A Reflection Upon the State of Turmoil
Mar. 19th, 2003 04:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sathorThe world seems in an uproar after Bush's decision to go to war, though you don't get to see much of the protests on your local mass propaganda machine. Ever since 9/11 there's been the idea that we are the good people and everyone else is bad, and if we cause them harm, who cares, as long as we are safe. It saddens me greatly to see a nation and it's people in a mental state such as this - one, which is a reminder of the way Hitler and his people were in the past.
Fanaticism and radicals abound now (don't those words remind you of the suicide terrorists?), people who feel we should destroy all those that lie in our path to an easier life, or to a safer world. These people, however, will not take a step back and look at it from the "enemy's" point of view. How would you feel if the Iraqis had the stronger military, and were constantly saying we could not fly airplanes in a certain area, and that we basically were staring down the barrel of an armored tank?
I doubt you would like it.
"War is Hell." There are no winners, only losers. You can say "We must do what we must do." but have you ever asked why we must do it? You can say, "Because Iraq has chemical and biological weapons." but where is your proof? The propaganda you are fed by the mass media? Did you know a Cleveland based club banned C-SPAN from broadcasting a speech by Supreme Court judge Scalia? At this same time, C-SPAN was going to be awarded with a "Free Speech" award (Ironic, isn't it?). In this speech, Scalia stated that in wartime, citizen's rights would be stripped down to their "constitutional minimum." This means, my fellow readers; I could possibly be prosecuted for terrorism just by writing this column, to inform you.
I would look at this war from Bush's point of view, but I am incapable of such a thing. I do not see things in black in white like him. I have tried, and failed to see a point to it. If we were imperialist back when we took this land we now call our home ruthlessly from the Indians, why did we step in the way of the Germans in WWI? Or stop Iraq from taking Kuwait? I will tell you - too many people see things in black and white.
The only way to fix the problems we now hold is to think of things in more than one way. You must put yourself in the position of the "enemy". See how you would feel of your way of life could be jeopardized by an incoming army, or obliterated outright by that army's gunfire. I only know that if we continue to believe everything we see and hear, we will soon be under the whim of our captors.
Fanaticism and radicals abound now (don't those words remind you of the suicide terrorists?), people who feel we should destroy all those that lie in our path to an easier life, or to a safer world. These people, however, will not take a step back and look at it from the "enemy's" point of view. How would you feel if the Iraqis had the stronger military, and were constantly saying we could not fly airplanes in a certain area, and that we basically were staring down the barrel of an armored tank?
I doubt you would like it.
"War is Hell." There are no winners, only losers. You can say "We must do what we must do." but have you ever asked why we must do it? You can say, "Because Iraq has chemical and biological weapons." but where is your proof? The propaganda you are fed by the mass media? Did you know a Cleveland based club banned C-SPAN from broadcasting a speech by Supreme Court judge Scalia? At this same time, C-SPAN was going to be awarded with a "Free Speech" award (Ironic, isn't it?). In this speech, Scalia stated that in wartime, citizen's rights would be stripped down to their "constitutional minimum." This means, my fellow readers; I could possibly be prosecuted for terrorism just by writing this column, to inform you.
I would look at this war from Bush's point of view, but I am incapable of such a thing. I do not see things in black in white like him. I have tried, and failed to see a point to it. If we were imperialist back when we took this land we now call our home ruthlessly from the Indians, why did we step in the way of the Germans in WWI? Or stop Iraq from taking Kuwait? I will tell you - too many people see things in black and white.
The only way to fix the problems we now hold is to think of things in more than one way. You must put yourself in the position of the "enemy". See how you would feel of your way of life could be jeopardized by an incoming army, or obliterated outright by that army's gunfire. I only know that if we continue to believe everything we see and hear, we will soon be under the whim of our captors.
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no subject
Date: 2003-03-19 07:26 pm (UTC)There is such a thing as cultural relativism. Yes, what the government did to the native americans was horrible, shameful, hell the things that are still being done on some reservations makes me ill to think about, but it's not a parallel to the Iraqi situation, and especially not to Germany. Remember, a German ally attacked us FIRST before we ever sent a single soldier to Europe, and that right there blows your whole argument of a parallel with the Indians, because it was not the same situation. We did have the right during WWII becuase we were acting in self defense.
In Iraq, no, we are not acting in self defense. Yes, this is a matter of going in to take control of resources, much like was done during the land grabs of the 19th century, but again it's not the same situation. I'm sure they still have weapons, but most of what they have is most likely left from the weapons the US government gave to them during the 80's when Iraq was a political ally and America LIKED Saddam Hussein. It's sort of like how the US government created the monster that became the Taliban, by giving them guns to "Fight the Soviets" back in the late 70's before they expelled everyone, including those that allowed them to come to power.
Ok, I'm gonna finish this in a post.