In the very wee hours of the morning, I was thinking. It doesn't happen often so I wanted to record it here for posterity. I was thinking about the war in Iraq. And I thought, we've come full circle again. We are back in the times of the Crusades. We are trying to turn the "infidel" into a good Christian. Our brave men and women are fighting a holy war. A war we don't understand, will never understand, and, apparently, don't want to understand. Well, we do, but the powers in government turn a blind ear to reason.
A holy war. Unbelieveable. There is no communist threat to world peace here. I don't think the Iraqi people are going to build a bomb and throw it at us. No, wait, maybe they can use a catapult. That is a required weapon in a holy war. Yes, there are terrorists in the world. Yes, they have cause death and destruction in the US. But, do they all live in Iraq? We don't know. Why is Sadaam really on trial? For crimes against humanity? For thumbing his nose at the President? The crimes he committed were against his own people. If I'm wrong, please correct me. Does anyone else see the madness in this whole scenario? I don't like to get political in this blog, because I have been there and done that, and writing about it doesn't seem to help. Voting doesn't seem to help that much either.
Case in point. Our government is more concerned with the lives of the gay community than solving the fiasco in Iraq. The question of whether a same-sex marriage is recognized by the state was the biggest topic in most elections this past November. I believe if you can find anyone who you care about and cares about you enough to want to become your life partner, and make it legal, you are without a doubt blessed. But even here we have started another holy war. Because some people interpret the bible in their own pecular manner, we decide who can marry who. But, wait, isn't there a separation of church and state? Wasn't that why we got kicked out of most countries and migrated here in the first place? And what did we do then? We started another holy war. Against the American Indian, our new infidels. They worshipped in a different way than we did. Don't think about how they respected all living things, and lived in complete harmony with their surroundings. Let's forget that the beauty of their culture was probably the closest thing to peace anywhere on earth.
Maybe the Iraqi's have become our new Native American infidels. Maybe we just have trouble accepting that its not our place to decide how others worship. I think we should give up on the whole concept of holy wars. It doesn't seem to work, solve anything, and just causes death and destruction. Let the Iraqi people fight their own war. They have been doing it for years, so they seem to have an idea about how to do it. Our troops do not need to fight this war, this holy war, for no other reason than that a president has a personal vendetta. Let him fight his own holy war. He can take Congress with him. We can arm them with all the weapons they need. Hell, we'll even give them combat pay. They can paint a white cross on their armor and storm the walls for all their worth.
Damn if I wouldn't pay good money to see that.
A place of shadows, memories, thoughts, discussions, essays, and whatever else rambles down the streets of Nowhere. Come join us, as we linger here, on the outside of nowhere.
5 comments:
Good rant. So many feel the same way. As I blog in the latenight, I see the same thing said in so many ways by so many people. This feeling is in the hearst of many people. You already know you are not alone in these thoughts, but good to be reminded and keep it fresh in front of our faces lest we become complacent and let the bastards do more harm.
I looked through your profile to find an e-mail address. No luck I respect your privact, but there are a few things I'd like to say to you if I may and you have no objection. We have something in common. Please consider e-mailing me. Thanks. Addy in my profile.
Oh, and Aye Matey. The Cap'n is not drunk!
I've been wondering why it's taken so long for people to speak of their displeasure with this administration.
Alas, unlike the 60s, kids today seem content to not go out and make news of their own ; (
Enjoyed reading your essay too!!!
I think we done the right thing in response to 9/11 by giving Afghanistan an "attitude-adjustment"! And I still yet believe that was where we, the U.S., should have STOPPED, and waited for the rest of the world to play "catch-up". We had NO business going into Iraq, other than for the oil, which is still, and never was, ours alone to have. Saddam's Royal Guards??? PLEASE! Nothing but "show-soldiers", for the Associated Press releases. It didn't take a mental giant to figure out what would happen after they were "defeated"! But it sure looked good in the polls for a few weeks, didn't it? Oh, I forgot, this war isn't about politics, is it? Wasn't it supposed to be about "revenge for 9/11," remember, in the United States of America........?
You may recall The Great Failure himself termed his private religious war a "crusade" at the outset - and promptly got his ducks stomped all over, so he hastily asked Cheney what to call it.
And you nailed it precisely. We are indeed reliving the "Christian Crusades."
Everyday, I read where another marine, sailor, soldier, airman, has given their lives for this god-awful war. It has to stop. Everytime I see a spot on TV for recruitment, (we'll make a man out of him) I want to puke. While the young men and women have the best intentions, and skills, the ones coming back are not concerned about the war per se, they are riddled with guilt about the comrades they left behind. These bonds were formed with blood, tears, and the all consuming need to survive. George Bush's arrogance has cost us too many lives, and while I have the utmost respect for these young men and women, I pray that they will come home. Let us bring this brave young warriors home, to their familys, their future, their lives.
Post a Comment