About That War: How many of you are still undecided, conflicted, Gollum-like, etc.? Seems a large portion of my group of thirty-something Blue-state friends -- the vast majority of whom supported the Afghan campaign -- have been untouched by the Certainty Fairy.
I've been reading Welch for a long time and think that politically we are very similar. For example, since September 11th, I've been feeling a little less left-wing liberal, less in line with Democrats. Although, I certainly don't align with the Republicans on much of anything. If anything I'm more libertarian. I'm still pro-choice, don't mind paying taxes (even higher taxes if we get more services) and I still believe in public education. That means I'm against school vouchers. However, I'm conservative on crime issues. I'm for three-strikes laws and I'm pro-death penalty.
Last October ... NOT for the war. Now ... FOR the war.
After hearing Bush talk about war on Iraq for the first time I thought, "Wait a minute. The U.S. people are not the type to make unprovoked war on another country.
But since autumn I've been reading and listening to a lot of arguments for and against invading Iraq. Listening to intelligent arguments changed my mind.
I find it difficult to say "for the war" because it sounds so much like I'm "for war". I'm not "pro-war", but who is? It's better to characterize my feelings as "pro-liberation".
Didn't we try sanctions and negotiation. That path did\'t work. Now it's time to try something different.
One of the problems I see today is that a lot of people are confusing the war issue. The quarrel is NOT with the people of Iraq or the country of Iraq. Bush does not want to harm the people of Iraq. His problem is with the dictator, Saddam Hussein. The people of Iraq want to be free from Hussein.
It is always a shame when innocent civilians are killed in a war. For that matter, it's a shame when anyone anywhere loses their life for ANY reason. It's not right, but even the people of Iraq know that innocent deaths are necessary to be free.
This Iraq war could be the worst thing to happen to the world in my lifetime. It could trigger another world war or cause world-wide economic collapse. It's a big gamble, but you've got to gamble big to win big. The Iraq war could be the first step toward making the world a much safer place for the next 50 years.
Everyone has to work out the war issue for themselves. I however, will not weep when Saddam, his brutal son Uday, and the rest of the "Tikrit Mafia" have JDAMs stuffed up their rears.