How the current war in Iraq goes against the spirit and concepts of Jing Mo
First of all, I want to emphasize that these are my personal opinions and not the official statements of my Jing Mo School or any of the other branches throughout the world. I haven’t even really discussed any of this stuff with my sifu or any of my kung fu brothers, although I know some of them probably have similar views.
Let me begin by saying that I believe most of the people in our armed forces are good folks who have a sense of honor, respect, and loyalty that, sadly, isn’t present within the leaders who have been dictating foreign policy in the The United States recently. Furthermore, I’ve had two grandfathers and a few other relatives who served this country well during at least two major wars throughout its history. I’ve also had quite a few friends who have served in the armed forces. I’m definitely NOT anti-military.
That being said, let me explain my rather bold proclamation at the beginning of this thread.
Let me start with Jing Mo’s concepts:
1. Jing Mo concept of Man:
To achieve all around ability through moral, intellectual, and physical training
Morally I feel the war is wrong because it was no mystery that countless thousands of innocent Iraqis were going to die because of a U.S. led invasion. Also, the reasons were suspect. With Iraq sitting on top of 17% of the world’s remaining oil reserves and billions of dollars being funneled straight into the pockets of the vice president and his cronies (via Halliburton) one has to suspect there were ulterior motives for the invasion. If one were to intellectually work all this out, the reasons for the invasion are clear: greed and power. I suppose what I’m trying to say here is that these conclusions were due, in large part, to my moral, intellectual, and physical training.
2. Jing Mo concept of Character:
Respect for others and self respect through justice and integrity
There hasn’t even been enough respect for Iraqi civilians to do any sort of accurate body count. The U.S. military’s policy towards keeping track of civilian casualties can be summed up by a statement by General Tommy Franks in Afghanistan: “We don’t do body counts.” The latest estimates by the esteemed medical journal, The Lancet? A shocking 655,000 deaths were estimated to have occurred by the end of last year. Where’s the justice for all of those dead men, women, and children? Where's the integrity of the military? I wouldn’t be able to respect myself for going along with this war.
3. Jing Mo concept of Caring:
Humanity and equality through honesty and frankness
I’ve talked to a marine who confirmed to me that they were told to “shoot anything that moved,” by their superiors in the opening stages of the war. With those words ringing in their ears, they were flung into an uncertain conflict in which any vehicle was a potential bomb, any civilian was a potential enemy combatant, and at any moment they could be headed back home in a box. After the initial stages of the war, countless Iraqis were left with no electricity, no water, no jobs, and no security for years (something that was promised to them along with freedom, liberty, equality and whatever other lofty ideal the Administration could think up). The U.S. military also regularly uses rounds with depleted uranium in them. The uranium dust from these rounds can have an extremely debilitating affect on anyone who breaths it in. Equality? Honesty? Frankness? Caring?? I think not.
4. Jing Mo concept of Words and Deeds:
A person's dealings are judged by his words and deeds
We were told by the administration that Iraq had the ability to attack us with chemical, biological, and/or nuclear weapons. Even though Hans Blix, after a long, laborious search, had confirmed there were no WMD’s in Iraq, Colin Powell, Condoleeza, Bush, Cheney, and friends used false evidence (Nigerian uranium, suspect radio transmissions), and a whole lot of manufactured fear to lead this country into a conflict that seemingly has no end. Shady dealings I'd say.
5. Jing Mo concept of Trustworthiness:
To keep every pledge and promise
Besides the above mentioned promises of electricity, water, jobs, and security for the Iraqis (something we are responsible for according to the Geneva Convention), everyone was promised that the war would be over quickly and that the Iraqi people would greet us as liberators. Who can forget GW in his flight suit on the USS Lincoln with that banner proclaiming “Mission Accomplished.” They promised everyone that all was well and that we were not going to get caught up in another quagmire like we were in Vietnam. The U.S. and the world would be happier and more secure than it has ever been. Wow!! Were they mistaken!! They lied about the WMD’S, they lied about their motives, and they lied when they assured the world it was going to be quick and painless.
