Remember the days...(by guest author Aaron)

I remember the days when protesting the President's actions was considered unpatriotic. Blind acceptance is not patriotic, either, but we have to watch carefully when and where we're pointing the finger. I find it absurd that not three years ago, we were labeled as "anti-American" simply based on the fact that we did not agree with George W. Bush. Now it's seemingly okay for "Tea-Partyers" to do exactly that and claim it's their American right. They didn't seem to be too concerned with the internment of our civil liberties with actions such as illegal wire-tapping, just to give an example.

I remember the days that "Fiscal Conservatives" didn't seem to mind a debt as long as the debt was created to fuel their war machines. It seems that expenditures to take lives on foreign soil (whether justly or not) is okay, whereas spending on health care to save lives is clearly not. Apparently, increasing the quality of life in America is not that important.

I remember the days when we could lie our way into foreign countries because it somehow seemed politically advantageous. But now we're pigeon-holed into this situation, and extraction is exceedingly difficult, if not downright impossible, at this point. Should we even be concerned with extraction? Has our presence desensitized the population over-seas, so that if we ever do leave, a vast void will have to be filled? Will this void be filled with more violence?

And why not educate instead of infiltrate? Why is it brute force that we think will be understood? One simply supposes that some day we'll flush them out, like a clogged drain, and everyone will love us again. Radical madrassas are popping up on a daily basis, and with so many tribal and unincorporated areas, it's no wonder so many go, not seeing any other way to receive an education. Here's the startling point; these youths that are sent to these facilities are not sent there BECAUSE they are radical. They're sent because their parents and tribal councils and tribal leaders want the next generation to have a better life.

And really, a better life is all anyone is asking for.

Comments

[Shirley]

Did you see 'Avatar' Aaron? The earthling faction was so indicative of our own corporate-owned military. All I could think was 'yep, that's what they do!' - it also made me think of 'Team America' (f* yeah!). It doesn't seam to matter that there's life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness being destroyed - but save those fetuses damn it! What about the fetuses in these other countries we're destroying?

It's all about $$$$$$$$$ and the supreme court just made that worse. If the conservative side could see that raising the health and education of our country would bring them what they want too, maybe they'd wise up. But again, it's about $$$$. Their money. Apparently the principle their god teaches about tithing, taking care of the poor and the sick, hasn't quite reached them yet.