Might as well get it out of the way...
Mar. 20th, 2003 03:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
batskeetsHere's an interesting read that Kris came across... it's pretty long and involved, but those of you who are more political might be interested.
Now, here's that war rant I've been avoiding for weeks and weeks, because I figure I ought to get it out of the way, so I can quit talking about it.
War is terrifying. Lately I've had to sit here and try not to think about the consequences that this could have, and tell my worried friends that the world's not ending, and nobody's getting drafted into the army, or anything like that. And I still believe it, for the moment.
I don't think that I'm entirely against the action, though.
Don't get me wrong--I don't like Bush, and I still think that he's completely lacking in eloquence, and that he basically got where he is because of who his daddy is. A lot of his policies don't agree with me AT ALL. And Bush seems so hyped to go to war, to make his own name, to follow in Daddy's footsteps, I can't help feeling like this is just some stupid show of bravado on his part. That's my knee-jerk reaction, anyway.
But if Iraq honestly has these weapons (which we must somehow know that they do, or else we wouldn't keep looking for them), then what do we do? They haven't historically been the nicest guys in the world, and the Iraqi government sure as hell doesn't have *OUR* best interests at heart. You all remember Desert Storm to some extent, so it's not as thought he hasn't done it before. Granted, most of us were ~11 years old at the time, but we have a basic idea of what went on.
I don't like the idea of war. Every time I think about it, I can't help thinking that there's another solution, and that if they'd just take a little more time to think, then they'd find a way to resolve this peacefully. But if such a solution exists, *I* certainly don't know what it is. And hell, if I think Bush is such a flaming idiot, then how can I expect him to find a solution that I can't find?
So, *IF* we assume that we must eventually use military force against Iraq, do we:
A) bomb the shit out of them right now, thereby stopping them in their tracks, but at the risk of alienating other world powers, or
B) wait around for *them* to bomb the shit out of *us*, and whoever else might get in their way?
Knowing that this war is going on bothers me. It's terrifying. BUT, at least this way, I know that it's far from me, and far from my loved ones. If we wait for Iraq to bring war to us, then we don't know where it will happen, or when, or to whom. And right now, that prospect feels a bit more unsettling than the current state of affairs.
But god, I hope somebody in the government is still looking for a non-military solution.
So, in sum: I'm not happy about the war. I don't want to give up on the peaceful solution. But if we absolutely HAVE to do it, then we're probably better off doing it now, while we're still somewhat in control.
Now, here's that war rant I've been avoiding for weeks and weeks, because I figure I ought to get it out of the way, so I can quit talking about it.
War is terrifying. Lately I've had to sit here and try not to think about the consequences that this could have, and tell my worried friends that the world's not ending, and nobody's getting drafted into the army, or anything like that. And I still believe it, for the moment.
I don't think that I'm entirely against the action, though.
Don't get me wrong--I don't like Bush, and I still think that he's completely lacking in eloquence, and that he basically got where he is because of who his daddy is. A lot of his policies don't agree with me AT ALL. And Bush seems so hyped to go to war, to make his own name, to follow in Daddy's footsteps, I can't help feeling like this is just some stupid show of bravado on his part. That's my knee-jerk reaction, anyway.
But if Iraq honestly has these weapons (which we must somehow know that they do, or else we wouldn't keep looking for them), then what do we do? They haven't historically been the nicest guys in the world, and the Iraqi government sure as hell doesn't have *OUR* best interests at heart. You all remember Desert Storm to some extent, so it's not as thought he hasn't done it before. Granted, most of us were ~11 years old at the time, but we have a basic idea of what went on.
I don't like the idea of war. Every time I think about it, I can't help thinking that there's another solution, and that if they'd just take a little more time to think, then they'd find a way to resolve this peacefully. But if such a solution exists, *I* certainly don't know what it is. And hell, if I think Bush is such a flaming idiot, then how can I expect him to find a solution that I can't find?
So, *IF* we assume that we must eventually use military force against Iraq, do we:
A) bomb the shit out of them right now, thereby stopping them in their tracks, but at the risk of alienating other world powers, or
B) wait around for *them* to bomb the shit out of *us*, and whoever else might get in their way?
Knowing that this war is going on bothers me. It's terrifying. BUT, at least this way, I know that it's far from me, and far from my loved ones. If we wait for Iraq to bring war to us, then we don't know where it will happen, or when, or to whom. And right now, that prospect feels a bit more unsettling than the current state of affairs.
But god, I hope somebody in the government is still looking for a non-military solution.
So, in sum: I'm not happy about the war. I don't want to give up on the peaceful solution. But if we absolutely HAVE to do it, then we're probably better off doing it now, while we're still somewhat in control.
