The Shock of the Lightning
This title is totally unrelated to the post, but it's the kickass new song from Oasis, check it out.
Now on to more serious matters. Obviously, I would be remiss to not make note of the fact that today is September 11--seven years since everything changed on us. I certainly would never try to diminish the tragedy of that day and I still remember how shocked I felt sitting there watching the second plane hit (I was doped up on Vicodin after my wisdom tooth extraction). But for those who pay attention and keep an open mind, time has a way of adding perspective to EVERYTHING, even that which seems beyond perspective at the time.
2,999 people died on September 11th because a group of hateful fundamentalist wackjobs decided they needed to make America feel vulnerable.
In response to that attack, we invaded Afghanistan and have spent seven years tearing the country down and trying to make sure it doesn't become a haven for terrorists again.
900 coalition troops and at least 5000 Afghan civilians have died in that war.
In 2003, our retard President allowed his cronies to make us invade Iraq under the pretense of it being the next step in their ridiculous "war on terror". We are still there trying to figure out what the fuck we're supposed to be doing.
4500 coalition troops have died in Iraq. 1.2 million Iraqis have died as a result of our war.
My point here is, do the numbers hold up? How can one justify the staggering loss of life that we as a country have precipitated as "revenge" for those 3000 poor souls who died seven years ago today? Why is it okay for soldiers and marines to give up their lives, especially in a war that has nothing at all to do with what happened on 9/11? Aren't their lives just as important as those original 3000?
The more I've thought about this, the more I disagree with the concept of the "correct response". Even those in my party have said that Afghanistan was the right war, but I no longer agree. The military is not being used to address any imminent threat, they're being used to satisfy the bloodlust of a segment of the population who believes that there's some way to get payback for what happened. It's disgraceful and reflective of the stupidity and cowardice that's infested our government over these last eight years.
Believe me, I have a great deal of respect for our military and what those men and women do. It's one of my few regrets that I did not serve when I was younger and more able, but I am glad I'm not beholden to serve in wars I don't believe in. My dad instilled in me a great interest in the military (he was a Guardsman himself), and as a boy, I devoured books and movies on the subject. People who know me now as a staunch liberal assume I'm some peacenik and are surprised that I know the various configurations of the C-130 Hercules by heart (hello 13th hole at North Kingstown Golf Course). But to me, respecting what our military does means understanding when and how that tool should be used. And what's being done with them is simply wrong. They're being asked to kill and be killed in the name of stupid, ignorant revenge.
I realize my candidate could never be elected if he were to say this sort of thing, but I'd like to think he knows it deep down. I believe he knows the best way to honor the lives of those lost on 9/11/01 is to stop wasting the lives of others in their name, and do what we can to make sure people don't want to do something like that to us again. Unfortunately, for the last seven years, we've just been turning potential friends into probable enemies.
Now on to more serious matters. Obviously, I would be remiss to not make note of the fact that today is September 11--seven years since everything changed on us. I certainly would never try to diminish the tragedy of that day and I still remember how shocked I felt sitting there watching the second plane hit (I was doped up on Vicodin after my wisdom tooth extraction). But for those who pay attention and keep an open mind, time has a way of adding perspective to EVERYTHING, even that which seems beyond perspective at the time.
2,999 people died on September 11th because a group of hateful fundamentalist wackjobs decided they needed to make America feel vulnerable.
In response to that attack, we invaded Afghanistan and have spent seven years tearing the country down and trying to make sure it doesn't become a haven for terrorists again.
900 coalition troops and at least 5000 Afghan civilians have died in that war.
In 2003, our retard President allowed his cronies to make us invade Iraq under the pretense of it being the next step in their ridiculous "war on terror". We are still there trying to figure out what the fuck we're supposed to be doing.
4500 coalition troops have died in Iraq. 1.2 million Iraqis have died as a result of our war.
My point here is, do the numbers hold up? How can one justify the staggering loss of life that we as a country have precipitated as "revenge" for those 3000 poor souls who died seven years ago today? Why is it okay for soldiers and marines to give up their lives, especially in a war that has nothing at all to do with what happened on 9/11? Aren't their lives just as important as those original 3000?
The more I've thought about this, the more I disagree with the concept of the "correct response". Even those in my party have said that Afghanistan was the right war, but I no longer agree. The military is not being used to address any imminent threat, they're being used to satisfy the bloodlust of a segment of the population who believes that there's some way to get payback for what happened. It's disgraceful and reflective of the stupidity and cowardice that's infested our government over these last eight years.
Believe me, I have a great deal of respect for our military and what those men and women do. It's one of my few regrets that I did not serve when I was younger and more able, but I am glad I'm not beholden to serve in wars I don't believe in. My dad instilled in me a great interest in the military (he was a Guardsman himself), and as a boy, I devoured books and movies on the subject. People who know me now as a staunch liberal assume I'm some peacenik and are surprised that I know the various configurations of the C-130 Hercules by heart (hello 13th hole at North Kingstown Golf Course). But to me, respecting what our military does means understanding when and how that tool should be used. And what's being done with them is simply wrong. They're being asked to kill and be killed in the name of stupid, ignorant revenge.
I realize my candidate could never be elected if he were to say this sort of thing, but I'd like to think he knows it deep down. I believe he knows the best way to honor the lives of those lost on 9/11/01 is to stop wasting the lives of others in their name, and do what we can to make sure people don't want to do something like that to us again. Unfortunately, for the last seven years, we've just been turning potential friends into probable enemies.
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