then broadcast it to the world at large.

Finally, there are a growing number of merchants who strive to specialize in selling items that promote a theme of peace as opposed to war. Street vendors and well-known store chains alike have been known to sell items with a “Make Peace, Not War” theme. Some websites even teach the public how to make their own crafts at home, all featuring a message of peace for all.

It is clear that the message of peace rising above war is far from an idealism that was only present in the 1960′s. Rather, its tenacious spirit and positive message will continue to live on indefinitely.

War is often described as a continuation and extension of politics. However, to equate war with political negotiations and discussions does not make sense. It is the most unproductive and most futile way of settling political issues.

For starters, war leads to too many difficulties and complications. From death of population; one of the most valuable resources of the country, to loss of natural resources towards the war effort – there is wastage all around. At the end of the day, the gains earned by the nation is bartered and frittered away in few years.

Just take a look at some of the big wars that have been fought in the world in the past few decades. In most cases, it was done to either restore balance of power or to tilt the balance irretrievably in favor of one force. However, all these instances saw great and powerful nations ending up with a bloody nose despite the fact that the opponent nation was many times smaller and may times weaker.

On the whole, the military consumes too much resources and provides very little benefit. Instead of fighting a war, it makes more sense to spend many years thrashing out a political settlement. Of course, the results were not be as glamorous and spectacular as use of force would be. However, the results that these negotiations will bring forth will be permanent.

From a strictly economic point of view and with an eye on long term benefits, there is absolutely no denying that peaceful negotiations are much better than war. If one includes the social cost of war and impact of telling the population that it is acceptable to kill others just because they are the enemy, one realizes that wars can be very harmful for the social fabric and for the well being of any nation.

Most war movies show the hero killing the enemy and coming back victorious to lead a happy life. However, the truth is that war veterans suffer from numerous stress disorders caused by the war experience. From exposure to chemicals and other harmful substances and emotional impact of killing large number of human beings to seeing friends, colleagues and seniors being killed on the field – there are numerous reasons why a veteran soldier comes back after war in a disturbed state.

People fail to understand that the veteran soldier will no longer be in a position to act as a productive member of the country and that he or she is also a casualty of the war. The person may be living but the person’s productive utility to the nation comes down drastically. In such a scenario, it is essential to consider this as a negative impact of war.

Veterans suffering from stress disorders cannot be simply forgotten. They will have to be treated and will have to be provided for. The families of the veterans will have to make sacrifices for many years after the war comes to an end. The government will have to incur expenses for medical treatment of the veteran. All this is has to be done when benefits arising from the war would have stopped accruing a long time ago.

From morality point of view, the stress and confusion that wars cause to veterans is immense. From the social point of view, the presence of such individuals poses uncomfortable questions for a society that wishes to reach the utopian stage where all individuals treat others with goodwill and respect. From the economic point of view, it is a huge drain because not only is fighting very expensive but the after effects of war also places a huge burden on the economy.

People ask all the time if there is a way that they can help end the war or help soldiers fighting in the war for Americans. Helping veterans can be as simple as signing up to volunteer at your local VFW or veterans’ affairs office. Getting to know a veteran can be a learning experience and a can gain a person a plethora of knowledge. Every volunteer should know how to contact the American Red Cross for volunteer efforts. All of those offices have local branches and are a great asset to veterans and active duty soldiers.

Befriending and listening to a soldier home from war can help not just the soldier but the volunteer as well. Most civilians cannot fathom what the veteran has been through and being home from such a hostile environment can be a challenge to the soldier. Whether the veteran has been disabled or just in need of someone to tell their stories to; a volunteer is what is needed. Once the soldiers are home it is time for them to learn how to make peace not war.

Making peace not war is a state of mind in some cases when dealing with veterans. Gaining and going over hurdles in this challenge is hard won and can be respected by volunteers. Not all volunteers have to be physically with a veteran or active duty soldier. One can donate monetarily or household goods to support veterans and their loved ones.

Volunteering to make peace, not war and helping veterans, active duty soldiers and their families and loved ones is something that most everyone can do. There are so many ways and so many organizations it’s easy to find the right one with which to volunteer. All it takes it a bit of compassion and patience to help these veterans and soldiers feel safe and welcome in their own homes and hometowns

In order to promote peace, people must make an effort to understand and empathize with one another. The ongoing war in Afghanistan is one example of a war that needs the attention and understanding of many so it can end and the peace process can begin.

Peaceful protests are one way people can reach out to each another and show they believe in a world without war. Protests are one of the few ways that just a few people can reach hundreds or thousands of others to promote peace. In their quest for a world without war, protesters should be careful to model the peaceful behavior they wish to see from humankind. Violent protesters detract from the message of peace they are trying to promote.

There is strength in numbers and people that wish to live in a world without war should band together and support each other. Volunteer organizations can play a huge role in the road to peace if supporters take advantage of them. By taking an active role and contributing to the group, a single person can have a huge impact on the organization’s mission. Those seeking to promote peace should work to build a volunteer group to promote peace if there is not one in their area.

