I'm not really that political...at least not on a national scale. I think you can affect more change by being active and supporting the causes you believe in on a local level than you can by voting for one presidential candidate over another, but Moss posted a response to my "Leading Economic Indicators" post and it made me think. I'm glad it did, because I came up with the following response:
Moss, nowhere in my post did I mention voting, nor did I say anything about George W. Bush or the presidential race. It was merely a commentary on the current state of the economy as I see it; BUT since you brought up the presidential race...
Personally, I don't believe serving in Vietnam, getting wounded, and then coming home and testifying about the atrocities of war to Congress necessarily makes you a better Commander-In-Chief. I think it is respectable that John Kerry fought in the war. I do appreciate that he fought for the freedoms that we share as Americans. I appreciate the service of everyone who has done that...including my uncle, my grandpa my dad and you! (no matter how much you hated it) ;-)
I don't think that coming home and testifying against your fellow soldiers while they're still fighting (even if it's a war you don't agree with) is a respectable move, in fact, I find it self-serving, negligent, reckless, and conniving.
I have a neighbor who served in Viet Nam. He was awarded a purple heart for wounds earned in combat from enemy fire...he struggles every day with that war because of the reception he received when he came home...after John Kerry had served his 4 months and then bad-mouthed those who were still over there fighting. Those hearings and that testimony rallied groups of Americans to actually turn AGAINST the very soldiers who were fighting on their behalf. Soldiers returned to people spitting on them in airports as they got off the plane... They were called names, denied jobs and swept under the carpet. These men and women were heroes...they didn't deserve that.
American lives have certainly been lost in Iraq and in Afghanistan; That's the terrible cost of war. I feel awful for every survivor who has lost a loved one fighting for our freedoms. But I take some solace in the fact that they all died doing something they wanted to do. We have a 100% volunteer military. There is no draft. All of our wonderful military forces are there because they made a decision to be there. That's valor...
As for the debt; Yes, $7 trillion is huge, but you know what? The debt has gone up every single year I've been alive. I'm not concerned about who's going to pay for it. Really...I'm not. Is that short-sighted of me? I suppose... I'm just being honest though.
Are we at a lesser or greater risk of terrorist attack than we were on 9/11? I think it's significantly less! And I think it's directly related to going to Iraq and Afghanistan and attacking terrorist cells and nations harboring and supporting terrorist organizations. What if we had done nothing? What if we'd have gone along with the United Nations and just waited....for how long? Until the next attack on our soil? Until the next 3000 Americans got slaughtered? Until France and Germany thought it was a good idea? Neither France nor Germany were attacked on 9/11.
You'll say "What does Iraq have to do with 9/11?" This is what Democrat co-chair of the 9/11 commission, Lee Hamilton, said:
"I must say I have trouble understanding the flak over this. The vice president is saying, I think, that there were connections between al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein's government. We don't disagree with that."
Did Iraq directly plan the attacks on 9/11? No. Are we safer w/o Saddam in power and funneling millions and millions of dollars into terrorist cells? Absolutely!! Did we wipe out the Taliban in Afghanistan? Yes...we did. Did that make us safer? I believe it did. Did it make the citizens of Afghanistan and Iraq safer? You bet... Is the world a safer place because of our actions? I believe it is.
Moss, I always appreciate your views and even more than that, I appreciate your passion about them! I know you're not happy with America and that's too bad. You're an American, you should like living here! You have told me that if Bush gets elected to a second term, you'd move out of the country. I hope it doesn't come to that...
Grant,
I have to take issue with some of your assertions. First, your implication
that because our military is all-volunteer, everyone who is fighting in
Iraq wants to be there: "..they all died doing something they wanted to do.
We have a 100% volunteer military.There is no draft. All of our wonderful military
forces are there because they made a decision to be there. That's valor"
Many people, especially those from poorer communities
choose to join the military because it's one of the few options they have to
make a living. The enlisted ranks especially are full of kids, many of them
minorities from poor socio-economic strata, who joined up
because they didn't want to go on welfare or try to survive on menial service
jobs, the only other opportunities they felt they had. These kids don't care
about "serving their country", they just want to survive their stint and make
some money for their family. Unfortunately, it's because we don't have a draft
that there are more poor and minorities among those who get killed in these wars.
(Precisely for that reason, I'm in favor of a draft, in order to even out the
sacrifice among our whole society. But then again, those with wealth and privilege
will usually find a way to get out of a draft, or at least ensure they are less
likely to be put in a position where they might get killed (cf. Dick Cheney, George
Bush et al.) We need to have a real draft where Presidents' daughters and congresscritters'
sons are equally likely to get sent to die as some poor father from Oakland.
Perhaps that would make them think twice about starting such wars.)
Characterizing Kerry's testimony against the war as causing people to "spit on
them in airports as they got off the plane" is disingenuous. Obviously the
aim of this testimony was to attempt to change the government's policies and
was not an attack on the kids sent over there to fight. And any people who did
attack or discriminate against veterans are those who did not understand the message.
Can you provide any documentation for "...Saddam in power and funneling millions and millions of dollars into terrorist cells"? This and many of your other pro-war assertions sound suspiciously
like Karl Rove's talking points, digested without any critical thinking or research.
I implore you to think about some of the things you've written. Why do you believe
them? Just because you hear the same thing repeated over and over from this administration
does not make it true. Do some research, and think for yourself.
Grant, I do love living in America. And one of the great things about this country
is that we can feel free to dissent and be critical of our government. It is
our duty to point out when they are making mistakes, and vote those who do
out of office.
Finally: "I hope it doesn't come to that...."
Well, then, vote for Kerry :D
# Posted by: Moss at September 3, 2004 05:02 PM