August 2005

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<itemid>7243</itemid>

<eventtime>2005-08-17 13:19:00</eventtime>

<logtime>2005-08-17 17:49:34</logtime>

<subject>Time for a Reality Check</subject>

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<lj-cut>I can empathize with some of the support that the Republicans are getting. I really can. Despite verbose and passionate denials, there are legitimate threats to the right to worship in this country, and there is a militant Relativism which seeks to deny the existance of morality in any applicable and realistic form. There are many people that can sense this, deep in their soul, and are deeply disturbed by it. They are moved to passion and hope to fight against the evil that they see in the world all around them. The problem is that passion without reason is more deadly than anything else. We have brains. We were meant to have brains. It is true, that in this day and age of multimedia, the facts are not as easy to discern as they once was. Each side comes out and trumptets their statistics in the hopes that they can batter down their defenses and seem more credible. In the attempts by the two great political camps of this country to gain more power, they have made all things political issue by issue until reason has been discouraged to the point that the vast majority of Christian Republicans no longer think rationally at all. They think they do. Their internal logic is sound. Their trusted sources of news give them rationalle for everything that they hear presented to them from the other polarity. They have faith, they have passion, and right now, they have power. If God had not wanted them to be in charge, if their cause was not righteous, then why are they succeeding? Yet, ironically the very bible they claim to believe in (which I also claim to believe in), shows example after example of supposedly 'righteous' people marching 'rightously' off a cliff because of their absolutely stubborn refusal to acknowledge the reality around them. It is one thing to have faith that God created the world in the face of a great deal of scientific evidence to the contrary, it is quite another to support a government or political party along the same vein. "Render unto Ceaser's that which is Ceaser's and God that which is God's." Faith is by nature something that will very often fly in the face of rationality. But WHAT you have faith in is an entirely different concept. True faith (I believe) is strengthened by questioning, by seeking truth, even if it is a different kind of truth that what you perceive with your physical senses. It is the belief in senses that are not of a physical nature which tell you of a reality beyond the reality which you perceive with the senses around you. Time for a reality check. WHY are we in Iraq? I am someone who has followed Saddam's career of villany since I was in High School. I predicted (quite accurately) the first gulf war as soon as he invaded Kuwait. Saddam was a wacko. I knew it, and anyone reading the news knew it. He spent the next ten years thumbing his nose at the United States and making George Bush Sr. look 'stupid' because he did not invade Iraq. Who looks 'stupid' now? These are the FACTS: You can argue about statistics and opinions and thoughts but some things are evident to anyone who bothers to look. When we went into Iraq, there was a wide variety of looting. Our troops protected the Oil Ministry, but the Iraqi museum was looted of priceless valuable treasures. BILLIONS of dollars (around $200 billion at this point) have been poured into the military occupancy of Iraq and yet the vast majority of that has gone to private security companies that have to guard our very presence in the country. They said we went in for Weapons of Mass Destruction. We didn't find any. Truth be told, I might actually believe they were actually there. I know that's crazy, but it won't shock me if 20 years from now we find some hidden vault with nerve gas canisters in it. </facts> In all honesty, So what? That is not the real reason we went into Iraq, because if it WAS we'd be in IRAN and North Korea Right now. If we REALLY cared about it we would do whatever it took to go to war and end that threat. I don't care if the Iraqi's had NUKES, it doesn't matter if we have no plan to fix the country. So I'll say it again. We have got NO CLUE WHAT WE ARE DOING OVER THERE. George W. Bush firmly believes that the rightness of his cause will make everything all right. That by fighting for the 'right thing' and pouring money and manpower at it, we'll make everything all better. This IS another Vietnam. There is still some nominal support from the populace, for now, but that's going to go out the window pretty soon. We are trying to be all things to all people. We need to get out of that country, and the only way to do it is to say, "You have X amount of days to get your act together and get your army ready or we're pulling out." If the current rulers of Iraq were faced with the stark reality that rampaging mobs are going to kill them in a mass civil war that will reduce Iraq to Lebanon then they would suddenly become a lot more willing to compromise with each other. There comes a point at which the US has to stop saying 'This is our responsibility' and force them to take responsibility for themselves. Yes, we invaded. That gives us a certain burden to bear, but the fact is, that we DID (amazingly enough) do them at least a SMALL favor by removing Captain Psycho Saddam as head of government. Since we took the action that means that FOR A PERIOD OF TIME we are indeed responsible for helping the country back onto its feet, but at some point that means reasonable cooperation and compromise on their part. Afghanistan is still a mess, but its a paradise compared to Iraq. One major reason for this is that as screwed up as things are, the Afghanistanis understand that after 20 years of civil war, maybe taking their heads out of their butts and working together on something is actually going to bring them peace. The Kurds, Sunni's and Shiites seem to have no such perogative. And as long as the Republican Base is willing to BLINDLY SUPPORT BUSH NO MATTER WHAT HE DOES, they have all of the safety in the world. The fact that these people are starting to think *McCarthy had the right idea. *If you don't vote with everything Bush does then you're a Republican in Name Only (ie McCain) I think we're in for a world of hurt in this country. And more of our soldiers will keep dying, but sooner or later someone with the resources and clout to form a REAL third party, not an ego trip for would be Pretend Paupers will come along that actually represents the vast majority of the population in this country that wants MORALITY in their leaders but not mandated upon them by legislation will come along and expell them into their dustry little cobwebby corner. </lj-cut>

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