Military families bear much of the brunt of war. Since 2001, many military parents have deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, forcing them to leave their young children for weeks, months or even years at a time. Husbands and wives are separated, placing strain on marriages. Supporters who wish to promote peace must remember these families and look for ways to help them.

A world without peace is possible, although it will take many compassionate people working together to become a reality. People cannot rely on their leaders to promote peace, they must promote it themselves by setting good examples for others and actively working toward their goal of a peaceful world.

Everyone pays the terrible price of war in one form or another, but it is the military families, perhaps, that pay the most. If the family is extremely lucky, they must only endure the absence of their loved one for the duration of his or her tour of duty. That can be quite stressing in and of itself, never knowing for sure about the safety and well being of their brave service man or woman.

Many military families are not so lucky, however. All too often these families are faced with the tragic news of a terrible loss. If not death, then severe injury or the loss of limb that requires a prosthesis and a complete re-learning of how to do every day tasks. Then there are those military families who are grateful to have their loved one return seemingly unscathed, only to be faced with the horror that is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD.

What kind of efforts are there to help these military families cope with the consequences of war? Does anyone care? Certainly there are countless organizations all over the country that are dedicated to helping military families obtain the assistance they need, whether it be financial, medical, or psychological, but these organizations tend to be small and poorly funded. Their intentions are pure, their efforts heroic, but they can only do so much.

Perhaps the best effort to help military families should come in the form of prevention. Imagine how much the need for assistance could be reduced if the country could simply make peace, not war. There will admittedly be times when war is unavoidable and necessary to protect the freedoms that are right and good for this country. Waging war merely for political agendas and financial gain, however, speaks to a distorted sense of power and entitlement. Active protests against this kind of war would do far more for military families than any amount of recovery efforts ever will.

This morning, we awoke to the news that the U.S. military was bombing Afghanistan.

Our government announced that only “military installations” are being targeted by bombs and missles, yet essential components of the infrastructure of cities, such as power plants and water treatment facilities have in the past been considered “military” targets, and civilians may live among and around these as well as the military installations and “terrorist training” grounds.

There are also well-founded concerns that mistakes might be made. When the U.S. bombed similar “military targets” in response to Osama bin Laden’s embassy bombings a few years ago, a factory producing harmless vaccinations in the Sudan was destroyed based on intelligence information of the sort that informs today’s attacks, depriving millions of much needed medical supplies.

As we watch this conflict unfold into catastrophic proportions, we will continue to be an alternative information source in hopes of providing a more balanced perspective than that of the corporate media. It is of vital importance that we share a compassionate and logical perspective on the downward spiralling futility of violence, even as our families, friends and neighbors are stirred into a war frenzy by selectively presented or false information and nationalist rhetoric issued under the guise of “news.”

A crucial part of our role as a source of information is to portray the activities of our military and intelligence agencies truthfully, even when their tactics are underhanded, and that we explore possible ways in which the underlying agenda of our government might be directed by economic interests to the exclusion of human values.

It has been reported that there is a “100%” chance of another terrorist attack in the United States. The U.S. military’s hostile invasion of a country of starving peasants can only serve to perpetuate this cycle of retribution. Is the possibility that forces behind the September 11th attack might be punished through these actions worth the risk of starting another World War?

There are global stakes on the table here, and important reasons for concern, especially given the prevailing climate of stifling dialogue on this issue. There are several factions competing for control of Afghanistan, and some are known to possess nuclear weapons. Contrary to what is being reported widely, several groups that oppose the Taliban have stated that they will support the Taliban in the interest of national unity in the event of a U.S. invasion.

While the president assures us that the U.S. has the support of the “nations of the world,” we know from past experience that many of our alliances in the Mid-East are tenuous, and contingent upon factors that are not necessarily under our control. While the governments of Britain, Canada, and France dedicate their military support, we know this is not necessarily representative of the sentiments of people living in those nations.

In response, international solidarity among peace movements is growing, and a global anti-war movement is being established that must be reckoned with by the power structures that dictate our participation in this conflict.

Can I be at war with myself? Watching the World Trade Center collapse, then living through the aftermath, begs that absurd question. I’m American, with a Muslim name but nondescript appearance. No one takes me for Middle Eastern—I was born in West Virginia, and I’m only a quarter Arab. But thanks to the peculiarities of history, and naming, I have an Arab-American identity.

The attack on the World Trade Center puts me in an awful place. On the one hand, I’ve been deeply fortunate. Neither my loved ones nor I were injured. Like everyone else, I am horrified and angered. I could have been there, munching a bagel on the observation deck. I can’t imagine how someone could have planned such an attack, and my shock is turning into anger and mourning. At the same time, I feel excluded from the national unity that happens after such a tragedy. Why? As an Arab-American, I’m subject to reprisals. I’m nervous, wondering if I will somehow share the blame. Slurs, threats and even violence have already been leveled against anyone associated with Islam, and I wonder what will happen to me. I’m looking for work—will I be denied a job? What if a wider war breaks out? Will I lose my liberty?

