cringe cringe
Considering my hope to play a part in politics in the future I'm trying to be fair and balanced towards the issues. I'm trying to be resolved in my values but open-minded to new political systems and ideas. I don't know if it's working, but either way, here is a sight I think everyone should see and judge:
www.costofwar.com
Done looking at it? Good. Now, I don't know about you but I found it interesting that the site doesn't take into account the benefits of the way we spent the money and the fact that the avenues listed by the site that would have gained so much from such cash, probably wouldn't have recieved it. The site operates under this subtle assumption: Americans are better than Iraqis. They list all of what we could have done for Americans (health care, insurance, housing), noble causes I may add, but fail to state any of the things we are doing for the Iraqis. I smell some apathy towards the middle-easterners. Now, I realize that most people who oppose the war say that the Iraqi people do not like us and appreciate what we are doing, so why bother, and I can hardely understand why that would be the case. I am not naive to think that things are good over there, I know they're God awful, but I see a light at the end of the tunnel that Sadam never could have evoked. Most of Iraqis do not hate us, it is just the radicals. That would be like saying all Muslims are extremists, or that the one guy who shoots a marine trying to deliver aid to tsunami victims is representative of the whole race. The time has come for realism, but in the context of optimism. Is it possible?
posted by So it goes... at 6:43 PM
4 Comments:
I'm astounded that you truly believe our intentions in that country are to help the Iraqis, Trevor. This is where the current administration's selling of this war has made the largest success; two years ago I pointed out how this war would work: 1st - we'd attack in hopes of finding weapons of mass destruction without getting multilateral support or waiting for the UN Inspections to finish. 2nd - we'd try to get a hand on the oil resources in that nation and make a profit from the exportation. 3rd - we'd falsely accept the RACIST notion that we were helping these people as a means for us to come to terms with our violent actions, and 4th - we'd act in disgust at the Iraqis (not terrorists) attempts to defend themselves and their country, calling them "ungrateful" etc. when they killed American soldiers.
The occupation in Iraq averages a billion dollars a day the Washington Post has determined. Widespread poverty, the lack of a renowned education system, the impending failure of our Social Security system in the next two decades and huge numbers of uninsured children (and adults for that matter) are already matters themselves which seem to be incurable (and don't give me bullshit about Bush's privitization policy... the whole thing hinges on the American economy's improvement – we don't know the financial future of next month... can we really risk the financial future for millions of Americans on America's economy 20 years from now? That sounds like the absence of "Fiscal Conservatism" to me).
If you'd like to hear what I had to say about the war 2 years ago, go to:
http://www.geocities.com/shwomidea/#Nonexistent%20If%20We%20Keep%20Our%20Hearts%20Cold
Excuse me... a billion dollars a WEEK, not day. My bad.
First off, I agree with what you state about the motives for the country going to Iraq. I meant only to say what a possible result might be. If I mean to do something, but another thing instead happens that is essentially good, the action becomes a meaningful one, despite it's original intentions. I HOPE that this will happen in Iraq, that the "light at the END of the tunnel" will prove real and relevant.
Secondly, I am pointing out the possible benefits of the war because we the thruth is that we are there and there is nothing to be done about that now. If I had had my choice we would have followed the virtue of George Washington and avoided foreign entanglements. I realize that charity starts at home, but that is no longer an option, at least not this year. Colin Powell let on the other day that we will leave by the end of the year and then we will be able to focus on being fiscal. Until then, do the best we can.
Also, I just want it to be know that believing we can help another race because we deem their government inferior to ours is not a racist notion. If Iraq was entirely white I would still believe that our government is better and is a positive element to any society (not that we should impose our government any more that we have to, but if it is going to be attempted in Iraq, what can I do but pray it goes well).
Lastly, I do not believe multilateral support is nessesary for a war to be just (not that this one is, just as a point).
I didn't say our racism comes out of their government being inferior to ours – I believe their government was inferior to ours in that it did not serve its populace as well as ours does. The racism comes from our desire to devalue Iraqi life, thereby, lessen the feelings of regret we have for the killing of civilians. You can't argue this point; Tommy Franks perpetuated the devaluing of Iraqi lives himself, saying "We don't do body counts." People keep talking about the devestating tsunami and the 200,000 + deaths from a NATURAL DISASTER. I've heard estimates of over 100,000 Iraqi civilian deaths. Just because it's war doesn't make that not murder, and I'd argue that the KILLING of innocent civilian life is a terrorist action itself.
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