It’s been a while since I have written about the war. It’s actually been a while since I’ve heard very much about the war at all. However, rest assured that the undeclared “police action” the United States government is conducting against the people of the Middle East is still raging, and there is absolutely no definitive timeframe of when it will actually end.
A recent series of discussion with my so-called “liberal” friends has led me to believe that many Americans don’t really care if it ends. My other acquaintances involved with Tea Party factions indicate that Tea Party groups are relatively silent on ending the war.
Perhaps in some respects me writing another column on the war is beating a dead horse. However, with a topic of such importance, it seems appropriate to make sure the Collegiate Times opinions page contains a column on the war every once in a while.
After all, it has always been the nation’s college-aged youth that have been the main force behind anti-war movements, including those dismal wars started by the Bush administration.
I’d like to remind all of the people reading this column that those very same wars continue. Simply because the supreme commander of the military is now a different politician does not mean that the wars aren’t still raging for the same reasons of profit and the expansion of American state influence.
It is my contention that there is a general feeling among those who are Democratically aligned that the new leader is a bit of an altruist, and thus the wars are now being conducted for reasons of justice and American safety.
It’s very hard to argue against this mindset considering that President Barack Obama was granted the once-important Nobel Peace Prize. I’d like to be very clear that the prize was given to a man who some could declare the world’s most vicious warmonger.
It seemed common to hear President George W. Bush being rightfully called a murderer and a tyrant during his reign as “war chief.” One of my favorite works of art was “War President,” a mosaic of George W. Bush made up of the photos of deceased soldiers serving in the Middle East. The work was created by Joe Wezorek, a software programmer and self-proclaimed leftist.
“War President” was a bold example of a cultural trend leaning toward an understanding that murders conducted by the state are little different than those conducted by any other human being. The work received worldwide media coverage, with a mix of positive and negative reactions.
Joe Wezorek seemed to understand that actual lives were being used by the state to conduct a game of warfare. All of this is done under the false guise of heroism, and service to one’s country.
Where has this vicious dissent gone?
There was once a certain safety in declaring the horrible actions of the United States government as being murderous. Despite the actions themselves never changing, declaring Obama and the United States government as being aggressively violent has become a taboo.
I want the anti-war movement back; I want creative artists and college students to fearlessly protest elected officials for carelessly destroying lives. It is my greatest wish to have a movement that dissents against the Obama administration with the same fervor as those who opposed the awful Bush administration.
I feel now I must once again mention the Tea Party patriots: Much like the now defunct anti-war movement of the left, the Tea Party movement has moved partisan, forgetting that Republican leaders are just as evil as the Progressives it so adamantly opposes. The Tea Party groups are relatively silent on the war and appear to embrace nationalism. This type of collectivist unity only pollutes rational minds by falsely declaring a sense of American identity.
It’s absolutely pathetic. If there is one thing that breeds wars — if there is one commonality all war nations have — it’s that the culture in those countries imposes a strong sense of nationalism. Like it or not, blind pride in one’s country amounts to little more than a declaration of superiority of that nation to all others. This is absolutely nationalism at its most disgusting.
A version of this article appeared in the May 4 issue of the Collegiate Times.
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That was your first article I've read with some actual content. Congratulations.
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Are you just angry Chad bashed the SGA, Mr. President?
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No, I just wish people in general asked more questions before making assertions. This article actually had some good content. Most of his articles are just emotionally charged without merit.
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You're clearly mad. You need a cookie.
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Not at all. I complimented him on this article.
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You're compliment is quite backhanded, Mr. President.
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Shouldn't it be beneath the SGA president to critique the CT? Even Obama only calls out the media when they speak ill of him, not when he doesn't care for their writing ability.
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I agree. The SGA President should not critique writing ability.
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The SGA President should stop acting like a giant Douche. This is an excellent article and so was the SGA critique. Obama is a bullsht artist and warmonger.
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Please don't act like the title of "SGA President" actually means anything
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It really doesn't. We, as a student body, do not have any legitimate power. I never said it meant anything.
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You did a couple years ago Brandon when the CT was critical about the SGA. You were quick to defend them and tell us that the SGA isn't a meaningless puppet organization used by the administration to appease the students and give them a false sense of power. Did you finally stop drinking the punch?
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Exactly. I wasn't SGA President then. SGA has some legitimacy in the fact that we are heard by the administration. Does that mean it is acted upon? Does that mean it isn't circumvented? Does that mean we have legitimate votes on the important issues on campus? No. However, the idea of a SGA is still important. If students make noise, the University will listen. Just having a body is not enough; it must be unified to make any change.