Some friends have said I should go to Egypt for safety. They meant well, but their comments betrayed a misunderstanding that verges on racism. Hard as it is for the safely white to comprehend, there is only one place for me and other hyphenated Americans: the United States. America produced me. My grandparents hail from four different countries. Where else could they have created a family? If I’m out of place here, thanks to my name, I’m certainly out of place in the Middle East, where I stick out as an American. What is left for me? Do we have to pick sides in the end? And what can I do if neither side will have me, if both treat me as the enemy?

I’m at a loss to answer these questions, at least under the current logic. Some of my fellow citizens are striking out at American Muslims. Some are even calling for a firestorm to be rained upon Islamic nations. Don’t they see that the terrorists had the same inspiration? The Afghanis were caught between the Soviet Union and the United States for decades. Their country has been reduced to rubble. They have no hope. Violence occurs in cycles, and, if we respond senselessly, striking innocent people in our search for criminals, then we’ll create more radicals, more suicide bombers who embody the despair of poverty and war. The monopoly on violence is broken, and I shudder to think what comes next.

I’m living in fear, and my identity leaves me no shield. I often fly from Newark to San Francisco. Was the attack a one-time event or the first of many? Will our cities ever feel safe? Then, again, what will I face in my day-to-day existence? Will I get mocked and beat up? Are my tears for the dead less potent? Will my name become a Yellow Star that excludes me from society? Will I share in the collective healing that must come?

My situation brings a special clarity, one that opposes the clarity of choosing sides. What do I see from my hyphenated perspective? The absurdity of labels, indeed, of the whole idea that race, religion or flags divide humanity. I have a Muslim name, but my grandfather was Serbian. How would that fly in the Balkans? Is the world becoming a vast Balkan state?

I’ve wondered if I will ever have to choose a side. If so, here is my choice: pacifism and dialog. I choose love, I choose humanity. I may symbolize Islam to some, and America to others, but I transcend these distinctions. I am proof that love conquers hate. My grandparents conquered tradition to found my family, and I stand tall as an American born from a unique and tolerant soil. What race produced me? The human race. Let me plead for understanding and compassion. Chase the criminals if you must, but let us then begin to fight. Let us fight not for oil, money or revenge, but for a world where hatred and weapons belong to a distant, barbaric past.

Middle East News Online:

I. Fadi Chahine, editor of Middle East News Online (message received from a friend on October 6, 2001):

Fadi Chahine is a young man who was very active in his community in North Carolina. He actively lobbied through his business (Middle East News Online) to influence congressmen in his area to support the cause of Palestine. He is Lebanese and came to this country when he was 13, 20 years ago. He is married and has two children, one is 4 months old. He is a permanent resident and his wife is an American.

After the attack on the US he was detained by the FBI, asked what did he know about the terrorists. The FBI sent his case to the INS to start deportation procedure.

His family asked to spread the news yet, for they are still hoping to have a “prive bill” passed in the Congress to free him. They are also worried about being abused by angry people in their community. They asked to contact organizations (Arabs and Muslims) here in the US so that these organizations may call a few congressmen and congresswomen to urge them to support the private bill.

II. Ronnie Gilbert on the FBI’s investigation of Women in Black:

For the second time in my life – at least – a group that I belong to is being investigated by the FBI. The first was the Weavers. The Weavers were a recording industry phenomenon. In 1950 we recorded a couple of songs from our American/ World folk music repertoire, Leadbelly¹s ³Goodnight Irene² and (ironically) the Israeli ³Tzena, Tzena, Tzena² and sold millions of records for the almost-defunct record label. Folk music entered the mainstream, and the Weavers were stars.

By 1952 it was over. The record company dropped us, eager television producers stopped knocking on our door. The Weavers were on a private yet well-publicized roster of suspected entertainment industry reds. The FBI came a-calling.

This week, I just found out that Women in Black, another group of peace activists I belong to, is the subject of an FBI investigation. Women in Black is a loosely knit international network of women who vigil against violence, often silently, each group autonomous, each group focused on the particular problems of personal and state violence in its part of the world. Because my group is composed mostly of Jewish women, we focus on the Middle East, protesting the cycle of violence and revenge in Israel and the Palestinian Territories.

The FBI is threatening my group with a Grand Jury investigation. Of what? That we publicly call the Israeli military¹s occupation of the mandated Palestine lands illegal? So does the World Court and the United Nations. That destroying hundreds of thousands of the Palestinians¹ olive and fruit trees, blocking roads and demolishing homes promotes hatred and terrorism in the Middle East? Even President Bush and Colin Powell have gotten around to saying so.

