Some countries provide college scholarships, job training and career opportunities for young people--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"Our children are not born to hate, they are raised to hate."--Thomas della Peruta

See: October Ends: Deadly Month Is Finally Over, NPR, 10.31.06
See: Kerry, White House spar over comment on Iraq
See: Myths of Military Opportunity
See: Veterans Return From Iraq Disabled and Homeless, DemocracyNOW!, 12.13.04
See: Study Details Mental Health of War Veterans
Image: Web capture

Some countries have a free press--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"Only a free and unrestrained press can effectively expose deception in government."--Hugo Black, Supreme Court Justice

Josh Wolf Blog: The Revolution Will Be Televised
Jail Time For Journalists: The Government Crackdown on Reporters, Democracy Now!, 09.15.06
Image: Steve Rhodes, photo of independent journalist Josh Wolf.

Some countries fund necessary and valuable youth programs without forcing children to sell cookies, sell raffle tickets, hold bake sales, or wash cars--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"War is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious."--General Smedley Butler
See: Pentagon Holds Bake Sale, The Onion
Image: Web capture. Kids should play and be kids, not impressed as sales agents for corporate baking interests.

Some countries regulate energy companies, tax fuel to fund research and encourage conservation, and pursue sustainable transportation alternatives--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"A man who says that no patriot should attack the war until it is over...is saying no good son should warn his mother of a cliff until she has fallen."--G. K. Chesterton

See: Exxon profits rise to $10.49B in 3Q
See: Exxpose Exxon
See: Freedom From Oil
See: Bike Commuting Tips Blog
Image: Web capture

Some countries prioritize science, research, and medicine instead of superstition--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"Never believe any war will be smooth and easy, or that anyone who embarks on the strange voyage can measure the tides and hurricanes he will encounter."--Winston Churchill

See: Michael J. Fox, Parkinson’s and Stem Cells, New York Times, 10.25.06
See: Religious Right Hijacks Stem Cell Debate, CommonDreams.org
Image: YouTube.com

Some countries encourage environmental concern--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"You cannot be on one hand dedicated to peace and on the other dedicated to violence. Those two things are irreconcilable."--Condoleeza Rice

See: Californians Against Waste
See: Fast Food Nation: The Movie
Image: Web capture

Some countries provide full scholarship support for all students--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently."--Friedrich Nietzsche

See: FreeHigherEd.org
Image: Web capture

Some countries act to prevent gun violence--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"Statism needs war; a free country does not. Statism survives by looting; a free country survives by producing."--Ayn Rand

See: Brady Campaign to End Gun Violence
Image: G.B. Trudeau, Doonesbury.com

Some countries encourage alternative modes of transportation--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"Bicycling: A quiet statement against oil wars"--Committee for Full Enjoyment

See: City CarShare || Flexcar || Zipcar || Live Car-Free || Bike Commuting
San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
Bikes Not Bombs
Image: Paul Dorn

Some countries encourage tolerance, fight bigotry, and protect equal rights for everyone--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"Peace and friendship with all mankind is our wisest policy, and I wish we may be permitted to pursue it."--Thomas Jefferson

See: California appeals court upholds ban on gay marriage
See: The case for gay marriage, The Economist, 02.26.04
See: Equality California
See: Marriage Equality USA
Image: Web capture

Some countries make efforts to reduce pet overpopulation, minimize unnecessary suffering, and stop animal cruelty--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"Man is the only animal that is cruel. It kills just for the sake of it."--Mark Twain

See: Stop Puppy Mills, Humane Society of the United States
See: Get the facts on Puppy Mills
See: Prisoners of Greed
See: PuppyMill Rescue
Image: Web capture

Some countries don't live in constant fear of their neighbors--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"Lead this people into war and they'll forget there ever was such a thing as tolerance. To fight you must be brutal and ruthless and the spirit of ruthlessness will enter into the very fiber of our national life, infecting Congress, the courts, the policeman on the beat, the man in the street."--Woodrow Wilson

See: Bush signs bill paying for new border fence, Reuters, 10.04.06
See: Mexico asks Bush to veto border fence bill, Reuters, 10.02.06
See: Life and Death on the Border, Socialist Worker
See: “Berlin Wall” Across U.S.-Mexico Border Will Destroy Endangered Species
See: Wildlife and Border Policy
Image: Web capture

Some countries value intelligence, taste, and good sense--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"Peace is not an absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice"--Baruch Spinoza

See: The Anti-SUV Portal
See: Blather: SUV's Basically Suck
See: DumbCelebs.com: Ashton Kutcher's New Truck
Image: Web capture ("International CXT: It doesn't just command attention; it demands it." Huh? What genius wrote that lame ad copy. I tried my hand: "If you're stupid enough to buy the International CXT, we'll throw in the complimentary 'moron' tattoo!" Of course, nobody would buy this without tax subsidies and lax CAFE standards; smart policy that.)

Some countries provide a home for everyone--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"The very existence of armaments and great armies psychologically accustoms us to accept the philosophy of militarism. They inevitably increase fear and hate in the world."--Norman Thomas
Image: Paul Dorn

Some countries provide free or low-cost prescription drugs to everyone--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"It's more humane to cure your enemies than to kill them."--Hugh Mann
See: "U.S. to Allow Canadian Drug Imports", Los Angeles Times, 10.04.06
See: The Great Medicare Fraud, Counterpunch.org
Image: Web capture

Some countries get clean, open public toilets--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter."--Mark Twain

Image: Paul Dorn. Yes, this is a repeated theme, but the lack of clean public toilets really "pisses" me off (pun intended).

Some countries accomplish necessary social tasks with well-paid public employees instead of relying on well-intentioned volunteers--and some countries get a war and occupation in Iraq.

"Of all the enemies to public liberty, war is perhaps the most to be dreaded because it comprises and develops the germ of every other."--James Madison

See: Bay Area volunteers turn out to pull weeds, pick up trash, San Francisco Chronicle, 10.01.06
See: Is State-Sanctioned Volunteerism a Step Toward Patriotism or Slavery?
See: Presidents Urge a Fictitious Volunteerism on America
See: The Truth About the Red Cross
See: Citizenship or Slavery
Image: Web capture