Anti War Voices

 Blog #6

Recently, the topic of War has once again taken center stage in the United States as our country has involved itself into other country's wars. Two wars that are unfolding in this very moment include the war between Ukraine and Russia, and the Hamas-Israel war. 

According to PBS, the United States has allocated over $75 billion dollars to Ukraine in efforts to aid them in this war. In addition, the Biden administration is currently working towards allocating inventory from the Drawdown of Security that is said to be worth up to $125 million and they are also investing $300 million into the Ukraine Security Assistance initiative. As for the Hamas-Israel war, the Biden administration has recently asked Congress for $14 billion in order to support Israel. 

As these Wars continue to unfold, the Biden Administration continues to intervene by sending money and supplies to support Israel and Ukraine. In the United States, one of the jobs of American citizens is to keep the government in check, as this is one of the beauties of our democracy. With this sentiment in mind, one must remember that disagreeing with the government is part of the checks and balances system, as we have a right to not agree with every action our government undertakes.

When listening, watching, and reading the news there hardly seems to be any antiwar voices, despite the fact that war is a controversial topic. Recently, I have come to learn about the news platforms, "The American Conservative", and "Anti War news", and it shocked me to know I had never heard of or seen either platforms.

When reflecting on why one has to go to obscure platforms to listen to anti war opinions I think this has to do with our nation's history. This pattern is connected to the early establishment of our nation. For example, the Espionage Act of 1917 which essentially punished government employees who were against the war. On top of this, seeing how the Biden administration participated in censorship of Covid-19, I believe it is not a coincidence that antiwar voices are not easily found online. I truly believe there are manners that make it so anti war voices are being made hard to find for the public. Knowing this, I will be more mindful when looking at sources and thoroughly searching, as I want to be able to take into account a variety of views.