So what is to investigate? That some of us are in contact with activist Palestinian peace groups? This is bad? The Jewish Women in Black of Jerusalem have stood vigil every Friday for 13 years in protest against the Occupation; Muslim women from Palestinian peace groups stand with them at every opportunity. We praise and honour them, these Jewish and Arab women who endure hatred and frequent abuse from extremists on both sides for what they do.

We are not alone in our admiration. Jerusalem Women in Black is a nominee for the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize, along with the Bosnia Women in Black, now ten years old.

If the FBI cannot or will not distinguish between groups who collude in hatred and terrorism, and peace activists who struggle in the full light of day against all forms of terrorism, we are in serious trouble. I have seen such trouble before in my lifetime. It was called McCarthyism. In the hysterical atmosphere of the early Cold War, anyone who had signed a peace petition, who had joined an organization opposing violence or racism or had tried to raise money for the refugee children of the Spanish Civil War, in other words who had openly advocated what was not popular at the time, was fair game.

In my case, the FBI visited The Weavers¹ booking agent, the recording company, my neighbors, my dentist husband¹s patients, my friends. In the waning of our career, the Weavers were followed down the street, accosted onstage by drunken ³patriots,² warned by friendly hotel employees to keep the door open if we rehearsed in anyone¹s room so as not to become targets for the vice squad.

It was nasty. Every two-bit local wannabe G-man joined the dragnet searching out and identifying ³communist spies.² In all those self-debasing years how many spies were pulled in by that dragnet? Nary a one. Instead it pulled down thousands of teachers, union members, scientists, journalists, actors, entertainers like us, who saw our lives disrupted, our jobs, careers go down the drain, our standing in the community lost, even our children harrassed.

A scared population soon shut their mouths up tight. Thus came the silence of the 1950s and early 60s, when no notable voice of reason was heard to say, “Hey, wait a minute. Look what we’re doing ourselves, to the land of the free and the home of the brave,” when not one dissenting intelligence was allowed a public voice to warn against zealous foreign policies we¹d later come to regret, would be regretting now, if our leaders were honest.

Today, in the wake of the worst hate crime of the millenium, a dragnet is out for terroriststs² and we are told that certain civil liberties may have to be curtailed for our own security. Which ones? I¹m curious to know. The First Amendment guarantee of freedom of speech or of the press? The right of people peaceably to assemble? Suddenly, deja vu – haven¹t I been here before?

Hysterical neo-McCarthyism does not equal security, never will. The bitter lesson September 11′s horrific tragedy should have taught us and our government is that only an honest re- evaluation of our foreign policies and careful, focused and intelligent intelligence work can hope to combat operations like the one that robbed all of us and their families of 6,000 decent working people. We owe the dead that, at least. As for Women in Black, we intend to keep on keeping on.

Ronnie Gilbert
received from Canpalnet News, Oct 6, 2001.
Jim Terral South Slocan, BC

Austin Against War has repeatedly called for a judicious response to the tragic attacks of Sept. 11. We were encouraged by Bush’s refusal to implicate Islam as a religion, his seeming reluctance to bomb Kabul, and the acknowledgement of the humanitarian disaster unfolding in Afghanistan. As America began to recover from its initial grief at the horrific atrocities of the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks, cooler heads seemed to prevail.

Now, however, we are witnessing the sort of indiscriminate attack that we feared most: the bombing of cities with large civilian populations. People are dying simply because they live in the same country as the man the U.S. claims to have coordinated the Sept. 11 attacks.

We share the nation’s desire to bring the perpetrators of the Sept. 11 attacks to justice. But further bombings only add to the tragedy. Kabul does not have sophisticated military technology; there is nothing there to be destroyed, except people. Afghanistan is, as one reporter put it, “the most devastated, ravaged, starvation-haunted and tragic country in the world” (Fisk, Independent, 23 Sept., 2001).

And in any event, the perpetrators of the Sept. 11 attacks were not aided by military technology of any sort in any Afghan city. Bombing cities will do nothing to prevent this sort of unsophisticated terrorist attack in the future. On the contrary, American bombings will only serve to increase anti-American sentiment throughout the world.

During the 1991 Gulf War, the U.S.-directed NATO bombings struck alleged military targets in Iraq. We know the cost: bomb shelters harboring innocent, terrified civilians were destroyed; hospitals, airports, water sanitation facilities, and civilian infrastructures were destroyed; and the result was and continues to be massive civilian casualties. But despite this, Sadam Hussein remains in power.

Autocratic regimes such as Afghanistan and Iraq have caused tremendous suffering among their own people and are consequently not disturbed when the United States causes more suffering. Bombing cities results not only in a tragic loss of life, it is demonstrably useless at achieving American policy objectives.

We call for an end to the bombings at once.

