Speaking Out
So I've been thinking about the war that has been unleashed. I really have mixed feelings about it. I think that most Iraqis are going to end up with better lives after Saddam is deposed (I don't doubt that that's going to happen). But there is going to be plenty of people there (as well as families of service members here) that are forever going to remember the conflict as the cause for having lost a dear friend or family member. I don't really have a problem with utilitarian philosophy (the gain of many outweighing the loss of few) but that's not where my problem with this war lays, either.
On Friday we had a friendly - ahem - discussion with some neighbors in the park about Iraq. I was struck by their enthusiastic excitement of us "kicking some butt" and "making anyone who'd do a 9/11 attack think twice". Good Lord, people! This is not the freaking Super-bowl - it's about lives and laws and the loss of both.
Do you not care that there will be hundreds or thousands of innocent civilians killed and scores of our soldier will "honorably die"? Do you not know or care that 9/11 was not Iraq's doing. What about the world implication of our attack? They don't seem to see the difference between the Gulf War of '91 or Afghanistan and what we are doing now.
I had been impressed with the yard signs I'd seen in central Austin. I discovered that you can get a peace sign on Wednesdays (5-8pm) and Saturdays (12-4pm) in front of Book People on 6th and Lamar. Jfer was concerned the we might get our house egged or something, but we went a picked one up on Saturday and planted it in our front yard (I had not seen any in this area of town).
I say we should exercise our freedom of speech less it becomes fat and lazy.
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I've been amazed at the polls indicating support for the war - I don't know anyone that supports it but now from your "discussion with the neighbors", I know of some.
Since we tend to surround ourselves with like-minded people, it really skews our perception about what "general public oppinion" or even what "normal" is. This applies no matter what your leanings are. I bet if you find someone who supports war, they'll be hard pressed thinking of anyone they know who does not.
I find it much more fun to hang out with a diverse group of oppinions, but it's not easy to achieve since everyone is self-selecting. This actually becomes a problem when there is very little intersection between groups on opposing sides of an issue and when leaders and activists only surround themselves with and survey/poll/listen to their own groups. It's like the preacher feeling validated by the choir (to butcher a metaphore).
I was rather surprised in the way this war began. I feel the U.N. Inspectors were not given enough time to do their job. It appears the only reason public (American) opionion is growing to support the war and President Bush is because the war is now ongoing. What else is there for us to do but support the troops that are over there now fighting even if it is for the wrong reasons? In the long run I feel that N.Korea will be the bigger threat to World safety not Iraq.
Interesting comment of public opinion, Theresa. While I am no more in favor of the war than I have ever been, I find that I'm less vocal about it now than before the the fighting actually started.