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War has always been the solution to a barbaric consciousness
It never has been or ever will be the answer to a truely civilized society.
Prepare for war in times of peace applies to one culture
Prepare for peace in times of peace applies to the other.
http://apps.peaceprophet.net/blog/
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If you can't stand behind our fighting soldiers, by all means, feel free to stand in front of them.
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Yeah because we all know that shooting innocent people is fun! And seriously.. your name is "I'm free"? Are you a joke??
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This is by far the most ignorant comment I have ever read. Thank my husband and the rest of the men and women who fight every day for your RIGHT and FREEDOM to make comments like this.
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Proud Military Wife,
No offense, but your comment is probably the most ignorant one here. Since when did the Iraqis and Afghans threaten my freedom? Your husband and all the other troops are making us less safe. By policing the world and murdering innocent people, the troops are causing resentment towards America and creating more terrorists. Read the books Blowback and Imperial Hubris to see why these wars are creating more terrorists. Also, read any writing by the Founding Fathers. THEY DID NOT EVEN WANT A STANDING ARMY.
youtube.com/watch?v=F9SOVzMV2bc
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I want to bring our fighting soldiers home so they don't have to get shot at and have their families constantly worrying. Isn't that the most American?
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Don't worry They will come home and police the streets of Amerika soon enough. Iraq is training grounds for when they police us here at home after Obama declares a state of emergency. Then "I'm Free" will get her wish: Americans with guts will defend themselves against the troops who are violating Posse Comotatus.
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I don't understand the idea that these wars were started for our profit or over oil. The war in Iraq increased the price of oil across the entire region. What is there in Afghanistan that increases the wealth or power of America? I am not saying the wars were advisable, but I doubt that they were undertaken for profit.
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There's nothing about the war that increases the wealth or power of the american people. I would say, and I think the author would agree, it's extremely detrimental to the wealth and status of the american people as a whole. However, war is a very lucrative business for those players at the top of the system - the defense contractors and crooked politicians. The huge defense conglomerates obviously profit from war, so it is in their benefit to keep a few politicians on the doll to get the good contracts. Then, everyone who is in a position to make a decision about the war is also in a position to profit from it. That's what is meant by labeling it a corporatist (not capitalist, mind you) war-game.
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Ok I can understand that logic, just would not choose to agree. To me that flies a tad too close to conspiracy theories.
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Ianni. Did you throw the Conspiracy Theory card because the logic of the argument was understood by you, but you wish it wasn't true... I'm confused.
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It's no longer cool to protest the war because Bush is out of office.
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Exactly. Now that McBoma is in office the anti-war movement is dead. Which is sad considering that he's murdering innocent civilians in Afghanistan and Pakistan with unmanned aerial drones. Then the warmonger has the gumption to joke about it on TV the other day.
youtube.com/watch?v=WWKG6ZmgAX4
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Very well-written, Chad. I'm reminded of the late Howard Zinn's assertion that "There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people for a purpose which is unattainable." The fact that Obama speaks more eloquently than his predecessor only exacerbates the danger of his position; his witty, off-hand remarks give him the appearance of being "cool," when really, he's deployed more troops to the Middle East than Bush did during the "surge." To people who argue that "we can't just leave" because we have to finish what we started or whatever, I say-- Yes We Can!
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I don't know which "Tea Party friends" you spoke to, Chad, but it wasn't me. There are a lot of Tea Party supporters who are anti-war, and anyone with a brain recognizes that war -> massive spending -> massive debt -> national bankruptcy -> loss of sovereignty.
You just cannot separate those in the Tea Party who are die-hard Republicans from those who are not - including your own libertarians and classical liberals. Your failure to do this also explains your failure to suggest anything better. A protest? From who? Perhaps you should look for a group of people who is against big government AND war... hmm.. where to find people like that...
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Turn off the TV Google "Ron Paul" to find the answer. Sadly, no Americans will get rid of their TVs so we're stuck with the same lame elections every 4 years where people vote for "change" but nothing changes.
Obama = Bush
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I agree with you and pretty much anything Ron Paul says BUT I wish you would use a different username! You do not speak for Ron Paul.
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PROUD MILITARY WIFE - When my right to free speech is legitimately impinged upon by cave-dwellers in Afghanistan, I will thank your husband. While we're at it, could someone please provide me with a youtube link to a video of one of our soldiers stepping in and STOPPING their fellow soldiers from shooting, say, unarmed AP reporters and civilians? Cuz I can't seem to find one. Plenty of videos of innocents being gunned down while "brave" soldiers in helicopters laugh as they fall, though.