Tamim Ansary, a writer and columnist in San Francisco who is a native of Afghanistan

I’ve been hearing a lot of talk about “bombing Afghanistan back to the Stone Age.” Ronn Owens, on KGO Talk Radio today, allowed that this would mean killing innocent people, people who had nothing to do with this atrocity, but “we’re at war, we have to accept collateral damage. What else can we do?”

Minutes later I heard some TV pundit discussing whether we “have the belly to do what must be done.”

And I thought about the issues being raised especially hard because I am from Afghanistan, and even though I’ve lived here for 35 years I’ve never lost track of what’s going on there. So I want to tell anyone who will listen how it all looks from where I’m standing.

I speak as one who hates the Taliban and Osama Bin Laden. There is no doubt in my mind that these people were responsible for the atrocity in New York. I agree that something must be done about those monsters.

But the Taliban and Bin Laden are not Afghanistan. They’re not even the government of Afghanistan. The Taliban are a cult of ignorant psychotics who took over Afghanistan in 1997. Bin Laden is a political criminal with a plan.

When you think Taliban, think Nazis. When you think Bin Laden, think Hitler. And when you think “the people of Afghanistan” think “the Jews in the concentration camps.”

It’s not only that the Afghan people had nothing to do with this atrocity. They were the first victims of the perpetrators. They would exult if someone would come in there, take out the Taliban and clear out the rat’s nest of international thugs holed up in their country.

Some say, why don’t the Afghans rise up and overthrow the Taliban? The answer is, they’re starved, exhausted, hurt, incapacitated, suffering. A few years ago, the United Nations estimated that there are 500,000 disabled orphans in Afghanistan–a country with no economy, no food. There are millions of widows. And the Taliban has been burying these widows alive in mass graves. The soil is littered with land mines, the farms were all destroyed by the Soviets. These are a few of the reasons why the Afghan people have not overthrown the Taliban.

We come now to the question of bombing Afghanistan back to the Stone Age.Trouble is, that’s been done. The Soviets took care of it already. Make the Afghans suffer? They’re already suffering. Level their houses? Done. Turn their schools into piles of rubble? Done. Eradicate their hospitals? Done. Destroy their infrastructure? Cut them off from medicine and health care? Too late. Someone already did all that.

New bombs would only stir the rubble of earlier bombs. Would they at least get the Taliban? Not likely. In today’s Afghanistan, only the Taliban eat, only they have the means to move around. They’d slip away and hide. Maybe the bombs would get some of those disabled orphans, they don’t move too fast, they don’t even have wheelchairs. But flying over Kabul and dropping bombs wouldn’t really be a strike against the criminals who did this horrific thing. Actually it would only be making common cause with the Taliban–by raping once again the people they’ve been raping all this time

So what else is there? What can be done, then? Let me now speak with true fear and trembling. The only way to get Bin Laden is to go in there with ground troops. When people speak of “having the belly to do what needs to be done” they’re thinking in terms of having the belly to kill as many as needed. Having the belly to overcome any moral qualms about killing innocent people. Let’s pull our heads out of the sand. What’s actually on the table is Americans dying. And not just because some Americans would die fighting their way through Afghanistan to Bin Laden’s hideout.

It’s much bigger than that folks. Because to get any troops to Afghanistan, we’d have to go through Pakistan. Would they let us? Not likely. The conquest of Pakistan would have to be first. Will other Muslim nations just stand by? You see where I’m going. We’re flirting with a world war between Islam and the West.

And guess what: that’s Bin Laden’s program. That’s exactly what he wants.

That’s why he did this. Read his speeches and statements. It’s all right there. He really believes Islam would beat the west. It might seem ridiculous, but he figures if he can polarize the world into Islam and the West, he’s got a billion soldiers. If the west wreaks a holocaust in those lands, that’s a billion people with nothing left to lose, that’s even better from Bin Laden’s point of view. He’s probably wrong, in the end the West would win, whatever that would mean, but the war would last for years and millions would die, not just theirs but ours. Who has the belly for that?

Bin Laden does. Anyone else?

- – -

Tamim Ansary

Niaz Naik, a former Pakistani Foreign Secretary, was told by senior American officials in mid-July that military action against Afghanistan would go ahead by the middle of October.

Russian troops were on standby
Mr Naik said US officials told him of the plan at a UN-sponsored international contact group on Afghanistan which took place in Berlin.

Mr Naik told the BBC that at the meeting the US representatives told him that unless Bin Laden was handed over swiftly America would take military action to kill or capture both Bin Laden and the Taleban leader, Mullah Omar.

The wider objective, according to Mr Naik, would be to topple the Taleban regime and install a transitional government of moderate Afghans in its place – possibly under the leadership of the former Afghan King Zahir Shah.

Mr Naik was told that Washington would launch its operation from bases in Tajikistan, where American advisers were already in place.

Bin Laden would have been “killed or captured”
He was told that Uzbekistan would also participate in the operation and that 17,000 Russian troops were on standby.

Mr Naik was told that if the military action went ahead it would take place before the snows started falling in Afghanistan, by the middle of October at the latest.

