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We
Didn't Want This War, But We Got It. Now What?
October
27, 2001
by Why
Before we get down to business, I would like to say that
I am in absolute agreement with Bob Fertik's assessment of
the world as it might have been with President Gore in charge.
In this world, the Twin Towers are still intact and the terrorists
who did this heinous deed foiled before they boarded the planes.
The article, Top
10 Reasons Why Al Gore Would Be a Better Wartime President
Than George W. Bush, can be found at Democrats.com. It
has my absolutely unreserved endorsement.
This being said, last Saturday (October 20), about 5000 people
held a demonstration in San Francisco protesting our military
action in Afghanistan. I heard them on National Public Radio
while on my way to the Reserve Center to serve my country
for my one weekend a month. Among other things, they were
chanting, "This is what a democracy looks like!" Yes, they
were right about that; people like me put on military uniforms
and do our bit so that people in San Francisco can make a
bunch of noise protesting it and get away with it. It's asserting
one's First Amendment rights, just like I do every week with
my online newsletter, way
Too Much Sense™. That's not what I am upset about.
My initial reaction to the NPR story was, "where in Hell
were these people on December 12, 2000, when Smirk and his
boys were stealing the election in Florida? Where were they
when the Supreme Court was trampling over the Constitution
they were sworn to uphold? Where were they on January 20th
of this year when Smirk was being sworn in for an office he
did not earn? Where were they? Somebody tell me.
I am sure some people would also like to know where these
people were last November on Election Day, trying to prevent
the Chimp from getting elected, or chasing Ralph Nader's pipe
dream? Inquiring minds want to know.
I would like very much for the Democrats to capture control
of Congress next year. That is why I and so many people like
me have gone online with our objections to the Selection of
2000, the shortsightedness of pResident Bush, the conflicts
of interest of many of his Cabinet officials, and right-wing
political "thought" in general. I and people who share my
philosophical viewpoint know very well that if the current
regime is left to govern unchecked, we will eventually be
in the same situation we were in in 1929.
Large-scale protests against a war that an overwhelming majority
of Americans support do not endear people to the Democratic
cause. They invoke feelings of anger, not at the military
action, but toward the protesters themselves. Mark my words,
if this continues, the Democratic Party will be found guilty
by association; the Republicans will beat us up and steal
our lunch money next year, so to speak, at the polls. It will
be nearly impossible to check Shrub's agenda with the Republicans
having a filibuster-proof majority in Congress.
New York City is nearly as liberal as San Francisco. Rudy
Guiliani notwithstanding, they consistently prefer liberal
Democrats by wide margins over Republicans, particular the
sort of neo-conservatives who run most of the federal government.
As people go, New Yorkers are pretty enlightened. You will
not, however, see demonstrations against our government's
action in Afghanistan in New York City. Of course, San Francisco
is 5,000 miles from New York, and as of this writing, no airplanes
crashed into the Golden Gate bridge or the Transamerica building,
or sprayed 70,000 Raiders fans with nerve gas on Monday Night
Football. Let something truly horrible (God forbid) like that
happen in San Francisco, and see if people's attitudes change
there.
Yes, things might have been a lot different (read: better,
and far more peaceful) if Al Gore hadn't been screwed out
of the job he won fair and square. Presidents named Bush tend
to be more reactive than proactive when it comes to foreign
affairs (and everything else). The current administration
is more concerned with fighting wars than avoiding them, or
rendering them unnecessary. All these things are true BUT,
we're in a war now. It is necessary. And avoiding it will
only make matters worse at this point. The last thing we need
is a fifth column making the business of conducting this war
more difficult than it already is. The sooner this is successfully
concluded, the sooner the relief people can safely get people
fed, the refugees can go home, the land can be cleared of
mines, and a real government put in place in Afghanistan.
I think we can all agree that this is what we want.
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