One Million Blogs for Peace Blog

Thirty-Third Tuesday Topic

2007-12-11T06:54:00.001-08:00

Given US President Bush's recent admission that Iran does not have and is not developing nuclear weapons, how much faith do you have in the information on which the US is basing its decisions?

Do you foresee another similar "revelation" about the status of Iraq?

What kind of information do you think, at this point, would bring the government to the realization that it's time to end the war?

Thirty-Second Tuesday Topic

2007-12-04T07:07:00.000-08:00

Several US National Guard units were recently notified that they will be going to war in Iraq and Afghanistan in summer 2009.

What do you think of this kind of advanced commitment to fighting these wars?

Do you think a change in administration will offer any more hope of a cessation of these conflicts?

Thirty-First Tuesday Topic

2007-11-27T07:16:00.001-08:00

What do you think of Bush's Middle East Peace Summit scheduled for this week in Annapolis?

Do you find it strange that this event is juxtaposed against the ongoing Iraq War?

Do you see any relation between peace in Israel and Palestine and peace in Iraq?

Thirtieth Tuesday Topic

2007-11-20T06:57:00.001-08:00

Would you ever personally visit Iraq in the near future?

Why or why not?

How would you want to spend your time there if you went?

Twenty-Ninth Tuesday Topic

2007-11-13T07:01:00.000-08:00

How do you think veterans of the Iraq War will be remembered in the United States and other countries?

Will they face the plight of Vietnam soldiers, disregarded with the shame of losing the war?

Or will they be lauded for signing up to kill for their country, even though the cause was unjust?

Twenty-Eighth Tuesday Topic

2007-11-06T06:43:00.001-08:00

Do you think the United States will continue to back Musharraf as he tightens dictatorial control over Pakistan?

If so, what does that say about the American commitment to democracy?

How do you think the situation in Pakistan will impact the Iraq War?

Twenty-Seventh Tuesday Topic

2007-10-30T06:47:00.000-07:00

Did you participate in the widespread protests of the war on Saturday, October 27th?

Whether you went or not, what did you think of this effort?

How do you think the peace movement can be more effective in conveying its message?

Twenty-Sixth Tuesday Topic

2007-10-22T22:21:00.001-07:00

Rather than steering clear of the conflict in Iraq, Turkey is now getting involved in the conflict by making incursions in northern Iraq against the Kurds.

Do you think this can be prevented? If so, how?

Do you think this could have been avoided earlier? If so, how?

Twenty-Fifth Tuesday Topic

2007-10-16T05:50:00.001-07:00

What do you think of the decision to award Al Gore the Nobel Peace Prize?

Twenty-Fourth Tuesday Topic

2007-10-09T06:44:00.001-07:00

Much has been made lately of the United States' reliance on private security firms, such as Blackwater, to prosecute the war in Iraq.

What do you think of this practice?

Does a privatized military force accountable to corporate (rather than government) leadership concern you?

Twenty-Third Tuesday Topic

2007-10-02T06:44:00.001-07:00

At a recent U.S. Democratic debate, the top three contenders for that party's nomination (Hillary Clinton, Barrack Obama, and John Edwards) all said that their administration might leave American troops in Iraq until at least January 20, 2013.

For a second straight election, it seems almost certain that the United States will be prosecuting a war that the majority of the country opposes while having no major-party candidates who are against the war.

How can the two-party system be circumvented to prevent war without end?

The YouTube Challenge and Recent Dormancy

2007-10-02T06:14:00.000-07:00

Hello Peace Bloggers!

I must apologize for the recent dormancy of the OMBFP project. I admit that I have been a little disheartened by the turnout for the YouTube Challenge. In the first 34 days of the challenge, I received 3 submissions, none of which met the criteria laid out for the competition. Two were music videos from early summer and one was a Panasonic commercial.

With less than 2 weeks to go, I did receive this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FG9dnaKzAWs
Which I guess wins by default, though I'm still not entirely sure of the message that it sends. I can gather from the context of the people submitting it that it's supposed to be anti-war, but the line "there's a war and we're in it and I know we can win it" backdropping images of troops fighting in Iraq sends a somewhat dubious message.

While I initially took the low turnout as a sign of disinterest in the project and OMBFP generally, I think it's more my fault. This challenge just doesn't seem to resonate with the OMBFP community... some people wrote to object to having challenges set up as competitions at all. So I find myself at a bit of a crossroads in having to re-evaluate the types of events, virtual rallies, or "competitions" that we are going to have here at all.

