Some People...

Yeah, so as I do every day, I browsed a few sites online for news. After I read an article dealing with the British terror plot, some lovely commentary then ensued below it.

Why do I even read the commentary anymore? I don't know. I think it motivates me to reach out more, stir debate, and hopefully openly discuss important issues with people. It also motivates me more to write a political satire about the Bush administration. The only problem there is the fact that every day, I find something new that could be added to the plot or storyline.

The majority of comments made were, how do I put it? Stupid. There, that's simple enough. The lack of logic some people use to justify their beliefs, especially those that are politically motivated, simply baffle me to the core.

For example, some comments eluded the falsity that those who criticize the war on terror are themselves aiding the terrorists or are themselves terrorists. It's like the old Bush one liner, "You're either with us or against us." So, even though my body is drug free (when it comes to illegal substances, anyway) and I believe the war on drugs to be a waste of time, energy, and money, does that mean I support drug use? Let me check with the Magic 8 Ball. Okay, signs point to no, just as I suspected. It's this kind of simplistic black-and-white thinking that keeps Bush's approval rating above 30%. Recent polls indicate at least 60% of Americans either want out of Iraq or think the Iraq War was a mistake. Does this mean that 3 out of 5 Americans support terrorism? No, I don't think so.

Many people take it personally, especially if they have a son or daughter overseas. When people protest against the war or criticize a war, they are not saying, "We hate the troops!" They are simply saying, "We disagree with the war that was imposed by the president. Bring the troops home." The troops are caught in a very awkward predicament, for the simple fact that while they volunteered for the armed forces, they did not up and volunteer for "The War on Terror" or the Iraq War. When the majority of Americans criticize the war, soldiers are probably apt to being confused, knowing what their mission supposedly is, and yet, because of the criticism, second guessing that very mission and its intents. I like to compare things to sports, because most people are into at least one sport. I'm a big Braves and Falcons fan. Coaches Bobby Cox and Jim Mora are going to make some moves and calls that I don't agree with. For the majority of the season, second baseman Marcus Giles was batting lead-off and struggling when he did so, hitting around .245. All year long, I was frustrated with this decision, because I feel he's a natural 2-hole hitter. Just recently, Bobby Cox moved him to the two-spot and Giles has hit over .400 ever since, upping his average to .270, which, at this stage in the season, is a dramatic improvement. While I didn't agree with Cox, I never stopped rooting for Giles and the Braves. It is logical to have disagreements with an authority figure of some kind, like a coach, a manager, a parent, or a boss, and yet still root for the people you're working with, those around you, or those on your team.

I read a comment about how God is on America's side and since he is, nothing bad will happen in or to this country. I'm sorry, but how hallucinogenic is that statement? 9/11 happened, did it not? Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King were all shot and assassinated. Ronald Reagan was shot. George W. Bush got (s)elected president twice. Jim Jones happened. David Koresh happened. Hurricane Katrina (and the ones before it) occurred. Tornadoes. Floods. Earthquakes. Homicides. Suicides. Innocent people killed via the death penalty. Rapes. Incest. Abuse. Need I continue? This guy needs another hit of shrooms as he walks back into his gated little community as the cult leader of the newly formed group, GLAD (God Loves America Dude).

Some people commented on Muslims and how ALL Muslims are fascists and terrorists. There are many Muslims in the world that do not partake in such dangerous stunts. One person said, "For all the Muslims who aren't like this, stand up, and make a statement, so we know this!" What? Should all Christians who don't partake in hate crimes against gays and bomb abortion clinics do likewise? Give me a break.

I read commentary about how "The War on Terror" isn't fantasy. It's real and we have to win by killing all the terrorists and potential terrorists before they kill us if we truly want to conquer and destroy terror. Let me define terrorism with help from the dictionary: The political use of intense fear and intimidation. Yeah, pretty broad, isn't it? With that kind of definition, terror could mean a lot of different things, couldn't it? Will we ever completely defeat "the political use of intense fear and intimidation?" Highly unlikely. So long as some authority figures are benefited through terrorism, just as some benefit greatly from drugs, the war on terror and the war on drugs can never be won. They're used to provoke fear in the minds of many, to gain power, and in attempt to create the illusion that they're doing something constructive with their jobs.

Another wrote about how ironic he/she found it that people criticizing the war take all our freedoms and liberties for granted and forget the people who are responsible for giving us those liberties and freedoms. He/she also mentioned how there are times we need to sacrifice some of that liberty for security. It was Benjamin Franklin who said, "One who gives up a little freedom for temporary security will deserve and receive neither." This is where conservatives and liberals have to compromise and realize they're both right to an extent. Where conservatives may say, "We wouldn't have these freedoms if it weren't for the soldiers," liberals may rebut, "Yeah, but what good are those freedoms if we can't utilize them?" You're both right. Meet in the middle, appreciate how we got here, but utilize them, so we don't take them for granted and lose what we had once appreciated.

The final comment I read regarded the soldiers overseas fighting for our freedom. Since when did the Iraq War have to do with fighting for our freedom? They didn't invade our land in attempt to take it from us and with that, our liberties. Whoever one wants to pin 9/11 on didn't take over our land and with that, our freedoms. Plan D of Bush was that we were in Iraq to spread democracy throughout the Middle East and while that's been going on, with the help of 9/11, our own liberties and freedoms have been slowly stripped from us right in front of us. While the soldiers may have fought for our freedom back when we were trying to establish ourselves and our country, they are not doing that currently while over in Iraq.