March 19, 2006
Three Down
Today is the third anniversary of the beginning of the Iraq war. The talking heads have been at it all day, either questioning the President's decision or defending it. Funny thing is, I believe that intelligent, well-meaning people can disagree on the war because, as with all things, there are good reasons on each side of the issue.
What bothers me is how those who disagree with the administration have conducted themselves since May, 2003. Yes, no WMDs have been found in Iraq (whether they were ever there or not is another issue). Yes, over 2,300 Americans are dead because of the war. Yes, the war is expensive. Yes, abuses have occurred. No one with a firm grasp on reality would question any of those facts. And every one of those facts can be seen as a logical reason to oppose the war.
But for many in the media, in Hollywood, and in those leftist enclaves sprinkled throughout the land, it is not enough to argue the facts. As has been demonstrated over and over again by the likes of Bill Maher and Micheal Moore, those who support the war must be made evil or stupid or both. Could it be because their arguments don't stand up to close scrutiny?
To add insult to injury, the same groups who claim some sort of moral/intellectual superiority over those who support the war also claim to be victims. They are being silenced and abused and they're very afraid. Remember George Clooney's Oscar speech? We know they are victims of "censorship" (although it is unlikely many of them could define the word) because they keep telling us they are.
Tonight, I heard for the first time someone say publicly what I have thought for some time: that the nation is in danger of becoming as divided as it was during the Vietnam War. Then as now, the people who caused the division were those who claimed to want peace and unity but who wanted nothing more than to be allowed to shirk responsibility on mom and dad's dime. The division they caused was not created by their divergence from leadership, but by their close-minded, short-sighted characterization of anyone who disagreed (i.e., conservatives) with them as bent on global domination and oppression.
35 years, and no one learned a damn thing.
Posted by Matthew at March 19, 2006 10:59 PMTrackBack URL for this entry:
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I found through deep research of blogs on both sides that there are as many reasons to support the war as there are not to.
I have decided that I will support this war even though I have misgivings about the way it's being fought. I am happy about the current joint American Iraqi force operation taking place and I hope to see many more. I have long thought that sending American Soldiers out on patrol to hold some line of defense was ineffective. I like this new offensive approach.
I want to hear more about what is going on in Afghanistan. I want the Bush administration to highlight positive developments in these two countries and not just respond to attacks from the left. This administration does a horrible job at PR.
I worry that other totalitarian regimes see how we are tied down and it emboldens them to move forward with their warped and twisted agendas. I want Bush to just lay the cards on the table and tell these assholes that we won't tolerate their agendas no matter what the international community says.
This all goes on while China quietly cools its heels and buys more of the world's resources. They are building up their military and will become a huge player. I believe we are moving from wars over ideaologies to wars over resources. I think it's inevitable.
This is of course just my two cents.
Posted by: David![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.opaquelucidity.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at March 20, 2006 08:27 PM
Whether or not I support the war, the point I hear all the time from el Presidente is this; that there are "signs" of improving situations in Iraq. Signs. That's all. So what. There are stop "signs" and nobody pays attention to those either.
Really, I know we can argue all day long, and both sides be right, but so far, it seems as all we have to show for our war is 2,300 of our nation's finest in caskets. Lives (greatly outnumbering those lost) are vitimized forever. We also have a price tag for this war that is quickly becoming incalculable. We are currently looking at a possible national deficit of about 9 trillion dollars, making every man, woman, and child in debt to the government for more that $30,000 a piece.
Fiscal responsibility is a shortcoming of this administration, and at some point we have to question whether or not this whole thing is worth it. When I say that, the money is the LAST thing I'm talking about.
I don't like the idea of our troops being over there mixed in with someone else's business. I also don't care much for how we have turned our "freedom" into an opportunity to force peoples of other beliefs into accepting Western culture. I'm not saying that they are right, and I'm not saying that we're better. What is freedom to them if we are trying to force it upon them? If they want it, sooner or later, they'll figure out how to do it. That's how America was born. It's not how a "free" Iraq is being concieved either.
I can't change the fact that we are there now, and that we will be for the length of Bush's term. But if we are there, by God, then I will make it a point to back them. Our troops are not the ones at fault, and they sure as heck aren't the ones who decided to go there in the first place. Still yet, they are there to follow orders, and whatever that means to you, to me it means that my freedom is partially based on their ability to get their jobs done.
Posted by: Troy Overton at March 20, 2006 09:03 PM