Voicing Your Opinion on Military Operations

There is an old saying: “Opinions are like noses, everyone has one.” This is true of any subject, including military operations, and no two are going to be alike. You may have strong feelings about the War in Iraq or other military operations that our American service personnel are involved in right now, but aren’t quite sure how to go about voicing them. Thanks to austinagainstwar.org, you have a forum for letting others know how you feel. You can speak your mind about either your support or opposition; we want to hear both sides.

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.



Filed Under: Operation Freedom, Training Tagged With: , ,

Is War Necessary for Peace?

There are two ways to look at such a question. On the one hand, some wars actually have to be fought to attain peace and in some other cases, war just invites more trouble. Unjust wars are those where dictators blow their way into power and hold the nation in an iron grip. There are several examples in history to quote from regarding this. During the World Wars, western nations literally blew each other apart.

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.

Filed Under: War, Weapons Tagged With: , ,

Peace is The Answer

In a perfect world, everyone would love everyone, and there would be no conflict. Unfortunately, we do not live in a perfect world, and war does exist. We are fighting for peace and to protect our freedom. In the United States we have very dedicated men and women who are willing to put their lives on the line to do just that, protect us. Military families know all too well the effects of fighting for our freedom. They kiss their loved ones goodbye, and send them off to that unknown place, the war zone. They do not know when, or even if, they will see them again. There are many volunteer organizations to help these families cope. There are support groups to help them through the difficult times, when their loved ones are not with them, and they do not have any contact with them. There are organizations that allow these families to get together and at least, be with others who are experiencing the same sense of fear and uncertainty.

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.

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Filed Under: Protests, Training, Volunteering Tagged With: , ,

Defending Your Point

There are a lot of people out there who are against the war just like you. They care very much that your country take the troops out and start fresh without war. It’s a great and noble thing but the truth is very few people who are for the war but those people are the ones you have to look out for. They are very good at shooting down your beliefs. If you run into someone who is hell bent on getting you to admit your wrong, but you can’t seem to buy what they are selling. Here are some things you can say to help you fend off those who oppose your viewpoints.

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.

Filed Under: Operations Tagged With: ,

Dealing With The Soldiers Home From War

If you are the spouse of someone who is currently serving overseas you are probably excited for the day they will be returning home. You might have heard that it is really soon and for that you couldn’t be happier. You are excited to think about the day they come home and life going back to normal. Well, the sad news is that once they come home things won’t be likely to return back to normal. At least not for some time anyway. If you are anticipating their arrival home then chew on these few things as you deal with a solider returning home.

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.

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Filed Under: Operations, Volunteering Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Discrimination Is Not The Answer!

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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.

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Filed Under: News Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Operation Shower: Baby Showering Service for Military Families

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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.

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Filed Under: Operations Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Operation Homefront: Supporting Military Families

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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.

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Filed Under: Operations Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The Prevalence Of The “Make Peace, Not War” Sentiment

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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.

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Filed Under: Operations Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Make Peace Not War – Makes Sense From A Pragmatic And Rational Point Of View As Well

Make Peace
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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.

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