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Right.
Okay, first off: Ohio? Plz to be stopping with the smear ad campaign, for God's Pretty Sake. Seriously. Look, I know this one guy voted for/against some stuff, and this other guy voted for/against some stuff, and you want to capitalize on that. But those of us with brains can see exactly what the fuck you're doing! It's all just semantics!
"But!" you say. "Who would vote against increased body armor for our troops?!!" Well, I would, if it were attached to a bill with 500 other pieces of shit on it. You're not giving the context of these votes. Am I really supposed to believe that Guy A seriously stood up and was like "I want to take away Ohio jobs"? Cause I bet he DIDN'T. These bills are always attached to other shit. You can't pull one line out and expect to make a case. I'd be just as pissed if he DID vote for that first bill for body armor and "accidentally" passed another 500 bullshit notes with it.
And another thing! It doesn't tell me anything about Guy B if you spend all your time bashing Guy A! If you want to make yourself look good, make yourself look good! Don't do it by putting the other guy down.
This is a real basic lesson that most of us have learned by middle school, the first time we got made fun of for our glasses/chubbiness/clothes/lack of clothes/gender. We go home, cry to Mommy, and Mommy tells us that some people have to make themselves feel better by picking on other people. These people are called "insecure", they're called "bullies", and they're called "too stupid to think of something better". Then we hug Mommy and everything is okay.
SELF ESTEEM, YOU FUCKING POLITICAL PIGS.
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And second off: GOD IN HIS HEAVEN, PEOPLE!
We are NEVER going to win this war with guns and bombs alone.
NEVER.
Unless you plan on annihilating every single person who speaks out against America.
I sure hope you don't.
We AREN'T. This isn't a kid on a playground hurting other people, and you can't solve it with a spanking and a stern talking-to and some grounding. You CAN'T. This is a war about Hurting People, and every person that America hurts just feeds right back into the concept at the center of the entire conflict.
They've declared us the enemy, and I gotta say, we've proven them right. Came over, bombed the fuck out of them, and then stranded everybody (ours included) because Rock Star: Supernova was on cable that evening. Who have we helped? And I mean, actually helped, not just ideologically helped? You can say that a lot of people are better off now. You can say they aren't.
This is a war of IDEOLOGY. It's a war about HATE. And we may not be able to change the hate NOW, but we'd damn well better make sure we change the hate in the FUTURE, or we're FUCKED!
What I want you to say is: There are a lot less people who hate us now. Haven't heard that one yet. Because it hasn't happened.
Here's an idea.
Look, Democrats! Weak on National Security?! I've got your answer right here!
Every penny that goes into this war - and look, I'm not saying we should cut back; I think the amount we're spending is ridiculous, but I also think that the men and women who go to our defense deserve our very goddam best, okay? - but EVERY cent that goes into this war should be MATCHED by a cent that goes into FUNDING GOOD THINGS.
I'm serious. Every dollar that this nation spends on destruction and war should be matched by a dollar spent on reconstruction, rebuilding, advancement. Every single penny spent on negativity should be matched by a penny put into something positive.
Aid. Rebuilding towns. Building new houses. Helping to set up medical centers. Constructing new schools. Helping farmers farm. Helping doctors serve.
Not just in Iraq, or Afghanistan, where we've made our own messes - although these are great places to start. How about Africa? How about Malaysia? (sp?)
I know, I know, America has their own poor. Yeah, but we've got welfare, and systems in place to help those people. As long as those programs are not cut, our poor and needy have a helping hand. The ones in Africa don't.
Although another thing! How about our own fucking inner-city school systems? How about the teachers who are teaching our very own children and living on half of what I make MAKING TIRES? I'm not saying I deserve less money for my education - but they deserve more, WAY MORE.
And hey! If you don't want to go into other countries - if you don't want to get into that mess - how about something that'll help save lives? AIDS research? Cancer treatment? Vaccinations?
