My Thoughts on Signing A Petition To Save Lebanon

This is a copy of the email sent on 25 July 2006 and my response to a request to sign a petition to call attention to the plight of the Lebanese people trapped in the war between Israel and the Hezbollah militia...

Subject: sign to save LebanonDate: Wed, 19 Jul 2006 07:44:47 +0000
Please go to http://julywar.epetition.net/and sign the Save the Lebanese Civilians Petition and forward this invitation to your friends.

Lebanese civilians have been under the constant attack of the state of Israel for several days. The State of Israel, in disregard to international law and the Geneva Convention, is launching a maritime and air siege targeting the entire population of the country. Innocent civilians are being collectively punished in Lebanon by the state of Israel in deliberate acts of terrorism as described in Article 33 of the Geneva Convention.
http://julywar.epetition.net

HM2 Gutierrez wrote:

Everyone...

I apologize for the long-winded diatribe - but, once I got on a roll, I could not stop! It is something I feel that needed to be said and something that I truly feel strongly about. I am not here to offend - I am here to merely say that there are two sides to every story and I am seeing this story from all sides. There is no hate speach to be found here - only a note of hope - that's all!...


To My Fellow Brothers and Sisters on this singularly wild journey called "life"

I have been labeled as a "warrior", but I am not a warring man. A warrior knows that peace is something that is strived for constantly and that the brutal blade of war is brought to bear only when it is absolutely necessary - just as it is when using a knife blade; the cutter must be skilled and the edges of the tool sharp and precise. A dull blade will yield ragged edges, more work and more mess to clean-up later. A warrior is always prepared for war and knows exactly what must be done. His pathway, resolve and spirit must be as clear and as uncluttered as the plan for resolution and peace is.
As a private citizen whose job it is to heal and not harm, I will admit to the fact that humanitarian aid and not sectarian violence will assist in decreasing the amount of innocent blood spilled on Lebanese soil.

We can sit and point fingers all day long as to who is right and who is wrong. None of the parties involved want to take responsibility for their actions and are quick to hide behind religious fanaticism or protectionist ideals rather than point the finger of blame at themselves and their own selfish ignorance...

What can be even more worse than ignorance is human indifference to the suffering of all parties involved. There can be no lasting peace or justice to be found as long as there is indifference, irresponsibility and ignorance at work against the process.

As a man of the military, my opinion is moot. I am first and foremost a professional whose wisdom is gained through knowledge, successes and many, many failures - The breadth of my knowledge is such that I have witnessed first-hand what ignorance, fear and hate can do to any human being:

I have felt the stinging tears and bitter cries of remorse during the death my fellow brother in arms...

I have been penetrated by the cold and hardened steel edge of a blade known as "vendetta" ...

I have handed out food and water to the starving.

I have healed the wounded and attended to their needs..

I have assisted the dying with providing them comfort, compassion and dignity...

All of this taken into account, I am afraid that my name on a petition or letter will not get the people of Lebanon the help they desperately deserve or need. It will not remove the organization known as Hezbollah - it will not move back the thousands of Israeli troops within Southern Lebanon. It will not get the parties involved to recognize what they are doing is wrong. It will not convince them to look at the Geneva Conventions Charter Articles or empower them to sit down and discuss a peaceful and lasting resolution. It is just one name on a piece of electronic paper - and by all accounts, worthless.

What can be done to make a difference? Action! The actions of not just one person, but the actions of many working as one. Writing your name on a document is not action - getting relief supplies to the needy, assisting in the setting up of shelters or refugee camps, collecting donations for food or volunteering with the Red Cross to actually go to Lebanon and assist - now THAT is making a difference on a human level!

You have the ability to make a difference - don't think about it - don't talk about it - just do it!...

Action is needed on ALL levels - not meaningless promises and hollow words! We must ALL bring pressure to bear upon the very governments responsible for this hate, fear and ignorance and move the warring factions to drop their weapons and resolve their differences through talk and compromise. Honest dialect with truth, compromise and solid foundations for planning and implementing are what is truly needed!...

The transition toward a cease-fire and the providing humanitarian support to the area has taken a back seat to political posturing and terrorism in the form of rockets, bombs, and soldiers. Unfortunately, you have many sections of faith and differing political idealists pulling the table of peace apart to fuel the fires of their own causes. How can you sit to a table to discuss peace when even the chairs are being used for kindling?

There is a Farsi saying, "Adam bayad hamisheh omid dashteh bashad" which says, "One must always have hope" - I have hope that someday we will be able to look back and see the ignorance of our costly wars and ways. I have hope that as a race we will be able to transcend and rise above the clouds of despair to become better human beings and even closer humanitarians instead of self-serving "individuals." I have a hope that someday all of my children will look to me and thank me for my role of being an instrument of peace, understanding soother and compassionate healer. I do not want to be remembered or eulogized as a terrorist, political pawn or radical idealist hell bent on destruction and death. I am trying hard to make the world our children inherit a better one than the one I have come know, I am trying hard to shed my skin of "self-service" and move more toward a global realization that we are all in this pursuit of happiness together...

At this time, It is still not too late to make a difference - It is too late when indifference, criticism and pessimism are the standards and compassionate action the course of last resort.

You have the ability to make a difference - now you just have to want to do it! It is my sincere hope that something in this note will spark you, move you or at least point your moral compass in another direction. I would hope that you will come to realize that at the expense of your own time, sweat and muscle, you can earn all the praise, gratification and job-satisfaction to last a lifetime by showing just an ounce of love, a moment of compassion and a little effort on your part - the rest will hopefully take care of itself...

Sincerely,
P.A. Gutierrez
Somewhere In Africa providing military and humanitarian support with passionate enthusiasm and a smile...