And I hate his phony war on terror, too. War is terror, anyone who says otherwise is selling something (broadly paraphrasing The Princess Bride).
Just found out that my little brother (a Marine) is getting sent to Iraq right after Christmas. I was mad before, but now, in the words of innumerable action movie cliches, it's personal. It's really horrible enough for a person to deal with the fact that her government is killing innocent, impoverished people halfway around the globe merely for being in the wrong place at the wrong time (i.e. getting between us and the oil wells). The fact that my government is asking my brother to participate in such an exercise is insupportable.
I know that history will judge Bush and his foreign policy very harshly, but I don't have the luxury of time any more. I am going to judge him now. He's an ass. A willfully ignorant, power mad, fear mongering ass.
So, now I am going to go to Harvard Law (assuming I can get in) to study international and Constitutional law, so that I can try his sorry, overprivileged ass for war crimes some day.
Oh, and check out this article in The Boston Globe. One more good link snagged from Gibson.
7 comments:
You know how I feel about this illegal "war" the Schrubs and is fascist buddies seem to love so, so much, and I also understand your feelings for your brothers safety.
I do however have one question for you?
He did join the Marines of his own free will didn't he?
Also if my math is correct he must have joined after 9/11 and possible after all the talk of invading Iraq started, is this not correct?
So I have to believe that he understood what he was getting into, as I am sure you would have talked to him before he joined the Marines, so why does it hit you so hard now that he is being sent to do what he has been trained to do?
I understand the impulse. I am the oldest kid, my sister is 23 and my brother is 21. He's already in the military (obviously) and she would still be eligible for the draft, though I probably wouldn't be, at 26.
I told her to keep a bag packed, just in case. Since Canada's not too far from where she lives in Minneapolis, we'll just spirit her across the border if it comes to that. I've always wanted to live in Canada anyway.
Well as it now stands 26 is the cut-off age, and women do not have to register for the draft.
If you look in my archives I have the full text of the Rangel bill to reinstate the draft which includes full registration of everyone under that age of 26.
Also Canada is probably not going to be an option this time as they have already stated that draft resisters are not going to be welcome.
If it comes down to it, I'll take my daughters to Mexico. I love La Paz anyway, and that would just give me a reason to pack up and move there.
My bro' joined up before 9/11. That is, he signed all the paper work, etc. while he was still in high school, but he didn't start training until Sept. 19th, 2001. So he was committed to his term of service before 9/11, even though he wasn't officially part of the Marines until after.
That said, explain to me what Iraq has to do with 9/11. Other than that 9/11 provided a plausible excuse for Bush to do what he would have done anyway.
If he were going to Afghanistan I would still be terrified for him, but nowhere near as angry at Bush. While I am conflicted about our military intervention in Afghanistan, I am outraged at our military intervention in Iraq. That is the difference.
9/11 has everything to do with why Bush was able to go into Iraq. No 9/11 and Bush would have never been able to get any support for the invasion.
As for Afghanistan, sure the Taliban were horrible people, but how many Afghans where involved in 9/11?
The Sudanise are bad people too, but no invasion happening there, in fact the government kind of closed it's eyes on that entire situation until Colin Powell took it on as a personal cause.
Who was involved with 9/11? Saudi nationals in a major way.
What have we done about that? Nothing.
This entire Bush middle east policy was established BEFORE 9/11 and 9/11 was allowed to happen to provide justification for what they wanted to do all alone.
And the Dems played right along with him. As I said before the elections, and will continue to say "There is NO difference between the Republicans and Democrats they are playing us.
I'm not the only one that believes this, some old line Liberals are right here with me. Follow the link off this page
LOTE, you're basically saying the same thing I said above, viz. that 9/11 provided an excuse for Bush to go to Iraq.
The Afghan campaign only ever made sense to me insofar as it was an attempt to capture Osama Bin Laden (a Saudi taking refuge in Afghanistan). But bombing all those civilians, that doesn't make a bit of sense. Neither does installing what is basically a puppet gov't.
For the record, I am not a Democrat. I am a liberal, but there is a difference.
Yes there is a difference between liberals and Democrats, and the Democrats cannot move fast enough to distanct themselves from, what should rightfully be called, neo-liberal wing of the party which is just a screwed up as the neo-conservatives of the Republicans.
True Liberals where case adrift look ago by the Dems, just as the Repubs ignored the true conservatives sometime during Bush the elders term.
Afghanistan and Iraq are both pieces of the master plan. Afghanistan first, then Iraq, then look at the map and tell me who is going to be next.
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