Turkey....

Apparently in Turkey, many of the trade unions are mobilizing thousands of workers in support of the war.

The Kurd progroms are starting. Apparently Kurds have been killed in many pro-war demonstrations in the big cities, coupled with the PKK "terrorists" being shot down by the Turkish army.

Nationalism is diametrically opposite to liberation. This is just "tragedy being repeated as a farce"--the state mobilizing workers to kill other workers for capitalist interests under one big, colorful flag.

This happens everywhere. Sensible americans who were opposing the war of Iraq when it just started were being accused of "anti-americanism". Whenever the state wants to spill blood, it tries to clean it up with big colorful flags and national anthems. After all, what sensible citizen is going to oppose what is in their nation's interest?

What is in the interest of a "nation" generally means what is in the interest of the state and the rich. There is nothing convenient for normal people about their brothers and sisters being sent to butcher other workers to fill the pockets of a few.

"Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel."

That is why internationalism is so important. No need to feel proud of something you didnt choose to be part of. In the same way that nobody is proud of being tall or having curly hair, nobody should be proud of a place just because he or she happened to be born in it. Identities are built by your conscious achievements--not by baggage handed to you arbitrarily.

Rejecting the nation means rejecting the arbitrary constructs of the rich. Embracing internationalism is the first step towards embracing liberation.