The Supplemental

The supplemental bill was a big bloggy topic over the last few days, even driving some bloggers to exhaustion. I followed some of the discussion and am very impressed by the dedication to and knowledge of the legislative process that is illustrated in so much of what's been written. As I've said before, you're not going to find a smarter or more thoughtful set of people than what inhabits blogtopia (hail, skippy). My position on the supplemental is a little bit different and a lot less erudite:

If you want Congress to stop this war, then give them the cover they need to do it. There's only one way to do that - get out of your homes and to a peace vigil or march. If you can't find one, start one. When you are in your homes, you should be writing letters to the editors of your local papers decrying this war and demanding its instant end. Don't worry about being the guy who figures out the perfect retreat. Don't be distracted by threats of future reprisals against peaceniks - even though you know that they will come and that they will even come from the Left, which will hurt like a special sort of hell.

Iraq isn't called a "quagmire" because the word is fun to say. We are, thanks to a few very evil men, stuck in a lethal, immoral, intractable situation with no good options. No. Good. Options. But we live in a republic. We still have our First Amendment Rights. In fact, I would argue that they are all we have. They don't end with the press and religion. Blog away, say a prayer of your choice and then get out and use your right to speech, assembly, and petition. Be visible. Be at your representatives' offices. Be on street corners. Create a movement so strong that members of Congress will have the power they need not to be afraid to act. Give them a reason to believe that when the dochstosslegende comes - and it will come in force - they may survive it. No guarantees on that score. But at least give them a reason to hope. It's what American citizens are supposed to do.