Every time America buys a bomb, it should purchase and plant a tree (or several). Every time it commissions a new plane, it should also commission new roads in the Middle East. Every time we upgrade our soldiers' body armor, we should also be sending a child somewhere textbooks and a new school.
This is the only way we can fight an ideology of hatred: prove that we are above it.
So far, America, we haven't.
"But!" you say. "Who would vote against increased body armor for our troops?!!" Well, I would, if it were attached to a bill with 500 other pieces of shit on it. You're not giving the context of these votes. Am I really supposed to believe that Guy A seriously stood up and was like "I want to take away Ohio jobs"? Cause I bet he DIDN'T. These bills are always attached to other shit. You can't pull one line out and expect to make a case. I'd be just as pissed if he DID vote for that first bill for body armor and "accidentally" passed another 500 bullshit notes with it.
And another thing! It doesn't tell me anything about Guy B if you spend all your time bashing Guy A! If you want to make yourself look good, make yourself look good! Don't do it by putting the other guy down.
This is a real basic lesson that most of us have learned by middle school, the first time we got made fun of for our glasses/chubbiness/clothes/lack of clothes/gender. We go home, cry to Mommy, and Mommy tells us that some people have to make themselves feel better by picking on other people. These people are called "insecure", they're called "bullies", and they're called "too stupid to think of something better". Then we hug Mommy and everything is okay.
SELF ESTEEM, YOU FUCKING POLITICAL PIGS.
---
And second off: GOD IN HIS HEAVEN, PEOPLE!
We are NEVER going to win this war with guns and bombs alone.
NEVER.
Unless you plan on annihilating every single person who speaks out against America.
I sure hope you don't.
We AREN'T. This isn't a kid on a playground hurting other people, and you can't solve it with a spanking and a stern talking-to and some grounding. You CAN'T. This is a war about Hurting People, and every person that America hurts just feeds right back into the concept at the center of the entire conflict.
They've declared us the enemy, and I gotta say, we've proven them right. Came over, bombed the fuck out of them, and then stranded everybody (ours included) because Rock Star: Supernova was on cable that evening. Who have we helped? And I mean, actually helped, not just ideologically helped? You can say that a lot of people are better off now. You can say they aren't.
This is a war of IDEOLOGY. It's a war about HATE. And we may not be able to change the hate NOW, but we'd damn well better make sure we change the hate in the FUTURE, or we're FUCKED!
What I want you to say is: There are a lot less people who hate us now. Haven't heard that one yet. Because it hasn't happened.
Here's an idea.
Look, Democrats! Weak on National Security?! I've got your answer right here!
Every penny that goes into this war - and look, I'm not saying we should cut back; I think the amount we're spending is ridiculous, but I also think that the men and women who go to our defense deserve our very goddam best, okay? - but EVERY cent that goes into this war should be MATCHED by a cent that goes into FUNDING GOOD THINGS.
I'm serious. Every dollar that this nation spends on destruction and war should be matched by a dollar spent on reconstruction, rebuilding, advancement. Every single penny spent on negativity should be matched by a penny put into something positive.
Aid. Rebuilding towns. Building new houses. Helping to set up medical centers. Constructing new schools. Helping farmers farm. Helping doctors serve.
Not just in Iraq, or Afghanistan, where we've made our own messes - although these are great places to start. How about Africa? How about Malaysia? (sp?)
I know, I know, America has their own poor. Yeah, but we've got welfare, and systems in place to help those people. As long as those programs are not cut, our poor and needy have a helping hand. The ones in Africa don't.
Although another thing! How about our own fucking inner-city school systems? How about the teachers who are teaching our very own children and living on half of what I make MAKING TIRES? I'm not saying I deserve less money for my education - but they deserve more, WAY MORE.
And hey! If you don't want to go into other countries - if you don't want to get into that mess - how about something that'll help save lives? AIDS research? Cancer treatment? Vaccinations?
