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Ben, man, I...I know that you know that Bush started a war that we have no way out of...and that aside, I mean, HE STARTED A WAR. We don't really do that here. One could argue that we started the Civil War...clearly, it being civil and all, it's hard to lay blame on outside forces...but the thinking behind that one was at least kinda noble, even if many of the people who elected Bush in Texas tend to fall on the wrong side of that debate. Believe it or not, regardless of the American rep for imperialism, we tend to stay out of harm's way even in cases when a strong moral argument could be made for our involvement -- it did, you'll recall, take quite some time for us to get involved in WWs I and II. And while we should never have been involved in Vietnam, it took a great many years of conflict before we took it upon ourselves to get mixed up in that bad boy, too. Starting wars is just not a thing we do. Until now.
The Iraq War is also incredibly expensive. In no tangible way does it benefit any of us. It doesn't even make us any safer -- quite the contrary. The Arab world, which clearly already hated us, now hates us more. This gives a lot of ammunition to, say, Al Qaida, whose operations are in no way impeded or even slightly fucked with as a result of our involvement in Iraq. They don't like Iraq, either. But they're perfectly willing to point to our invasion of Iraq as an example of American evil. In essence, we have handed them a major propagandistic victory. And, at the same time, we have committed ourselves to a conflict that requires the continuing presence of a huge number of our servicemen, which means that we -- in essence -- now lack a standing army adequate to domestic challenges. Which means that, if Bush gains a second term, we will almost have to institute a draft simply in order to have...um...homeland security. Remember homeland security? However, since no one can get a FUCKING JOB, it may be a moot point...joining the armed forces does seem like a better idea when you're broke.
Speaking of being broke, we have a shitload of money to throw at the war (most of it borrowed), but precious little to throw at domestic issues. Not only is our homeland not secure, it's also increasingly poorly-educated, increasingly just plain poor, and chock full of people who do not have the means to take care of themselves in the event of illness. Perhaps we could provide health care, or improve public education, or...well, we could do a lot of things -- if we had any money. But we DON'T, because Bush's tax cuts have insured that the wealthiest Americans no longer have to pay their share. Ironically, the only Americans who are likely to make a profit from the Iraq War are these same people...who do not have to foot the bill for the war. And whose children, no doubt, do not number among the over one thousand Americans who have so far been killed in Iraq. To say nothing of those who have been maimed, disfigured, and/or returned home in a state of dementia that may persist for their entire lives, for however long it may take for them to kill themselves and/or others.
I wonder if, when the American death toll in Iraq comes to exceed the number of Americans killed on 9/11, anyone who really thinks that what we're doing now makes any kind of sense will be given pause for regret.
Anyway. Yes, I agree. For a mass murderer who has bankrupted the country and who would quite literally kill you -- or at least get you killed -- to further his own agenda, Bush is a really super awesome guy. Ye GODS, Ben. |
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