Sunday, August 10, 2008

Why Did We Go to War, Again?

A political mind is a delicate thing; it holds power, perhaps the capacity for our utmost power, the ability to be free- to be sure that we are... but the aspect of truly understanding and pointing a finger on things is more tricky than our nation wishes to agree. Most political statements are probably opinions, theories, or trends. See? I just made one.

I keep hearing scads of general statements about the condition of our country- either concerning the war and our present, economic state- statements on the support or lack thereof for President Bush, and generalizations about the fast approaching Presidential Election. One of the most popular theories (or mysteries) that citizens seem to bring up, appears to be: Why exactly did we go to war, again? Was it oil? Was it to bring democracy to the Middle East? Are we doing it, or failing? Is Bush a total failure, or did he do the most that he could? Did Bush and the Administration lie to Congress, or did Congress know full well the situation in the Middle East before the declaration of war? Do we need to leave- or should we stick around and get something done?

Nobody seems to think it could be a little of everything- everybody seems to have an opinion, conflicting or otherwise. But perhaps that's the stuff of democracy.

If studies show that American's interest in political interest is on the decline, parties have scattered, and present generations are more self-driven... I believe it; I believe that current society thinks war sucks- and it does- but I feel almost a sense of entitlement radiating throughout society. It has been stated that, "Americans don't like long, unproductive wars." Obviously economies suffer during times of war, obviously it's heart wrenching when soldiers come home broken- or not at all. War isn't glamorous; it cannot be romanticized as we like to with the era of the 1940s. When it comes down to it, war is ugly and is ultimately the President's call- but let's not forget the overwhelming support Bush's actions received initially. I guess the war has grown unfashionable, really- I mean, who likes having to save for things- or worse, losing their home?

Where has the backbone of America gone? There's not a draft (yet) and as far as I can tell, no one's forced to render wedding bands, tiaras, or gold fillings to support the war. Most of us still go to work and school, drive cars, keep on reproducing, and stuff our faces with popcorn at movie theaters. Of course, things could get worse, but maybe it's not a bad thing that American's careless spending found itself in check after the economic boom of the 90s? On a positive stretch, I finally understand why my grandmother chewed half pieces of gum at a time and tore paper napkins in half.

Current society doesn't pay attention to politics as a whole and what little information the media (meaning television) generates is incomplete and summarized. It's not a wonder to me that most of the country is shocked by our present state- that nobody for the life of them, can pin point what's really going on!

Is it really as "Gone with the Wind's" Ashley Wilkes put it: Most of the miseries of the world were caused by war- and when the wars were over, nobody knew what they were really about? Perhaps...

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

i don't think anybody does. i'm voting mccain b/c i think our country has had this war a long time coming and it's not going to go away if we pull out our troops. we've opened this can of worms and we might be smart to be prepared to fight. i'd rather have a war hero guide us rather than someone w/o experience. besides, the kkk will probably assassinate obama anyway- then who gets the country, hillary?

Ashley Evelyn said...

Nice to see a fellow McCain supporter... but I'm not sure any one person "gets" the country, President or not!

I saw that youtube too- the one where the head of the Klan makes note of the attempt on Obama if he's elected- I think all presidents have to worry about such things, but you could be right. Hate groups are on the high end since 2000 and have doubled if I'm not mistaken...

Anonymous said...

My comment is about the anonymous comment. A war hero to guide our country? Obama has experience in life and what the people of this country are all about. His experience is the experience that you can relate to, not someones who's only recent claim to fame is a wife who is the Bud queen. Experience in what?
So you think our current trend is a solution... Murder and a 10 billion dollar a month war deficit? Maybe you should seriously watch the debates. This mornings speech by Obama was nothing less than brilliant. He could be the answer to true selfless leadership in our country. especially if you consider your stupid comment to be true, than I guess he is the real hero, risking his life to become the leader of a country so lost. Your comment about the KKK seems like you have inside information! I hope you don't think you tube is credible! What you repeat is so awful and prehistoric as well as racist that it hurts my heart to read that. Why bother to open your mouth to repeat things you hear and take as truth only to spout off like a parrot, when it is obvious that you listen to sound bites and do not actually read. Why fuel the KKK like that? Your thoughts should truly be your own, Don't just accept what you hear, learn and research for yourself. We need a new day and a new way. Don't just go with a particular party, because we need to unite here, (hello, 2008)! So far it has not worked, divided we fail. I hope you can support Obama because he is already the next and we hope the best, President of the United States.

The cup is half full of something I don't like said...

Feel secure that we are accomplishing our goals with the Iraq war. The goals were to 1.) get George Bush re-elected and 2.) give the republicans a fighting chance in 2008.

McCain might be a war hero but he is more likely to start a war. In the 2000 race, he said it was in America's interest to topple governments who aren't pro-America by using overt and covert means. If I thought America might try to topple me, I don't think I would be so pro-america.

I like how the McCain supporters commenting here seem to like the kkk too. Kind of telling.

melvisx said...

I have seen the future and it is my students. Every day I bang my head against the wall trying to get my students to think for themselves and usually I just end up with a headache; I take some
Alleve and I press on, because my students are my future and yours. Sure our present is a bit bleak as a result of the policies and decisions meted out by the Bush administration, but it is often at our lowest points where we hunker down, slap ourselves awake and turn things around. Unless you belive all you see on YouTube, in which case you need to shut down your computer, get out of the house and socialize with people or maybe read a book.

Inspector Clouseau said...

Although I have lots of things to say on my blog, about the state of America, I do not claim to be an expert and have all of the answers. However, Paul Kennedy's book, "The Rise and Fall of Great Powers, 1500 - 2000, provides lots of things about which to think. You've raised some of them in your post. Two points that he makes in his book. The decline typically involves a country depleting its coffers while financing ventures away from home, thus overextending itself militarily. The other significant point, is the transfer of technology, which it took the originating countries years to perfect through invention, research and development, only to be copied easily (virtually overnight) by other countries to which the technology is transferred.

The Cool Commentator said...

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