He said that he was in no doubt that after the World Trade Center bombings this pre-existing US plan had been built upon and would be implemented within two or three weeks.

And he said it was doubtful that Washington would drop its plan even if Bin Laden were to be surrendered immediately by the Taleban.

At the same time, we must all remember that just as this horrendous act can destroy us from without, it can also destroy us from within. Historically, it has been at times of inflamed passions and national anger that our civil liberties proved to be at greatest risk, and the unpopular group of the moment was subject to prejudice and deprivation of liberty. In 1798, Congress enacted the notorious Alien and Sedition Acts, making it a federal crime to criticize the government. In 1861, at the beginning of the Civil War, President Lincoln suspended habeas corpus, citing the need to repress “an insurrection against the laws of the United States.” Ulysses S. Grant sought to expel Jews from southern states. World War II brought about the shameful internment of Japanese Americans, which even the Supreme Court failed to overturn.

Unfortunately, our response in 1996 to the Oklahoma City bombing and to the first bombing of the World Trade Center does not portend well for today’s discussions. Legislation that began in good faith as an effort to fine-tune our anti-terrorism laws turned into a legislative race to the bottom. It contained sweeping new limitations on habeas corpus for death-row and other inmates. The legislation also severely narrowed the ability of persons fleeing for their lives from dangerous regimes to seek asylum. I sat through the hearings on this legislation and did not hear a single shred of evidence that proved that a single terrorist act could be prevented by limiting the ability of persons convicted in state court to obtain relief from unconstitutional convictions or by denying immigrants their due process rights.

Meanwhile, many laudable provisions were dropped from the 1996 legislation at the behest of the gun lobby. We tried to include a provision allowing for broader roving wiretaps, as has been recommended by Attorney General John Ashcroft, but the conservatives could not stomach this expansion of government power. An exasperated Henry Hyde, who as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee had worked to keep some of the better provisions, was quoted as saying that many in his party “trust Hamas more than their own government.” We also failed in our efforts to ban dangerous “cop-killer” bullets and to require that “taggants” (tracer elements) be attached to explosive materials and that unregulated explosive material (such as the fertilizer bomb used in Oklahoma City) be rendered inert. Instead, we were forced to settle for an ineffective study of these issues.

Certainly, we must update our counter-terrorism laws so that they reflect 21st century reality. But new expansion of government authority should be limited to properly defined terrorist activity or threats of terrorism. And with increased federal power, we must ensure accountability and oversight. We also need to drastically improve airport security by increasing the training and wages of airport personnel. That will mean increasing the role of the federal government and allocating more federal dollars to these needs.

I urge the attorney general to take a fresh look at expanding the federal law to cover hate crimes. Recent days have seen a spate of hate crimes against Muslims, Arab Americans and South Asian Americans. Two persons believed to be of “Middle Eastern” descent were killed in likely hate crimes over the weekend. If we are going to expand law enforcement’s ability to pursue terrorists, we must not neglect the government’s role in protecting Americans from vigilante violence. We are a nation of immigrants, and we are all in this together.

The keys to success in developing anti-terrorism legislation will be balance and prudence. History has taught us that we should not use the threat of violence as an excuse to suppress legitimate constitutional rights and liberties. As Benjamin Franklin stated, “They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” We must ensure that these acts of terror do not accomplish in a “slow burn” what the fires of the World Trade Center and Pentagon could not — subversively destroying the foundation of our democracy.

- – -

The writer, a Democrat from Michigan, is ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee.

These attacks have targeted Indians, Persians, Arabs, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and Christians alike. Keep in mind that these are only the reported cases of violence, hatred, and discrimination.

CRIMES & EVENTS

1) In Mesa, Arizona, Balbir Singh Sodhi, 49, an Indian gas station owner was shot. The assailant then drove to another service station where a Lebanese-American employee was working; he fired shots but injured no one else.
(CNN: 9/14)

2) In Richmond Hill, Queens, an elderly Sikh man was beaten with a baseball bat; two others were shot at with paintball guns.
(NY Times)

3) In Gary, Indiana, a man in a ski mask fired more than 21 shots from a high-powered assault rifle at Hassan Awdah, a U.S. citizen born in Yemen, who stood behind a 1-inch-thick shield at 3 am on Wednesday. Awdah fled as the gunman tried to shoot him again.
(Reuters/Chicago & MSNBC.com)

4) On Friday, a turban-wearing taxi driver was attacked by a man who accused him of being a terrorist. He was of Indian descent.
(Seattle Times/Detroit Free Press)

5) A car rammed into an Akron, OH Arab-owned grocery store by Jack Oueslati.
(News Net 5: 9/16)

6) In Huntington, N.Y., a 75-year-old man tried to run over a Pakistani woman in a shopping mall parking lot. The police said he screamed that he was “doing this for my country.” The man then followed the woman into a store and threatened to kill her for “destroying my country.”
(Seattle Times/Detroit Free Press & New York Times: 9/14)

