Understanding some things - shared experiences, the news, Iraq, A Rant

[The Straight Story]

As I strive to understand the world one thing keeps popping up:
Shared Experiences

Why so many threads on X (celebrity, particular news items, etc)? Because it is something many have shared in their own lives.

As I noted in another thread, lots of people cried when Lucille Ball passed away - even if they never met her - because they all 'knew' her. She was in their homes, night after night, making them laugh. It was a one way relationship to a great extent but it was still a relationship.

We feel for others who lose someone, like a soldier, mate, etc - but we don't as easily cry since it is not someone we have ever known other than through a posting or news clip. It still matters, but has more impact on a smaller circle.

When Steve Irwin died, many felt a sense of loss - and they did lose as he would not be around to entertain them and get em laughing.

We share other things as well - sports for an example. Lots of people watch them and can relate to them, it is something we can all share at the same time. So if one person talks about it, many might chime in.

9/11 - we all shared that together.

So it is understandable why some things get more press and more discussion than things which are, in the scheme of things, more important.

What the right never seems to get is: The Iraqi people are sharing something now, as is the broader middle east.

The Iraqi people aren't sitting around thinking 'damn, I am glad they bombed the shit out of us' anymore than we were saying that on 9/11. They are sharing a traumatic experience - we DID NOT go there to liberate them, we went there (supposedly) to stop them from attacking us.

9/11 made us stronger, remember right after that day? Well, how does one think this war has affected the Iraqi's? Oh sure, some are glad to be liberated from saddam, but in general we put a hurting on them akin to a 1000 9/11's - They DID NOT ASK us to bomb em, anymore than we asked anyone to attack us.

It accomplished nothing and has already cost us more than 9/11 has, not just in deaths but in injuries and money to boot.

We shared a trauma in our lives. Now we have exported that to a place in no way linked to 9/11.

Were those men on those planes terrorists, or just following orders from their commander in chief?

We can make the distinction that we don't target civilians intentionally. I'll give you that.

But how many civilians have we rounded up, tortured, imprisoned, etc? Oh wait - it's a time of 'war' so we can't take chances that they are not working against us in some form. That goes down a slope so fast it breaks the sound barrier.\

We had the world on our side when we were the victims of a vicious attack. They are not so much on our side anymore...wonder why???

Maybe someday we can share peace.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. to share peace, one must identify evil.

we have seen the face of evil. It is not Allah. It is not Israel. It is not France. It is not Putin or the Chinese.

It is a war-mongering, profiteering, petro-moguls who have used people's fears, maniputated their faiths, and have repeatedly lied to the public in order to line their pockets and insure their profitable futures.

[The Straight Story]

2. And yet, the RW makes itself out to be the 'hero' and the victim in it all

They just don't see what this war has really done to the lives of many families here - and there. Kill, kill, kill and the threats all go away to them.

And they wonder why we think they are a little cuckoo :)

[ChairmanAgnostic]

3. don't forget that they are the "family values" party, too.

let's see.
Ghouliani has 3
newt has 3
McCain has 2
in fact, I know not of one GOPer with one wife EXCEPT THE MORMON. Now, there's a - ahem -switch.

Yet, Edwards, Gore, Billary, Richardson, Dodd, heck, all of them are a hell of a lot closer to real family values than the GOP.

Was it Himmler, or Goebels who taught propaganda lessons to Karl Rove? I forget, but obviously, Rove did not.

[The Straight Story]

4. Values are for other people to live by in their book

They talk about them and 'endorse' them, but they refuse to live them - or even to admit that they tried and failed.

They don't have any concept about what the avg person goes through in life, but they are more than willing to judge them.

[Liberal Jesus Freak]

5. Excellent post.

Recommended.