Finally, I think I've experienced some of the fatigue that can easily plague the peace movement at a time where nearly everyone in the United States who could be considered a "leader" is either defending the war or giving lip-service to being anti-war while planning to maintain the war for years to come. Where is our Eugene McCarthy? During Vietnam in 1968, Eugene McCarthy (running almost exclusively on an anti-war platform) took 42% of the New Hampshire primary vote against incumbent LBJ, leading directly to both RFK entering the race and LBJ withdrawing. Today, we have candidates who claim to be looking for a way out of Iraq, but say troops will likely stay there till 2013. It's hard to get excited when Dennis Kucinich, a third-party candidate, or a non-violent coup look like the only legitimate hopes we have.

For now, I will continue to try to come up with projects that match up to what you, the OMBFP community, are looking for. And of course continue to register new blogs and fill up our numbers. As always, I am open to suggestions!

Twenty-Second Tuesday Topic

2007-08-28T06:46:00.001-07:00

What do you think of Nouri al-Maliki's leadership?

Do you think it is the place of non-Iraqi politicians to criticize his work in attempting to unite Iraq?

Do you think the USA would attempt to oust him as they did with "uncooperative" South Vietnamese leaders during the Vietnam War?

YouTube Challenge Begins - Post Videos Now!

2007-08-14T21:25:00.000-07:00

The time has come to begin the YouTube Challenge!

Here are your four easy steps to participation:

1. If you haven't already, record or construct a video.
2. Go to YouTube and upload your video.
3. Send a link to your YouTube video URL to peace@bluepyramid.org.
4. Go to the YouTube Challenge page to track your video's progress and see others' videos!

I look forward to seeing everyone's creations!

Twenty-First Tuesday Topic

2007-08-14T06:56:00.000-07:00

Do you trust any of the current United States Presidential candidates to end the war?

Where do you think the standing of the war will be by January 20, 2009?

Twentieth Tuesday Topic

2007-08-07T06:55:00.000-07:00

While the original justification for invading Iraq was the false allegation that they held weapons of mass-destruction, much of the argumentation shifted to ideas of spreading democracy in the Middle East as the war dragged on.

Do you think democracy as a concept has been helped or hindered by the invasion and occupation of Iraq?

Where do you see democracy in the Middle East in ten years? In twenty?

Announcing the YouTube Challenge!

2007-08-01T21:50:00.000-07:00

We are proud to announce the YouTube Challenge, set to begin Wednesday, August 15th!

All the details can be found here:
YouTube Challenge.

YouTube Video "August" Challenge Delayed 2 Weeks

2007-07-31T17:56:00.000-07:00

The "August" Challenge will be starting on Wednesday, August 15th instead of tomorrow. An e-mail and website updates to this effect will be going out shortly.

Thank you.

Nineteenth Tuesday Topic

2007-07-30T22:24:00.000-07:00

According to Oxfam in this report, a great number of basic elements of quality of life have been drastically reduced in Iraq by the invasion.

How long do you think it will take to restore these to pre-invasion levels?

Do you think there is a way to convey the stark negative impact of the invasion on the Iraqi people to those who still believe it was a good idea?

Eighteenth Tuesday Topic

2007-07-24T07:07:00.000-07:00

What gives you hope about the current situation in Iraq?

Seventeenth Tuesday Topic

2007-07-10T06:50:00.000-07:00

Are you planning on participating in the upcoming August Challenge at One Million Blogs for Peace?

It will entail making a YouTube video promoting peace in Iraq and One Million Blogs for Peace.

Why will you or will you not be participating?

Sixteenth Tuesday Topic

2007-07-02T18:56:00.001-07:00

With America's birthday tomorrow, how do you feel the American Revolution works as a parallel to the Iraq War?

Would the United States have cooperated with French occupation for years after they assisted in the revolution?

Can self-determination be enforced?

Fifteenth Tuesday Topic

2007-06-25T18:15:00.001-07:00

We all want the Iraq War to end tomorrow.

But when do you think it will end?

Explain what you think will change or what events will transpire to eventually end the War.

Anarcho-Judaism's Carnival for Peace

2007-06-25T07:06:00.000-07:00

Their second edition is up here!

Some great stuff, including comprehensive responses to many Tuesday Topics. Check it out!

Tuesday Topic #15 later today...

Fourteenth Tuesday Topic

2007-06-19T06:27:00.000-07:00

According to this report by the Fund for Peace, Iraq ranks as the second least stable country in their Failed States Index (Afghanistan ranks eighth).

Given this fact (and Somalia's presence at third), what do you think the overall impact of foreign invasion is on a country?

Has the era of invading a nation to install a new government been exposed as a failure?

If not, can you provide an example of a country that has stablized as the result of invasion since World War II?