"private" service announcement

i express myself
supposing that i just can't help it

there is a need
in some
to get out what's inside

holding it in
feels more than impossible
it feels unsafe

restraint
understanding
the ability to truly listen
comes with age

hopefully we learn
that what's inside of us
isn't always valid to everyone else
and that sometimes keeping yourself to yourself
is best

but
listening is the key
not just hearing
really listening...


i had an interaction recently
with a member of my family

it was unplanned, random, brief
(and worst of all, happened over the telephone)
the situation involved me trying to make him feel stupid
for watching "dancing with the stars"
which i consider to be, perhaps, the root of all evil

i was trying to make a point that
like most reality t.v.
this particular show is a diversion from the fact that we are at war

now, it wasn't the first time i've said this
nor will it likely be the last
but it was the first time i'd brought the topic up to this person
in months
so, i was somewhat surprised to hear his response

"you've got to get over this obsession."
"what obsession?" i replied
"your obsession with this war."

o.k. let's back up just a bit

first of all
i'm a hypocrite
i'm totally a hypocrite for even beginning to judge someone else's
decision to watch
"dancing with the stars"
"american idol"
"wheel of fortune"
or endless professional and collegiate sports coverage

when i myself read perez hilton religiously
while recording
"project runway"
"the l word"
and "real world/ road rules challenges"

certainly we all need distractions
in times of war or peace

but what i have a problem with
is that so many americans act as if we aren't at war

as if over 4,000 american soldiers aren't dead
as if we haven't already spent well over $508,505,000,000
as if we haven't been in iraq longer than it took to fight the civil war or either of the world wars

we are very much a nation at war
and will be paying the cost of that fact for the rest of our lifetimes

paying that cost in dollars and cents by the billions
paying that cost in hospitals for soldiers who return damaged on the inside or out
paying that cost in our destroyed standing as leaders of the free world
paying that cost in the countless new terrorists we've created by occupying a nation that never attacked us
paying that cost in broken families across the globe

i for one believe in the bumper-sticker wisdom that "war is nothing more than terrorism with a bigger budget"
that war should ALWAYS be a last resort
that our soldiers should never be sent into harm's way unless there are no other options

and that, fundamentally, "dancing with the stars" is somehow, inexplicably evil
(ok i may be joking a little bit on that one)

but seriously
we are a universe in love with our television sets
lord knows, that if there is any addiction in my life presently
t.v. would be it

but if we're going to be watching
there is SO MUCH more to see
"intervention" on a&e
"real time with bill maher" on hbo
"frontline" and their two night series "bush's war" on pbs
hell, even the first thirty minutes of "the view" can be illuminating
and just today, oprah did an amazing piece on puppy mills and humane animal treatment

there is war coverage
and other things to take our minds away
the two can and should exist harmoniously

i don't know
i guess to the outside observer i can seem a tiny bit obsessed with this war
but it honestly doesn't feel that way to me

i haven't lost a brother or a sister or a cousin or a friend
i haven't returned from combat dazed, lost, ecstatic or harmed

i'm just a person who wants it to be over
who realized a long time ago that this war could not be won
who wants the world to be safe, or safer, but knows this isn't the way

i think the truest form of patriotism
in times like these
is to keep the soldiers in your hearts
to scream and fight on the behalf of each of them
to not forget, like so many others, that they are still in harm's way

even more, i think the truest form of humanity
is to think about every living soul in that region of the world
each one precious
each one deserving of peace


THE VIDEO BELOW IS A MUST WATCH
LESS THAN A MINUTE AND A HALF
I'VE HAD IT ON MY MYSPACE PAGE FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS
IT CHANGES EVERYTHING.