I'll preface this by saying I'm against this war. Yes, I know US servicemen in Iraq fighting & I support them 100% - especially their safe return. But I don't support the politics that put them there.
- Freeing/liberating the Iraqi people isn't the mission of this war. And if it was, I'd have major issues with that. Why? Because we haven't seen fit to liberate anyone else lately. We didn't aid Afghanastan until we were affected by the Taliban (yes, I realize we put them in power, and as soon as we saw what they were we should have put a stop to them. And we didn't. I must have signed 20 petitions asking the government to step in during the mid-late 1990s. So I know they knew about it). What about Tibet's occupation by the Chinese? We haven't done a thing to liberate them. If we are going to be the World Police, we need to treat everyone equally.
- The US doesn't have a history of preemptive war. The minute we decided to attack Iraq, we set the precedent that it's OK to attack unprovoked. Because while I believe (I didn't say KNOW, I said believe) Iraq probably has all kinds of weapons of mass destruction, I also don't believe (again, I didn't say KNOW) we had any reason to think they were heading towards us anytime soon. (I can't shake the feeling that maybe part of this, at least, is just George W. finishing what daddy started).
- I don't like the fact that all of our family & friends are giving their lives for this war. Everyone says they are protecting our freedoms. Did you feel your freedoms were threatened prior to the war? I didn't. And I still don't. I don't mean to belittle what our servicemen & women do... they are absolutely answering the call of duty. One of the reasons I don't join in the protests is respect for our soldiers.
- I think just about everyone in America (and many other parts of the world) agrees that Saddam=bad. I'd sure like to know what our plan is after we eliminate his entire regime. Because Bush promised (paraphrased) not to enter into conflicts where we had to set up completely new regimes of government (end paraphrase). Not that it's bad, but it's a definate drain on our resources. And how do we know the best form of government for a completely different culture. There will be many Iraqi civillians hurt and killed in this war. Many more will suffer (injuries, hunger, death, lack of housing, etc.) in the aftermath. I would feel better about the current situation if I thought that America could address any of these issues properly, but I don't. And what happens if we put another "taliban" type government in place as we did before? Or another dictator?
Those are my big issues with this war. That being said, I would like to agree with the pro-war side on the following:
- Many of the protestors really don't have a clue what they are talking about. Although some do- mainly the organizers and a few of the more "seasoned" adults. (The other reason I'm not joining any of them.)-I will say all of the protests I've seen have remained civil, thankfully. And I see many as I work downtown across from the state federal building.
- No, this war isn't about oil. That's an aside if anything.
- Saddam=bad. Something needs to be done. I would have liked UN approval at the least & don't understand the hesitation, other than the MONEY factor (who's selling & buying what from whom, etc.)
- Bush & his administration are privy to a lot more information than any of us. If I had all of the facts, I might be the #1 supporter, who knows. But I do believe that some information needs to remain at the highest level, at least until the war is resolved, for safety & security reasons.
So my anti-war beliefs are based solely on my knowledge & value system- just like anyone elses. Those are my reasons for choosing not to support the war. Debate with me all you like-I'm open to other viewpoints.
OH- and I wanted to adress this, even though it's small hijack:
Quote:
Originally posted by justamom
Even if you take the stance that this is all for oil...which it is NOT,
consider this-
In a move to cripple the US economy (for whatever reasons, jealousy, power, hate fear) imagine a country where you cannot afford to drive your car or heat your home because we can't get the oil or the cost is prohibitive. Do you want to wait for ethanol to be sufficiently developed as a viable alternative to fossil fuel? What about our OWN resources? Many demonstrators would head straight for the next protest against developing Alaska or offshore drilling in an effort to be less dependent on the Middle East.
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Actually, ethanol fuel is very well developed. When I purchased my used car I was discussing with my step-dad (a huge car guy that works for Summit Racing dealing with cars and car parts) the pros/cons of hybrid cars. I had intended to buy one in about year, but due to other circumstances was forced to make my car purchase early. (Resulting in the purchase of a cheaper, non-hybrid card). While he's not a fan of hybrid cars, he did tell me I can convert my car to run on ethanol fuel for less than $200. The problem then would be finding the fuel. He also told me that in Iowa all of the state police cars currently run on ethanol.
I really believe that we as a country & global community need to seriously consider alternate sources of fuel. So I was really happy to hear about this. OK- that's the end of my thread hijack
