U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton today invited Russia to join the United States in its deployment of a “Missile Defense Shield”, a continuation of the program the Bush Administration started during his terms in office.

The term “missile defense shield” is a deadly misnomer. Missiles are extremely difficult to shoot down. Defending against a missile attack is, likewise, extremely difficult. Some (or many) of your interceptors will miss. Your enemy may deploy an unknown number of decoy missiles. You may not have enough time to launch your interceptors once an attack is launched. For all these reasons and more, “missile defense shields” are hardly useful, and hardly ever really intended for defense.

More often, and quite logically considering who is constructing them, they are a first strike weapon. That is, you build a defense shield to protect yourself from any remaining missiles that are launched after your first strike attack lands upon your target (in the case of nuclear missiles, killing millions or billions).

The United States has also declared who this (first strike) missile system is aimed at: Iran and countries like it (a.k.a. countries that threaten U.S. hegemony in any way, shape, or form). Progressives in the U.S. and elsewhere should defend against the construction of such offensive weapons. During the intertwined crises of recession and climate chaos, what we need is billions of dollars invested in repowering our future and economy with clean renewable energy and millions of good green jobs.

“One way or another, Neo, this war is going to end. Tonight, the future of both worlds will be in your hands… or in his.” - The Oracle, Matrix Revolutions

“It is necessary, with bold spirit and in good conscience, to save civilization. The bare and barren tree can be made green again. Are we not ready?” - Antonio Gramsci

The leaders of my generation are quickly coming to a sobering realization: the actions they take within the next few years will determine whether future generations will be alive to enjoy the gift of life on earth.

I often think how special a gift it is that I’m alive. Despite the improbability of my existence, given that my life could have ended long ago; that my life might have not even begun - or that my parents might have birthed a different person; that if my parents, or grandparents, or great-parents, or any one of my ancestors had not existed, then I would not have; that human history could have went in any of an infinite directions which would have prevented my birth; that humanity might not have evolved the way it did; that just a few less or a few more mutations in our ancestral species would have meant humans would have not existed; that any removing any single species form which we evolved - all the way back to single-celled organisms - would have meant we wouldn’t be here; that we exist on a habitable planet, the only planet we thus know of on which life can be sustained; and that the universe developed in such a way that this entire process could begin; despite all of this, I am here. This several-billion year chain of events is, to say the least, quite humbling. It is that humbleness that should lead us to end global warming: to save humanity, to protect the environment, and to ensure the survivability of the only life-bearing planet we know of. This is our generational task.

Gary Bauer, the archconservative candidate for the GOP nomination for the presidency in 2000 bluntly described how he sees political struggles in the United States: “We are engaged in a social, political, and cultural war. There’s a lot of talk in America about pluralism. But the bottom line is somebody’s values will prevail. And the winner gets the right to teach our children what to believe.”

The only problem with the truth value of this statement is that it doesn’t go far enough. As the Oracle in The Matrix said, one way or another this war is going to end. We are engaged in what can only be described as a war. And the stakes are higher than they’ve ever been before. If we win, we can usher in a revolutionary democratic, participatory economic, feminist, intercommunalist, and ecologically just society. Should we lose, it will quite literally mean the deaths of millions and the displacement of billions, with increased levels of genocide, war, poverty, hunger, disease, and all manner of social ills on a yearly basis. While this dichotomy is overly-simplified, our choice is quite literally utopia or dystopia.

Which one do you want?

From Iraq Veterans Against the War:

“Sgt. Matthis Chiroux, who served in the Army until being honorably discharged last summer after over four years of service in Afghanistan, Japan, Europe and the Phillipines, today publicly announced his intention to refuse orders to deploy to Iraq.

Sgt. Chiroux made his announcement in the Cannon House Office Building Rotunda after members of Iraq Veterans Against the War testified before the Congressional Progressive Caucus during Winter Soldier on the Hill.
Sgt. Chiroux made the following statement to the press:

Good afternoon. My name is Sgt. Matthis Chiroux, and I served in the Army as a Photojournalist until being honorably discharged last summer after over four years of service in Afghanistan, Japan, Europe and the Phillipines. As an Army journalist whose job it was to collect and filter servicemember’s stories, I heard many stomach-churning testimonies of the horrors and crimes taking place in Iraq. For fear of retaliation from the military, I failed to report these crimes, but never again will I allow fear to silence me. Never again will I fail to stand.

In February, I received a letter from the Army ordering my return to active duty, for the purpose of mobilization for Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Thanks in great part to the truths of war being fearlessly spoken by my fellow IVAW members, I stand before you today with the strength, clarity and resolve to declare to the military and the world that this Soldier will not be deploying to Iraq.

This occupation is unconstitutional and illegal and I hereby lawfully refuse to participate as I will surely be a party to war crimes. Furthermore, deployment in support of illegal war violates all of my core values as a human being, but in keeping with those values, I choose to remain in the United States to defend myself from charges brought by the Army if they so wish to pursue them. I refuse to participate in the occupation of Iraq.

To donate to IVAW’s Legal Fund to support Matthis and other servicemembers who are refusing to support the occupation of Iraq, use our online donation form and select “Legal Fund” under special projects.

If you would like to send a message of support to Sgt Matthis Chiroux, email thankyoumatthis@ivaw.org.”