War-Time Ramblings #1Apr 04 '03 Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line War is not an acceptable solution for evolved human beings. There are other ways to handle things. I am appalled by the fact that the United States is at war. That is my opinion, and I celebrate the fact that other people have differing opinions. Why do I celebrate that fact? Because that is what the United States is all about; freedom. The freedom to have a differing opinion, and the freedom to express that opinion without fear of retribution or retaliation. Unfortunately, I haven't been seeing that freedom lately. Instead, I have seen people tormented, criticized, put down because of their opinions. We do not have to agree with everything another person says, but we do have to respect their right to say it and to feel the way they do. That said, I will go on with my ramblings. Why I Am Appalled By This War First and foremost, because I do not see violence as a solution to a problem. Never. If we as the human race condone violence in one form, we are tacitly condoning it in other forms. If we don't like what our neighbor does, how our neighbor lives his life, how he raises his family; do we have the right to assault and attack or even kill him? No. So why is it okay to that very same thing under the context of War? In my mind, it isn't. And every time my country resorts to violence to solve problems it makes it more difficult for me to raise my children as non-violent beings. Are the things that happen under Saddam Hussein's regime horrible? Undoubtedly. Are they inhumane? Yes. Should we condone it? Never. But do we have the right to kill those people over there? No. We have the absolute right to address the issues, to object to what is happening, and to manage our own behavior in such a way that our objection is felt. In this day and age when we are supposed to be civilized human beings, the way to do that is to stop supporting them. Stop buying their oil. Ah ha! My significant other feels that the basis behind this war is oil. The United States government wants control it it. So the war is not a war to object to terrorism; it is simply a power struggle over a valuable commodity. How absolutely ridiculous is this? We have plenty of options that do NOT revolve around oil. We don't need their oil! Why isn't the United States government putting resources and energy into developing systems that do not require oil instead of killing a lot of people trying to take over the oil in Iraq? Hmmmm. Food for thought. And the only reason I can come up with is that there is too much pressure being put on the government by special interest groups who are making a lot of money off oil. We could totally eliminate any kind of threat from Saddam Hussein if we simply stopped buying his oil. Without US money coming in, everything would change in Iraq. It would be a peaceful solution. Other Thoughts I applaud the United States military personnel who are over there fighting this ridiculous war. They are doing what they swore they would do when they joined the military; protect the country. It is not their fault that the war makes no sense and should not be being fought at all. They hold no blame in this. President Bush does hold blame, however, and in my opinion the blood over every American soldier who has died in this war lies squarely on his shoulders. Children are in the military; nineteen year olds. And they are dying for the sake of a material substance; oil. How sad is that? Violence will never solve the problem. The only solution lies in behaving like rational, civilized human beings. And this war, like every other war, is not rational or civilized. It is pathetic. I was devastated when the Twin Towers were attacked. Terrorism is wrong, in any shape or form. But just how different is war from terrorism? It still results in needless death and happens for uncivilized reasons. Just because we call it a sanctioned "war" means nothing. Violence is violence. Covering it with pretty names won't change that. Just my two cents worth. All comments and opinions appreciated.  |
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