6. Jing Mo concept of Punctuality:
To be punctual in appointment with no apology
George W. Bush and friends had to be punctual with one thing: ending the war. Like I said previously, they promised us that the war was pretty much “over.” Whether it was a question of more troops, better diplomacy, or a better understanding of the Iraqi people and their needs and desires, they have utterly failed. Of course, we should never have gone down this sad and unfortunate road to begin with. But, since they promised us a swift and painless victory, they might as well have delivered. Sadly, they haven’t.
7. Jing Mo concept of Justice:
To uphold justice impartially
Can anyone guess what I’m going to talk about next? Yep, you guessed it, Abu Ghraib. What happened at Abu Ghraib is not an isolated phenomenon. That was just one prison in Iraq. One can only speculate what it must be like in the 32 other prisons/torture centers across Iraq (I've read about things I can't even say here). The fact that most of the individuals incarcerated at prisons like Abu Ghraib were and are innocent (the U.S. Army has even admitted), is indicative of an atmosphere of prejudice against Arabs and Persians within the United States and it’s military. I hate to say this but it seems as though racism often plays a part in American foreign policy. Every “other” racial group from the Native Americans to almost every Asian denomination has known American firepower. Since time immemorial Arabic and Persian people have always been seen as enemies of the West. They've always been characterized as "crazy and fanatical." Just look at American movies and TV shows. This country hasn’t been just and impartial with the Iraqi people.
8. Jing Mo concept of Service:
To render service with honor
I know that many military personal have the best of intentions when it comes to serving this country. But when the smoke clears and the rest of the world, which is very critical of this country’s actions post 911, holds us accountable for allowing this country’s leadership to fall in the hands of tyrants and for going along with their madness, what will you say? What will you be able to tell your kids? There comes a time when one has to ask whether or not they are engaged in an honorable fight. Whether or not they are fighting for what’s right and just, or blindly following the orders of selfish and dishonorable men. No, I don’t believe George Bush, D!ck Cheney or any of their cohorts to be honorable men. I feel that it is a disgrace to our armed forces that they are calling the shots and deciding peoples fates. Why should anyone give them any credence at all when it comes to how we should fight a war? There has never been any “service with honor” rendered by these armchair warriors during actual combat, so why are they commanding the military? And why would anyone serve them for any other reason?
9. Jing Mo concept of Welfare:
To give and not to take
Once again, how can it be argued by anybody that this country is currently looking out for the welfare of the Iraqi people, when hundreds of thousands of them have been killed? They WERE better off under Saddam. But then again, it’s easy to see how their welfare could be overlooked when one sees how the welfare of our own troops is taken for granted. Many of our troops are headed for their third tour of duty and many of them are in the National Guard. I remember talking to a marine a couple of years ago about how under equipped our Guardsman were (some police departments across the country were even donating their Kevlar vests for these guys), and he was telling me that his own unit was sourly lacking in essential equipment. And what is this whole conflict for? So American oil companies can ransack the country of it’s oil, of course. Whose welfare is all of this really about?
10. Jing Mo concept of Fraternity:
To love others as you love yourself and your own family.
At this point, it may seem redundant to point out how much of a lack of love there is in the Middle East right now. But I think this concept can be clarified as having a Universal Love for all others no matter what color, creed, or religious denomination they may be from. When it comes to Iraq, there is obviously a serious lack of Universal Love; from all parties involved. Though I can’t help but be especially disappointed in my own government. The U.S. government proved itself to be a brutal, hegemonic power in the world after the invasion of Iraq. It certainly showed that our leaders don’t “love others as they love themselves.”
Jing Mo’s three virtues:
WISDOM: Man of Wisdom cannot be mislead
BENEVOLANCE: Man of Benevolence has no worry
COURAGE: Man of Courage has no fear
Lastly, I think it’s worth mentioning that the three virtues have helped me to get a clear perspective on the whole conflict. Anyone who is wise and benevolent can see that initiating a brutal war against the Iraqi people was wrong and we need more courageous people to openly say so.
Not that I support the war in Iraq but
I don't think the Bush admin (or any other admin) is bound by "jing mo" concepts. If my memory serves me right in the 2004 election it said "Republican" not "Jing Mo"
So I'm just going to go ahead and make everyone mad...
None of this has anything to do with Kung Fu. Perhaps we should talk about Kung Fu on a Kung Fu forum...
