I'm becoming a republican apparently. For anyone that doesn't personally know me, I'm a young white well-educated professional (scientist, no less) female living in Massachusetts. Not only that, but I left Texas because I wanted to live somewhere like Massachusetts, where gay marriage is legal. I'm not gay, I just like being part of a community that is capable of rational thought. When it's time for my yearly female appointment with the doc, I go to Planned Parenthood and wade through the protesters and wait in the waiting room for 2 hours because I think they are an invaluable institution for women's health and rights, and I want to support them with my fully-paying good health insurance. My point is that I should be a die-hard democrat. My Texan roots must be showing, because lately, I am trending towards fiscal conservatism and maybe not leaving Iraq right this very minute. (My social views are still firmly liberal, in case you were wondering.)
So the Iraq war. I am very confused about it. I'm reverting to the bulleted list system. My inner scientist demands it.
- It's obvious we shouldn't have started the whole thing. Remember, back in 2003 was it?, remember how the ENTIRE WORLD said, "It's easy to topple the Iraq government, but rebuilding the country is going to be really really hard and it's going to take forever. Bad idea, don't go there." That should have been our first clue. The whole entire world, as I rememeber.
- But we did. And we bombed their whole country and toppled their government and with it their way of life. Maybe they hated their way of life and they're glad this happened. That is something I don't know about.
- So it was probably a bad idea. But it happened and the United States is responsible. Next step: rebuild.
- We try to rebuild and just as the entire world said, it is really hard and taking forever. And now we say, that was a bad idea, we shouldn't have gone there.
- So now we're talking about leaving Iraq. This is good for our troops (Number of US deaths in Iraq: 3,974. US wounded: 29,320)
- But is it good for Iraq? (estimated Number of Iraqi deaths due to US invasion: 655,000) I do not know the answer to this question. Is our leaving good or bad for them? If you know the answer to this, leave a comment. Please.
We bombed their whole country. Do we owe it to them to stick it out for a really long time and help them rebuild? What do you owe a people in a situation like this, vs what you owe your own soldiers? I don't know. But imagine, if someone successfully invaded the United States, overthrew the government, and bombed everything. They did this in the name of liberating you from the oppressive evil regime of George W. Bush, and now they're going to help you rebuild with this new kind of government that is better. Well ok. But it's rough going because all the roads and buildings and the place you used to work are bombed and there are outlaws running around all over the place killing people. So then, after a few years, the invading government has a scheduled regime change, and the new regime says, that was a bad idea, we shouldn't have gone there, sorry but we're leaving your country in ruin. Have fun rebuilding yourself with no funds and no idea what you're doing.
Can you imagine how pissed you would be? I might be pissed enough to become a suicide bomber.
I don't know the answer. I don't even know if our presence in Iraq is helping or hurting. What do you think?
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3 comments:
And remeber Dr. Lesch's Middle Eastern history class...we created the monster we later "needed" to topple. He was one sick F*^&, and we paid him to indulge himself. Yeah, I'd be pissed too.
But, I think it's time to stop feeding teenagers to the war machine becuase we screwed up.
Apparently I'm still a democrat. Or something.
I don't think that being confused about your feelings on the war makes you a republican. I don't know the answer to the war either, otherwise I would be running for president. I apologize for the rambling I'm about to do.
I think that the rebuilding was handled poorly and by corrupt companies which were given free reign by our idiot-filled and selfish administration.
I think that assuming a surge would quell insurgents was dumb, and that whatever soldiers we sent should have been (and now be) focused on keeping the peace, and training the military and police, rather than dangerous combat with an impossible enemy, because the best people to fight this messy civil war are the people who live there and know the issues better than anyone.
I think that the administration has dug us so deep, and made such a mess, that pulling everyone out immediately will create serious chaos. But that re-shaping the goals for the next few months, and then slowly withdrawing, needs to happen. No more lives/families need to be destroyed for this clusterf***k anymore, either in the US and allied countries, or Iraq.
And lastly, I am tired tired tired of some military families and supporters who think that wanting to take their loved ones out of combat means that WE are unsupportive of the troops. COME ON.
Oooh I could rant about this for a long time. In any case, I still love my friend even though she's confused about the war. Because I am too.
I didn't take Middle Eastern history, but I sure I wish I had now. I don't even know about us creating the monster. I have some reading to do.
When I think about it in terms of the US interests, I definitely think we need to get out of there ASAP. Stop feeding teenagers to the war machine and all. But when I think of it in terms of all the people involved, it seems we should maybe stick around. Well there is no clear cut answer, that's for sure. That whole part of the world is full of no clear cut answers.
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