7) Khaled Ksaibati, the faculty adviser for the Muslim Student Association at the University of Wyoming described an attack on the Muslim family at a Laramie Wal-Mart. “The people who screamed in her face wanted her to go back to her country,” he said. “This is her country. She was born here.”
(Seattle Times/Detroit Free Press)

On Thursday night, a group of demonstrators gathered outside of the Madina Masjid on First Avenue and 11th Street in Manhattan. The mob yelled angrily and carried a banner saying “Destroy the mosque or remove it from this place.” Neighbors shouted the crowd down as the police held them back.
(News Net 5:9/16)

9) On Wednesday, a well-dressed young Manhattan couple yelled insults at a Lebanese-American who was desperately searching for survivors from the arts center he had run on the 92nd floor of the World Trade Center’s north tower. “They told me, ‘You should go back to your country, you f–king Arabs, we should bomb the s–t out of you,” said the man, Moukhtar Kocache.
(Seattle Times)

10) Yasser Ahmed, manager of an Arab-owned candy and grocery store on Broadway in Upper Manhattan, said about 10 people had come in shouting, “You guys did it!” and other accusations.
(NY Times)

11) One student, Basel Al-ken, whose family is from Syria, was taking his mother to Wal-Mart one night this week. A man in a parked car turned a laser-pointer in her face and made a throat-slitting motion with his hand.
(NY Times)

12) Four men chased Amrik Singh, a Sikh who wears a turban, on Tuesday as he fled lower Manhattan to return home to Hicksville. He jumped on a train to Brooklyn and took off his turban and stuffed it into his briefcase.
(NY News Day)

13) The local Sikh Temple in Richmond Hill was vandalized and received threatening phone calls.
(Masala.com)

14) A Pakistani family’s house was burned down in Sacramento.
(Masala.com)
15) One man stormed into a South Seattle mosque and threatened to burn it down. Another poured gasoline on a North Seattle mosque and tried to fire a gun at some of its members.
(Seattle Times/Detroit Free Press)

16) A 57-year-old Punjabi man was shot in Yuba City, California. Several cars of Punjabis were vandalized as well.
(Masala.com chatroom)

17) A student of either Indian or Middle Eastern origin was attacked on the University of Pennsylvania campus. Other colleges have reported similar stories of their students under attack.
(MTV News & Seattle Times)

18) The Islamic Institute of New York received a telephone call threatening the school’s 450 students. The male caller said he was going to paint the streets with the children’s blood. The school is closed, but continues to receive several threats a day.
(Seattle Times/Detroit Free Press)

19) A mosque in Denton, Texas, was firebombed, and another in Lynnwood, Wash. had its sign defaced with black paint.
(New York Times: 9/14)

20) In Bridgeview, Ill., a suburb of Chicago, police stopped 300 marchers–many of them teenagers–as they tried to march on a mosque on Wednesday night. Marcher Colin Zaremba, 19, told The Associated Press, “I’m proud to be American and I hate Arabs and I always have.”
(Seattle Times & Detroit Free Press/ Reuters: Chicago)

21) 43 percent of Americans said they thought the attacks would make them “personally more suspicious” of people who appear to be of Arab descent.
(ABCNEWS/ Washington Post poll: 9/13)

22) 10 people were removed from an Amtrak train in Providence, R.I., on Wednesday, and held by the police and questioned for an hour and 40. Sher J. B. Singh, a telecommunications consultant, was one of three Sikh men escorted from the train at gunpoint, handcuffed and questioned about whether he had anything to do with the terrorism. The others held all appeared to be of Arab or South Asian descent, said Mr. Singh and Meera Kumar, a financial services officer at the Ford Motor Company, who was also held by the police. Those detained included a Hispanic and an African- American. “They broadcast four Arabic males, so four Arabic males is what we are looking for,” Colonel Sullivan said.
(September 14, 2001/New York Times)

23) An Indian girl was beaten to death in Long Island…Suspects are supposedly in custody.
(Masala.com chatroom)

24) From Texas to Chicago to Long Island, there have been reports of arson, personal attacks and the police stopping men in Middle Eastern-style head coverings.
(New York Times: 9/14)

25) In suburban Cleveland, Sukhwant Singh, a Sikh priest who lives at the Guru Gobind Sikh temple, awakened early Wednesday to find bottles filled with gasoline hurled in the temple’s windows and flames pouring out.
(New York Times: 9/14)

26) In Louisiana, schools in Jefferson Parish were closed on Wednesday after officials reported that students of Middle Eastern origin were being taunted and harassed.
(New York Times: 9/14)

27) On Long Island, a market in Smithtown owned by a native of Pakistan was the target of what the police considered a probable arson attack Wednesday morning. The entire store was burned to the ground.
(New York Times: 9/14)

