War is hell, there's absolutely no denying it. It's hell in every sense of the word and I would never wish it on anyone. With that said, sometimes it is an unfortunate necessity. I believe in the case of Afghanistan (Remember that war? It's the one we actually went to over 9/11, not Iraq) it was a necessity and I've found very few people who disagree, even at this juncture. I didn't think Iraq was a necessity when it started and I don't think it was a good idea now. HOWEVER, when that decision was made the President was riding a nearly 80% approval rating. In other words, he could do no wrong.
In a few short years all that has changed. I remember when President Bush was first talking about Iraq and people around me were saying "turn the whole place into a sheet of glass..." That was hugely offensive to me then and it is now, but it shows the mentality at the time. Now, those same people are calling Iraq a "Cluster f*ck" and criticizing President Bush for the decision to invade. So the opinion of Iraq and our administration is MUCH less a reflection on the administration than it is a reflection on the immediate gratification hungry and fickle nature of Americans on a whole.
Now as for this guy, I've seen guys like him speak before. And let me just say, right here and right now, anyone who is truly interested in doing what's best for their country can be considered a patriot. But I have never, ever considered someone a patriot who wears an American flag upside down. Beyond that his statements, agree or disagree, are pretty obviously anti-American sentiment from a Kentucky redneck who in his opening statement says he didn't pay his child support and got high instead.
In a broader sense, I get truly, truly sick of
soldiers who stand up and say they didn't want to go to war. It doesn't take a genius to understand that the one and only true job of a soldier is to die in war. Look through history, it's considered the most honorable death a citizen can have. Joining the military for money speaks more to the greed of the individual in my opinion, which is a character flaw that isn't supposed to be present in soldiers (who are supposed to be willing to give it all for the greater good). This is a two-fold problem, on the way the military markets themselves now and the way people perceive both the role of a soldier and war in general.
Here's what I think, in a nutshell:
- The war in Iraq sucks, I don't want any more of my friends to go there and I don't want us blowing up Pakistan or Iran and causing half of our nation's youth to be drafted to support two more wars
- The war in Afghanistan is not over and should be taking our full attention, we have a real chance for success there right now
- People who want the government to provide health care, housing, food, whatever
already have the option and it's calling joining the military, so if you think the government should take care of you join up, just don't bitch about the price they ask you to pay or the quality of services rendered
- Taxes are out of control in this country because of the way we collect them, they are the cause for every single major issue that presidential candidates are discussing today and most of those problems could be solved by collecting an x% (probably around 40%) federal sales tax in addition to local taxes
- Americans need to learn and understand the realities of war, because we're much too quick to start one and support those who do
- America is hated for whatever we do, if we don't help (Darfur) we get a bad rap, if we do help (Afghanistan, Iraq) we get a bad rap, every time the U.N. decides that something needs to be done (Myanmar) we are leaned on as the one to provide and we'll be hated either way (Myanmar's government not letting US assets assist with 100,000 dead to a natural disaster)
I could continue, but I'm sure I've offended enough people already...
Gutsy post Alex, I'm sure it'll get some interesting discussion started.
