Our Government's Behavior is Simply Unacceptable
Moriah Arnold gave the following speech, slightly edited here, to the more than 100,000 people who protested against the war in Iraq at the United for Peace and Justice demonstration in Washington DC, January 27, 2007.
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Hello everyone! My name is Moriah Arnold from Massachusetts. I am 12 years old, and I have something to say to our government about the war in Iraq.
In my family, when my brother and I do something wrong, we are told that our behavior is unacceptable. My parents tell us that we should use our voices, instead of being physical. We are taught to respect ourselves, and more importantly, to respect others. Well, I don't know about you, but it looks like our government has forgotten about these basic human principles, principles that make us a civilized society. Our government's behavior is simply unacceptable!
The two things that bother me the most about this war are how we got into it and what it has done to our country. We got into this war because our leaders said Iraq was dangerous and told us Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. We were told that the terrorists we were fighting because of the attacks of September 11, 2001 were in Iraq. Now we know that none of that was true and that our leaders either lied to us or hid the truth. Now, there are perhaps 100,000 Iraqis and over 3000 of our own soldiers that are dead -- and for what?
We also entered this war with an attitude that we were better than everyone else. We insisted that we were right and almost everyone else was wrong. We went to Iraq to force our beliefs, our form of government, and our own ways on their people. There is no excuse for thinking that we are better than anyone else. Because of our actions the rest of the world now sees us as a bully and a liar. We are now more despised and have more enemies than before the war. We are also a more divided country. This war did not make America safer. It has made the world more dangerous!
Do you know that:
War causes death, orphans, and broken families?
War leads to human rights abuses?
War creates fear and hate?
War breeds lies?
War has negative long-term effects on soldiers and civilians?
War diverts energy and destroys the environment?
War robs us of material and financial resources?
War breeds more war?
War is just an excuse?
And it is through peace that we can heal.
Peace leads to justice and ensures human rights.
Peace nurtures love and kindness.
Peace tells the truth.
Peace brings us together so we can work to solve the problems we face on this earth.
Peace liberates our hearts and our minds.
I encourage the youth of America to rise up and join together to show our government that we have a voice. Tell our government leaders that changes need to be made, that there are other ways of solving problems and helping people than with violence. Tell them that enough is enough, and we want to end the war now!
It's not too late to change our ways and to do things differently. With just a little effort, each of you can reach out to members of your communities and get people thinking about how the war affects them and the world around them.
On January 11, 2007, I set up a table in our school cafeteria during lunch, and in 30 minutes I collected 98 signatures from fellow students, teachers, and other adults. I have sent these signatures to my state representatives to let them know that there are people in my town that want the war to end! So, start talking to your neighbors and your friends. Find ways to band together into a larger, bigger voice and be heard!
To be heard is a basic human right that many people do not even have in this world. But it is one of the many rights and freedoms we have as Americans. Shouldn't we choose to exercise our freedoms in inspiring ways? Shouldn't we be a great country because we care about others and we respect others?
Do your part to speak up and be heard! It's time to start rebuilding the trust and respect in America that we have lost because of this war.
Thank you!