Every time America buys a bomb, it should purchase and plant a tree (or several). Every time it commissions a new plane, it should also commission new roads in the Middle East. Every time we upgrade our soldiers' body armor, we should also be sending a child somewhere textbooks and a new school.
This is the only way we can fight an ideology of hatred: prove that we are above it.
So far, America, we haven't.
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I've always hated those uneducated douches who scream "WAR FOR OIL" whenever Iraq is mentioned, but the more you look at the history of American foreign policy, the more you see that they're probably right.
It's not just oil - it's influence in an area that was very anti-American. It was inevitable, the US needed to get a firm foothold in the Middle East. It wouldn't surprise me if they hit Iran in the next couple of years.
But yeah, American foreign policy has always been "englightened self-interest" - doing what's best for them politically and economically whilst cloaking their motives in ideological rhetoric. They did it in Latin America in the early 20th century; they did it in WWI; they did it in WWII, as well. They say it's a "war of ideology", but you know there's something else lurking under there.
And yeah, giving money to Africa is a bad idea. The governments are so corrupt there that you'd have to walk into the shanty towns and distribute dollars by yourself if you wanted to make a difference - otherwise it would all just end up in some Swiss bank (or God knows where else) for years on end.
OH POLITICS WHAT A FUN IT IS
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The "war for oil" thing -- I can totally believe that it's true. It just seems that if we keep forcing our way in there with bombs and grit in our teeth, that's not going to help too much. Why can't we have an ally there, rather than some nation we torched and then camped out in?
As for Africa, that's part of the problem, really. And I don't want to say we should declare war on them either. It's just - the rate at which AIDS is growing, and other diseases, and - it just makes me very sad.
I just see (well, not personally, but you know what I mean) a culture that hates America, and all the nation is doing to fight this is bombing and killing, which will only create more hate in the end.
Also, I know all my arguments are simplistic in the view of world politics :P I'm an engineer. I look at data and solve problems in a straightforward way. You never have to worry about the political environment of a reactor feed XD
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By "war of ideology" I meant the terrorist ideology. I don't for one minute believe that "eliminating the terrorist threat" is the sole reason we entered this war - hell no. I more mean the ideology of "the enemy" - the terrorists that attacked on 9/11, the reason that Iraq and Afghanistan won't lay down and do what we say (not like that isn't a whole other argument), etc.
I don't think Congress/Bush/Whomever's rhetoric about this being an idealistic war is true for a second.
I meant the idealism behind who is attacking US.
Man, I ramble when I'm bored at work.
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I never really paid attention to the Iraq war very much, but I've gathered that they initially moved in because they thought Saddam had some weapons. Then, after it became more and more likely that they weren't going to find any weapons, they started pushing for the "idealistic" angle of "spreading democracy", etc.
I understand what you mean about not exactly endearing many of the Iraqis to the USA after the whole invasion thing. To be honest, I think they could have created much better, more stable relationships if that douchebag Bremer hadn't disbanded a large portion of the Iraqi army and fired most of the old conservative elite.
STUPID WAR AND ITS NUMEROUS COMPLICATIONS
Though I really don't know what we're going to do about this whole "Islamic extremist" problem. Nobody can breathe a word about Islam publicly without having a stupid protest and some bomb-wielding idiot spitting threats at the person who DARES TO EXPRESS HIM/HERSELF LIBERALLY.
...though I do agree that people as influential at the Pope should keep their mouths shut about such touchy issues.
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Have an Intarweb.
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(Anonymous) 2006-10-12 01:21 am (UTC)(link)item 2 - from Continuum, Track 2, beginning at the refrain:
"we're never gonna win the world
we're never gonna stop the war
we're never gonna beat this
if belief is what we're fighting for"
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Also, that's a good song.
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So, I officially do not second that sentiment.
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Same for Britain. Although Blair's actually out on his ass now, I highly doubt that his sucessor will be any less pig-headed.
~Miri
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Those most suited to rule are those least likely to do so.
Those most likely to rule are those least suited to do so.
:P!
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Goddamn human nature. >.<
~Miri