28) In Ronkonkoma, a man was arrested on suspicion of waving a pellet gun and shouting obscenities at a South Asian gas station worker.
(New York Times: 9/14)

29) Early Wednesday in Manhattan, a Sikh man said he was pounced on by three white men yelling “terrorist” at Broadway and 52nd Street.
(New York Times: 9/14)

30) On Wednesday morning, three Sikh men waiting at Grand Central Terminal for a Connecticut-bound train were stopped and had their bags searched by the police.
(New York Times: 9/14)

31) In Denton, Texas, a Molotov cocktail fashioned out of a beer bottle was tossed at a mosque and Islamic school, a day after windows were shot out at a similar Islamic center near Dallas.
(Reuters/Chicago)

32) In New York’s Kennedy airport, law enforcement officers searched passengers boarding an American Airlines flight who appeared to be of Arab decent. “Anyone with dark skin or who spoke with an accent was taken aside and searched,” one passenger said. “And they went to any male with too much facial hair.”
(NY Times & MSNBC.com)

33) An Islamic information service reported that a bag of pig blood was left on the doorstep of an Islamic community center in San Francisco.
(Reuters/Chicago)

34) An Islamic center in Ohio received menacing messages and a bullet was fired through one window.
(Toledo Blade & Reuters/Chicago)

35)One Muslim woman said she, her husband and their eight children endured a night of terror when an angry mob rose outside of their home in Oak Lawn, Ill. The woman, who asked not to be identified out of fear, said “We had people riding up and down our block shouting obscenities. ‘Go home you bleeping ragheads, bleeping a-rabs, we’re gonna get you.’” My husband and I stayed up all night guarding the windows,” she added. “My husband is of Arab descent. He gave four years of his life in the U.S. Navy … to have some skinhead with an American flag screaming at your house.”

She said the family was afraid to call the police because it would single out their house, adding that other Muslim families in the neighborhood were considering whether they should leave the area Thursday evening.
(Reuters/Chicago)

36) Police in northern Indiana were investigating several other hate crimes.
(Reuters/Chicago & MSNBC.com)

37) A Pakistani Muslim store owner was shot and killed in Dallas Saturday evening.
(MSNBC)

38) The FBI has initiated 40 hate crime investigations involving reported attacks on Arab American citizens and institutions.
(MSNBC)

39) In Palos Hills, Ill., two Muslim girls were beaten at Moraine Valley College.

40) In Evansville, Ind., a man driving 80 miles an hour rammed his car into a mosque. In both cases, police arrested suspects.
(MSNBC)

41) Damage was reported at another Arab-owned gasoline station in Indiana, as well as at a restaurant owned by a native of Jordan, where windows were broken and the windows of a parked car were shot out.
(Reuters/Chicago)

42) At Jacksonville State University, tensions over the terrorist attacks have extended beyond the Islamic students. Students from abroad with dark complexions, including one Brazilian woman, reported hostile looks, snide comments and fearing for their safety.
(MSNBC)

43) Muslim schools in several areas have canceled their classes as a precaution against threats and reported violence.
(Reuters/Chicago)

44) In Alexandria, Virginia, Hazim Barakat, a native of Jerusalem who came to the United States 11 years ago, said he arrived to open his Islamic bookstore the day after the attack to find windows shattered with note-bound bricks. “You come to this country to kill our people. We want to kill you” and “Death to the Arab murderers,” read the notes, according to Barakat, a U.S. citizen.
(Reuters/Chicago)

45) The LAPD said 8 hate incidents have been reported in the city of Los Angeles, including four that have been classified as hate crimes–2 cases of vandalism; one assault with a deadly weapon, in which a gun was put to a woman’s face; and an “annoying” phone call to the Southern California Islamic Center. Four other incidents involved racial epithets and slurs but were not classified as hate crimes.
(Los Angeles Times)

46) Two students at Pierce College in Woodland Hills wrote “die” on a Persian Club booth on campus. An altercation ensued between the suspects and one or two students, but the victims did not press charges.
(Los Angeles Times)

47) At the University of Southern California, some Muslim students have been harassed and some Muslim women have had their veils pulled off, according to Sarah Eltantawi of the Muslim Public Affairs Council.
(Los Angeles Times)

48) Some Jewish Americans express fears of being targeted for blame that this terrorism stems from continuing US support for Israel.
(Seattle & Detroit Free Press/ Reuters: Chicago)

49) Arab-Americans have been singled out in airports for searches by security agents and assaulted by thugs, according to published reports. The Internet has also become a hotbed for the harassment of Arab-Americans.
(MSNBC.com)

50) Fairfax County police are investigating two weekend bias crimes they say may be linked to the terror attacks.
(MSNBC)

51) The Windows 2000 French-language spell-checker suggests replacing “anti-stress” with the word “anti-arab.” The head of Microsoft’s European and Middle East operations said on Wednesday the problem should be fixed in “a few weeks” and that customers would be offered a new version free of charge.
(Reuters)