hello, friends,
i am hijacking back tonight because i've spent the last two hours watching the senate debate on the iraq war and needed to chime in on a couple of brother rob's questions and thoughts.
okay, how many of you knew that the senate was pulling an all nighter? as steven colbert pointed out, they are preempting things like the infomercial for the "magic bullet," a "very special episode of BLOSSOM" and coverage of the NHL rookie training camp.
what a great time to debate this war, between the hours of 11PM and 4AM. usually, i am listening to coast to coast AM with george noorie.
i guess, to answer rob's question about the difference between democrats and republicans is that there is none. i am squarely behind barack obama, but i also am frustrated by the fact that NO ONE is asserting themselves fully to say "stop the nonsense."
i'm currently listening to washington state senator maria cantwell, who is asking for a pull-out. she is asking for a public presentation of what a senator's opinion might be, and i agree whole-heartedly. stand up and reflect the opinion of what the people elected you to express. are we really being spun that much that there is actually a question. everyone i know wants out -- am i really in the minority?
what is the fear of just calling a vote and putting the question to the mat?
there is such a sense of apprehension, an overwhelming sense of fear here, rob, that no one is able to a) articulate their opinion b)hold fast to that opinion and c)accept being wrong or pissing people off that we are a complacent, cowering and inarticulate people.
what was once the great "american experiment" has turned into yet another example of the tyranny of power. we are no better than any other of the failed political experiments.
whew.
i dare you all to keep watching this debate and challenging your elected officials to reflect your opinion.
gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky
1 comment:
Volansky-
You know me, I almost always stay away from these political conversations. But for some reason I can't today - forgive me.
I just have to ask - Why are you "squarely behind Barack"? He's just another politician like the rest of them - empty ideas and empty promises.
As for Iraq - I am not a staunch supporter, but I do believe that just pulling out and leaving will be a mistake. The county will fall, yes it may fall anyway, but it will most defintely fall into the hands of people who don't care about people. Radicals fight for their cause, without thought or emtion to those they may hurt in the process - whether it be us as the Infidels, or their own. I know most of your readers will roll their eyes with my next comment, but at least read what he has to say. Newt Gingrich is an intelligent man, with some real ideas and goals. Yes, he has a past, but find me a politician in this game that doesn't. From his website newt.org speaking about the opponents we face on the War on Terror:
"First, we have two immediate opponents, the Irreconcilable Wing of Islam and the rogue dictatorships that empower the radical Islamists.
The Irreconcilable Wing of Islam believes in a strikingly different world then the one we believe. It is an uncivilized and barbaric world. This wing of Islam, and its adherents and recruits, are irreconcilable because they cannot peacefully coexist with the civilized world. Their views on the role of women, on the application of medieval religious law (the Sha’ria) and religious intolerance (prosecuting Christians) make them irreconcilable with civilization in the modern age.
This ideological wing of Islam is irreconcilable because it does not accept freedom of conscience.
It does not accept freedom of speech.
It does not accept that women are equal in dignity and equal under the law, but instead accords them an inferior status in the life of society.
It does not accept the existence of the United States, with the adherents of the Irreconcilable Wing of Islam constantly fomenting a cheering chorus calling the United States the “Great Satan” and calling for its destruction. Their constantly declared goal is to either destroy or dominate the United States.
It does not accept Israel as a legal state.
It does not accept the inherent dignity of every human life. Instead, it supports the taking of innocent lives -- in the name of its ideology -- of anyone or any group that disagrees with its world view.
Because this war is at its core an ideological war, it is most accurate to think of and identify this war against the Irreconcilable Wing of Islam as the “Long War”.
It is stunningly hard to win a war of ideology where the enemy is religiously motivated to kill us."
I know I have now put myself out there to be attacked by the rest of your readers. But I think it's time we started hearing more then one opinion on the world. I am bored with people who say "I hate Bush" and "he is just the worst president ever."
Let us not forget that the country is not run by one man alone. We do elect 541 members of Congress and I haven't seen many of them make a true difference in any of our lives. The majority of them are career politicians, something the Founding Fathers of America never intended for public office to be. Remember the majority of these people who "represent" us are from extremely wealthy families and due to their "public service" they will have pensions that will far exceed what I will make in a lifetime and they will have FREE health care for life. Something none of us will have.
Just thought I would throw a few new thoughts into the pot. Hope you are well. It's a beautiful day here in Brussels.
-jelliott
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