Seeing Red
My mind doesn't work like most people's. After writing those few paragraphs about Samantha Egan last night, I began to feel angry, but not in the way I expected--not toward Islamic terrorists, or those that hate America and all that it represents (though I do hold a special place in my heart for them as well).
Today, I'm angry at Americans.
Thinking about 9/11 got me thinking about the war in Iraq. Thinking about the war in Iraq got me thinking about all the idiots protesting the war, and directing their vitriol at President Bush, making him a bully, a dictator, nearly a despot. Or they make him out to be either a moron of the highest order, or an evil genius orchestrating a war as what they would have us believing was a mafioso-like favor to Saudi oil interests. Which is it? Would it be better if we still had some freaking hayseed getting a BJ in the oval office?
Think what you like about President Bush. It's a free country, and no one can tell a person what to think, though I'm sure they'd like to. And here's the great thing about America: thanks to the constitution, you can even SAY what you like. You can call President Bush Mary Queen of Scots and no one can throw you in jail for it. That's the beauty of the Constitution. The founding fathers knew perfectly well that the political and social climate of the country would eventually change. They recognized their humanity and knew they would likely foul up one day. So they made the Constitution a living document, able to be changed. To be amended in the interest of better serving the country.
The constitution also names the President as the person ultimately responsible for the defense of the country--the Commander in Chief. He can raise an army. He can deploy an army. When the army was deployed to Afghanistan immediately following 9/11, everyone cried revenge. The President was doing it because he had to strike out at someone. Which is also not exactly untrue. The vernacular for these people is violence. In this particular instance, we ended up speaking it better than they did. Lives were lost in Afghanistan, and Osama got away. The war moved to Iraq, mostly, and people began to cry foul because there was no direct proof tying Saddam to 9/11 (There were accusations of persecutions of muslims, likening the war to a pogrom--which was the most insulting bullshit of all).
So fucking what. There was plenty of direct proof tying him to the wanton torture, murder, and rape of his own people. Maybe there were not weapons of mass destruction, but there were millions of Iraquis that did not want to live under that yoke any longer. The war, while perhaps begun out of rage (and maybe even still fought out of it by some), is now being fought in the interest of freeing the vast majority of peaceful muslims being oppressed by the ultra-violent minority.
And also think about this: the reason you left swinging, Bush hating, war-protesting liberal...people are able to say what you want, and do what you want (up to and including the burning of the American flag), and worship whom you want, is because men and women have been dying to give you that right for hundreds of years.
So before I blow the rest of my gasket, I leave you with this:
Think what you want about the President. It's your right.
But respect the military. Support the military. The last time I checked, our armed forces are strictly volunteer. No one is conscripted. These men and women are CHOOSING to protect and to fight for what our country stands for. For you.
Appreciate them. Thank them, even. We owe them so much.
Today, I'm angry at Americans.
Thinking about 9/11 got me thinking about the war in Iraq. Thinking about the war in Iraq got me thinking about all the idiots protesting the war, and directing their vitriol at President Bush, making him a bully, a dictator, nearly a despot. Or they make him out to be either a moron of the highest order, or an evil genius orchestrating a war as what they would have us believing was a mafioso-like favor to Saudi oil interests. Which is it? Would it be better if we still had some freaking hayseed getting a BJ in the oval office?
Think what you like about President Bush. It's a free country, and no one can tell a person what to think, though I'm sure they'd like to. And here's the great thing about America: thanks to the constitution, you can even SAY what you like. You can call President Bush Mary Queen of Scots and no one can throw you in jail for it. That's the beauty of the Constitution. The founding fathers knew perfectly well that the political and social climate of the country would eventually change. They recognized their humanity and knew they would likely foul up one day. So they made the Constitution a living document, able to be changed. To be amended in the interest of better serving the country.
The constitution also names the President as the person ultimately responsible for the defense of the country--the Commander in Chief. He can raise an army. He can deploy an army. When the army was deployed to Afghanistan immediately following 9/11, everyone cried revenge. The President was doing it because he had to strike out at someone. Which is also not exactly untrue. The vernacular for these people is violence. In this particular instance, we ended up speaking it better than they did. Lives were lost in Afghanistan, and Osama got away. The war moved to Iraq, mostly, and people began to cry foul because there was no direct proof tying Saddam to 9/11 (There were accusations of persecutions of muslims, likening the war to a pogrom--which was the most insulting bullshit of all).
So fucking what. There was plenty of direct proof tying him to the wanton torture, murder, and rape of his own people. Maybe there were not weapons of mass destruction, but there were millions of Iraquis that did not want to live under that yoke any longer. The war, while perhaps begun out of rage (and maybe even still fought out of it by some), is now being fought in the interest of freeing the vast majority of peaceful muslims being oppressed by the ultra-violent minority.
And also think about this: the reason you left swinging, Bush hating, war-protesting liberal...people are able to say what you want, and do what you want (up to and including the burning of the American flag), and worship whom you want, is because men and women have been dying to give you that right for hundreds of years.
So before I blow the rest of my gasket, I leave you with this:
Think what you want about the President. It's your right.
But respect the military. Support the military. The last time I checked, our armed forces are strictly volunteer. No one is conscripted. These men and women are CHOOSING to protect and to fight for what our country stands for. For you.
Appreciate them. Thank them, even. We owe them so much.
posted by Anonymous at 6:49 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home