China. A country that has become a super-power by neglecting to pay their workers a fair wage. They have polluted their own country to the point that marathon runners refuse to attend the Summer Olympics because the pollution will exacerbate asthma. They import over 50% of pollution to California daily. Almost every good purchased at WalMart is made in China and feeds the Communist (?) government of China. The US has borrowed so much money from China that if they were a traditional bank, they would own the US. It is ridiculous that we allow China to hold Tibet hostage and force even the Dali Lama to leave his home country. The violence in Darfur. The list of China's crimes against the Earth is too long to list. Yet, we love that cheap crap we buy at the store. Look at your things. How much is made in China? I think most people would be shocked to see how much money they have put into China's economy, and how little put into the US economy.
The War. Five years of being lied to over and over again. And now we are winning? Or is it that we have effected genocide and eliminated all the people who disagree with the US? The war has taken almost 4,000 American lives and for what? Not cheaper oil. Rising to $4 a gallon. The Iraqis are reluctant to take control of their own country. I suppose the US will occupy Iraq for as long as there is a Republican in the White House. It is sad to see that 5 years of lies has gone on in this country. President Bush has made a joke of the US and its military. Globally, the US looks ridiculous.
The Election. Race versus Gender. New versus Old. Democrat versus Democrat, then versus Republican. Hopefully, the Democratic Party will get it together and one candidate will back out to further the betterment of the party. The Democrats must work together to defeat McCain, or we will have more and more war, high gas prices and a government that listens to big business and church over the will of the people. We (Democrats) need to win in November and move forward in America. There are too many Republicans who take advantage of programs they supposedly oppose, farmers in North Dakota who hide behind a corporation, who take farm subsidies, yet preach the benefits of the Republican way. I guess they never lost neighbors to the Iraqi war. How would those farms survive without all that Democratic assistance with subsidies? I guess they don't think of that as they preach their way. Hmmm.
Things to think about, at least for me. I am sure my next post will be less angry, I hope so anyway.
6 comments:
"Or is it that we have effected genocide and eliminated all of the people who disagree with us." -- what exactly do you mean by this?
I don't believe we went to Iraq in order to have cheaper oil. But I honestly can't tell you why we went. That was something we needed to answer 5 years ago. What I do believe: we shouldn't let 4,000 American lives and 5 years of war go to complete waste by pulling out before Iraq is stable and able to run itself. If you're comment "And now we are winning" is correct --- we should stay a bit longer until we have won and the people are able to stand on their own. And I have several friends serving and know a few who have been killed. It's not easy, but I'd rather have their sacrifice mean something rather than nothing.
Regarding your comment about genocide. If anything, the US stopped a genocide by going to Iraq. Remember all those pictures of buried bodies? Saddam was a horrible man who kept all of the money in his country for himself and let his people live in poverty. He killed anyone who questioned his authority, or anything for that matter. Far fewer people have died in that country in the time since he's been taken out of power than died while he was their leader. I really don't think you can claim the US led a genocide in Iraq. The people of Iraq probably would have asked for our help if they had the means to do so, not that this in any way justifies a preemptive invasion of their country.
My point is this: war and foreign policy is not simple. The decision to leave Iraq should not be made in haste, and I personally think it should be made by the generals who have been living and serving in the country. They are the ones with the experience to say whether we've gained any ground, whether our troops are safe and what things might look like in 10 years. We simply can't do that from here. McCain has two children serving in the military. He's a former POW with a lot of experience. He knows how to serve, and how to lead. He knows politics. In terms of the military and foreign policy, I have no doubt he is the best candidate to fix this image.
PS. I actually like politics and debates, so I'd be willing to discuss this further. For the record, I'm independent.
One more thing: you never really know the truth in this country. The press is liberal, the military conservative. The military also requires a certain degree of secrecy to operate. There's a lot of information we just don't know. And without the experience or the knowledge, I have a hard time passing judgement on someone else's decision.
More later on how much better our country could be if we didn't have career politicians living in Congress! ;)
And another --- it really seems you struck a nerve. The one buried under dozens of college classes and the top shelf of my bookshelf. I miss intellectual conversation. Thanks for this post.
Sorry for the long comments!
I am annoyed by all of these topics (not you bringing them up, but that they piss me off, too).
China - I try to buy from other places...I hate that we rely so much on them...I feel guilty someimes because of the building I work in.
War - We are so far in over our head. At this point, I support the troops and want deeply for the lives lost to mean something. And for the veterans who weren't lost...their times away from their family and the stress they endured to not be in vain...how? i don't know...I wonder where we will draw the line.
Election - I don't even pay attention until the last month and then I vote based on facts, not the bullshit flinging in the media.
I don't think that any of these are simple. They are so complex....especially the war..it's a difficult thing and I have no idea what the answer is.... My answer is I try to vote the best leader I think best for the country and hope that they will do the right thing once they get there. There's a lot of information I know we don't know about so I have to trust the right people are advising the president, even if I don't agree with him.
I am annoyed by all of these topics (not you bringing them up, but that they piss me off, too).
China - I try to buy from other places...I hate that we rely so much on them...I feel guilty someimes because of the building I work in.
War - We are so far in over our head. At this point, I support the troops and want deeply for the lives lost to mean something. And for the veterans who weren't lost...their times away from their family and the stress they endured to not be in vain...how? i don't know...I wonder where we will draw the line.
election - I don't even pay attention until the last month and then I vote based on facts, not the bullshit flinging in the media.
jc must be a little too young to remember Vietnam. We lost 54,000 american lives and $billion$ of dollar. Left. It became communist and we still live on. Now we buy some of our things from Vietnam. Foreign policy is odd. But we should learn from our mistakes and live on.
Dad
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