Arguably, I spend too much time thinking about this stuff (dang dissertation probably would have been long finished by now), but it is important to me.
We don't always agree on everything (for, as Jane so eloquently puts it, when two people agree on everything, one of them is irrelevant), and I suspect we still have disagreements on this issue. That being said, I'm glad you're reading and thinking about it. You may draw a different conclusion than I have. That's just fine with me, so long as you reach that conclusion after thinking and research.
I guess what bothered me most about the whole affair in Iraq is the sheer glee with which our leadership (and a good chunk of the media and blogosphere) approached war. I saw people who should have been a lot more clear-headed advocating genocide. We're America; we're supposed to be better than indiscriminate slaughter, which is what the Ann Coulters of the world were suggesting.
Yes, we had been attacked on that clear September morning in 2001. Brutal as that was, I can't bring myself to believe that a protracted war against a nation that had nothing to do with said attack was the best way to respond.
For those who believe, hey, Muslims attacked us, it doesn't matter which Muslims we attacked, I refer you to Christianity, which has a seemingly limitless number of sects and denominations. There is a tremendous diversity of thought within Islam; only the most radical get the attention and the power (a parallel - fundamentalist megachurches?).
I'm no expert on geopolitics (and if I don't finish this dissertation, I won't be an expert on anything); I'm just an opinionated jerk with a blog. I'm glad something I wrote caused you to look at something with fresh eyes; ultimately, you have to work it out for yourself. You're a smart guy, and I think you'll find the answers to your questions if you keep looking.
1 comment:
Cheese is good.
Arguably, I spend too much time thinking about this stuff (dang dissertation probably would have been long finished by now), but it is important to me.
We don't always agree on everything (for, as Jane so eloquently puts it, when two people agree on everything, one of them is irrelevant), and I suspect we still have disagreements on this issue. That being said, I'm glad you're reading and thinking about it. You may draw a different conclusion than I have. That's just fine with me, so long as you reach that conclusion after thinking and research.
I guess what bothered me most about the whole affair in Iraq is the sheer glee with which our leadership (and a good chunk of the media and blogosphere) approached war. I saw people who should have been a lot more clear-headed advocating genocide. We're America; we're supposed to be better than indiscriminate slaughter, which is what the Ann Coulters of the world were suggesting.
Yes, we had been attacked on that clear September morning in 2001. Brutal as that was, I can't bring myself to believe that a protracted war against a nation that had nothing to do with said attack was the best way to respond.
For those who believe, hey, Muslims attacked us, it doesn't matter which Muslims we attacked, I refer you to Christianity, which has a seemingly limitless number of sects and denominations. There is a tremendous diversity of thought within Islam; only the most radical get the attention and the power (a parallel - fundamentalist megachurches?).
I'm no expert on geopolitics (and if I don't finish this dissertation, I won't be an expert on anything); I'm just an opinionated jerk with a blog. I'm glad something I wrote caused you to look at something with fresh eyes; ultimately, you have to work it out for yourself. You're a smart guy, and I think you'll find the answers to your questions if you keep looking.
And make with the recipes already!
WF
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