Brilliant ideas

The first brilliant idea is from Heather and Beth, who offered to drive Tessa home from gymnastics so that I could rest. I took them up on it - Heather had the carseat, so she's actually doing the favor, but I'm grateful to them both. THANK YOU Heather for taking Tessa for a couple of hours to prevent me from melting down!

My second brilliant idea came while I was listening to NPR in the car on the way back from gymnastics, sans Tessa. I don't usually listen with her because it's too hard to multitask and listen to full articles with her interruptions, and because often the subject matter is too adult for her.

So today I was listening about the horrors of the war in Iraq, and it came to me. I have a solution!

My solution: the US gov't withdraws entirely. Wait, don't stop reading, there's more. In their place, the US gov't pays maybe 1/3 of the current annual costs of the war to humanitarian organizations to go in there and fix things.

Habitat for Humanity could help rebuild people's homes
Amnesty International could start righting some wrongs
The Peace Corp could get involved
....and just about any other decent organization you can think of. We'd send over a bunch of do-gooders who didn't have a political or financial motive, and we'd leave it to them to fix it. We'd provide them with funding to fix it themselves.

Frankly, I'm convinced that it would cost a lot less to have a bunch of do-gooders over there cobbling solutions together than it would to have people out on the streets shooting each other and blowing things up. Especially when it's about blowing families up.....

Don't tell me my plan is flawed. Don't tell me that I'm a liberal optimist and that I haven't thought it through. Don't tell me that the US Gov't is strong and powerful and if they can't fix it then how are a bunch of civilians going to do anything. Don't even say a word! Just imagine the possibilities. I know that the "unrest" there (what a euphemism) isn't simple. I know! I know that there are many, many problems to solve. I know I probably haven't named the best groups for the job.

But imagine the possibilities. Imagine people working together as a community. Imagine trying to end a war with love, not weapons.

Good God I'm trying to be John Lennon - and look how he ended up. Yikes.

Anyway, I know that I'm a liberal-optmist-pascifist-unschooled-in-political-theory-etc. I know. I don't care. I'm so sick of this war - of all wars, of course, but we hear the most about this war - and frankly I don't think I've heard a single plan better than my plan yet. There HAS to be a better way! My way costs less money (hey I do have a degree in economics, for those of you who have forgotten), acknowledges humans' basic needs (dignity, respect, free speech, FOOD, housing, safety, etc.) and offers alternatives never currently used so nobody can prove to me that they wouldn't work.

So I like my plan. Call me whatever names you want, but don't post them here. This isn't a political blog, and I'm not a politico (obviously). It's just that this war is so **** frustrating to me. Mothers like me are losing sons and daughters. IT IS NOT OKAY.

Getting off my soapbox now.