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You're an idiot. Why don't you watch the whole video to which you are referring? The pilots called for guidance several times and received clearance to fire. Why? For one thing, one of the guys in the background had an RPG, which are pretty lethal to helicopters. For another, later in the video, a vehicle pulls up that looks like one reported in the area that had been used to transport fighters armed with RPGs. It appears innocents were killed but it happens in war. The difference is that when we kill innocents it's an accident. When our enemy does so it's on purpose. Perhaps you remember 9/11? Then again, probably not. You were likely weren't yet a teenager then, so WTC was an innocent civilian. In Iraq, Jaysh al-Mahdi, al-Qa'ida in Iraq, etc, set off car bombs in markets full of innocent Iraqis.
How easy to sit and criticize better men than you, you snot-nosed, spoiled, sorry excuse for a human being. It's dirtbags like you that make it that much more difficult for men like me to readjust when we come back to the States and have to deal with ungrateful little children who have no idea how lucky they are to live in this country.
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Somehow some of my comment got cut off. My comment should have said "You likely weren't yet a teenager then, so let me exolain it to you. Everyone in the WTC was an innocent civilian."
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Tuff words there Iraq War Vet. Jochebed is probably your age and I'm probably older than you. If you want to discuss the merits of this war, and how you are making America less safe, I will be glad to discuss the issue with you face to face. No, I'm not trying to be an Internet tuff guy and start a fight. Serious, lets meet over a cup of coffee and Squires and discuss this. Jochebed and I are far from snot-nosed brats.
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Tough words? Jochebed's slanderous "Plenty of videos of innocents being gunned down while "brave" soldiers in helicopters laugh as they fall, though" line were plenty tough. Then again, to think of it they're cowardly, actually.
I'd love nothing more than to enjoy a cup of coffee at Squire's. It's a long commute from Baghdad, however, which is where I'm apparently making the world less safe for democracy. So flattered you want to take the time to set me straight, never mind that, having spent several years in the Middle East in the last two decades, I probably understand the issues at hand far better than you. But of course as a good liberal you assume you have a monopoly on the truth and that anyone with a different opinion is stupid, misinformed or both.
And unless you went to Tech in the early 1980s I am almost certainly older than you and that clueless kid Jochebed.
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You are so very open-minded and tolerant, oh yes and ageist too. I'm glad you're out there spreading "freedom", that is for people that agree with you anyway. @@ BTW, I'm a wife, mother and 11 months from having Dr. in front of my name. Hardly a snot-nosed brat, thanks. Again, can you provide me a with a link for a video showing an American soldier stepping in and stopping an assault on civilians? You're pretty naive if you think that innocents are never killed, injured, raped, etc on purpose by our military. I mean, if our military covers up the murder of our own soldiers, I doubt we do no worse for "terrorists" with brown skin. I'd like to see one truly good guy stepping in and stopping that, because I haven't yet. You'd think that sort of good publicity would be more readily available.
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From the horse's mouth: Former U.S. Army specialists Josh Stieber and Ethan McCord, two soldiers who were in the same company as the culprits featured in this video, have now publicly apologized for the massacre, expressing in an open letter to the Iraqi people their sorrow at the incident while pointing out that it represents just one example of the brutal suffering inflicted on the Iraqis since the March 2003 invasion:
"From our own experiences, and the experiences of other veterans we have talked to, we know that the acts depicted in this video are EVERYDAY OCCURRENCES of this war: this is the nature of how U.S.-led wars are carried out in this region.†(emphasis mine)
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W gave us the second Iraq, O will give us the second Korea. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37309788/ns/world_news-asiapacific/ Hope and change, baby.
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Based on your comments, it's astonishing you try to label me naive. You cleary have no understanding of warfare apart from what you get from conscientious objectors, and you I have no idea from what information you form your opinions about international affairs but naive doesn't even begin to cover your stance.
North Korea sank a South Korean submarine. It is not an accident this happened during the Obama administration. Kim had an expectation we would not respond based on his observation of US attempts to prevent Iran to develop nuclear weapons.
I ask you this, as you seem to believe in the rightousness of the opinion you formed as you lived in the sheltered world of academia... What would you do about North Korea's sinking that sub?
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Keep my nose out of it. Why is it that it's always America's job to intervene and handle everyone else's problems? And perhaps my current life is within the "sheltered world of academia" but my parents work in intelligence, I have classmates who are former service members (2 navy and 1 army, the last of which served in Iraq) and I formerly lived in a Navy town where fully 1/2 or more of my fellow church members were in the Navy or married to someone in the Navy. I have seen the devastation that our interventionist policies have on families I have spent significant amounts of time with, even if it is not my own personal experience. Why are we the police of the world? Why is it our job to make everyone else play nice?
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