I know this is bad form... but... I posted this as a reply to a comment on something i wrote in my Livejournal (I know, I know).

It's a little incoherent and vague, but I figured I should post this and save it for a rainy day or something.

Let's take this from a Good Semaritan point of view which, though i concede this war was not waged under this pretense, I'll assert that this is what really is happening over there.

We can universalize the idea of helping people who are in need. I don't think there's ever a case when any legitimate code of ethics would allow us to turn a blind eye towards people in distress. The people in Iraq, let me tell you, were in distress. When a leader is in power who indiscriminately kills large numbers of people, these oppressed people exemplify need.

Why shouldn't we support these people? What is a bigger sacrifice for the largest, most powerful, advanced, and wealthy nation on the earth to sacrifice its own money and citizens to liberate others?

My problem with this war is that it shouldn't be happening now. It should have been taken care of during the Gulf War. We shouldn't have stopped where we did, we should have deposed Sadam, and saved the Iraqi people a decade of more intense suffering because of our retaliatory attacks on a crazed dictator.

I also advocate MORE war in this kind of vein. Let's go help the people in Beirut. And in Africa, who are being slaughtered in tribal wars (Rawanda?). Iran? Sudan? Lebanon? (to quote Mr King) DDDDOOOUUCCHHHEE Outta here. Let's kick out Castro, and liberate Cuba. We should put our feet down and say that as the most powerful nation in the world that we will not tolerate injustice and evil anywhere else. It's good for our economy (and theirs), its good for national and global security, and it allows us to put a lot more pressure on countries like North Korea and China, HUGE threats to global peace and human rights.


Or, you know, we could just sit at home, claim defeat already, and wait for the shining symbol of freedom and democracy in the world to get attacked, sacked, raped, and destroyed like Rome was by a group of savage barbarians carrying nuclear weapons.

I'm sorry Val, this wasn't where i wanted any of this to go. But i think we should talk online soon about this stuff, if you promise not to take it personally and to really have an open mind about what I have to say about it.

  ¶ 3:14 PM