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Silky The Pimp
Alien Abductee
3321 Posts |
 Posted - 02/11/2003 : 1:54:26 PM
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So much talk of Bush lately, mostly all negative, has gotten me thinking... I wonder why there is SO much distaste for him these days. I only ponder this because when I ask myself, "what is his true purpose for being in office?" I tend not to see him as a power hungry, war mongering moron in a seat of inscrutable power.
I, though I may be on my own here, think he is in office to make decisions that are in the best interest of this country and its citizens. While I would say that is an optimistic view, I wouldn't say it's blind optimism so much as it is calculated. I really cannot say with any honesty whether I am for or against what seems to be this imminent war with Iraq.
I see things in this way:
As citizens of the United States, we hear, for the most part, what others tell us about the state of the world. Given that most, if not all of this information comes directly from the press, I personally think it would take an arrogance of a magnificent scale to believe that we are given enough clandestine political intelligence, or military circumspection to make our own decisions about certain things, such as war. I cannot imagine the kind of things that we don't know. It goes back to the hackneyed old expression, "You don't even know what you don't know." Of course you all know I don't mean this in an accusatory or attacking manner. I use the word arrogance in the broadest possible way... I certainly don't mean to call anyone here arrogant or come across as arrogant myself, as though my view is absolute and cannot be disputed... even though it really is and it really can't be. :)
It seems as though Bush has been manifested the label of war-monger, not just here, but with the countless thousands of Americans, and Europeans etc. who oppose this war, but I personally don't think we (any of we citizens, foreign or domestic) know enough about what is actually going on with the middle east to make that distinction. To be entirely honest, I wouldn't WANT to know what our government, and even more specifically, our president knows. If we were to be given the entire picture of what our government knows, then so would our "enemy" which, frankly, cannot even be loosely interpreted as being a good thing. I also use the term enemy generously, as I don't feel certain that we know the entire picture of Sadaam either. I view military intelligence as just that; military, not public. So while I want peace more than anything, I also don't completely discredit the idea that this war COULD BE, in fact, necessary and/or justified and NOT just about oil and/or the waning US economy.
This all, of course, coming from someone who feels a certain intrinsic want/need for peace and harmony. My views generally fall closest to those of a pacifist, but I also am somewhat of a realist. While I don't WANT there to be a war, I certainly don't think that myself or any of us on this messageboard have the knowledge to make such a decision. I take CNN and Fox News with a grain of salt... and I also don't necessarily accept government speeches as being entirely truthful (NOT in a negative way in this case, though).
I certainly don't discredit the idea that this really could be simply about issues such as oil or our struggling economy, because if the shoe fits... well, you know. But I'd like to have a little more faith in those who are in charge of preserving our way of life that our best interest is in mind, even if we cannot see it. After all, Bush is committing political suicide with this effort, which doesn't necessarily lend itself well to the idea of him being a mindless, power hungry politician. Ok, I'll bend on the mindless part... but I will at least question the power hungry part.
Of course, that's just my opinion... I could be wrong. :)
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PJK
Alien Abductee
USA
4159 Posts |
Posted - 02/11/2003 : 4:20:07 PM
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First I would like to say that this is certainly one of the most well writen pieces I have seen on the board. You have a wonderful way of expressing your thoughts, clearly and to the point.
I have to say I disagree with some of what you said and I will write my reasons later as I am really pressed for time right now, hubby's birthday and we are going out, and I hope I can express myself as well as you did.
I am always open to opinion and in fact feel strongly that we learn more from people with different views. I am looking forward to reponding because you already know I respect you and therefore respect your opinions even if they are different from mine.
Thanks for writing this and expressing your thoughts! |
"It is hard enough to remember my opinions, without also remembering my reasons for them!"Friedrich Nietzsche |
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SpaceMonkey
Chatterbox
315 Posts |
Posted - 02/12/2003 : 01:16:25 AM
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These are just my initial thoughts....
*You can't underestimate the role of special interest groups here.
As much as we'd like to think that the purpose of presidents is to do what is in OUR best interest, when it comes down to it, they are only going to bend over backwards for the groups that shell out the ungodly sums of money that help them run campaigns and, in effect, get them elected. Then, of course, when someone gets elected they are obliged to repay the favor by making concessions to that group....like drill for oil in a national reserve or create some kind of tax reform that benefits the upper tax brackets.
*We definitely do NOT have access to intelligence, etc. to get the full picture.
Why withhold information? To safe-gaurd against enemies? The idea of presenting information to be used against us by terrorists has been popping up all over since 9/11 (but if all you want to do is kill lots of civilians, how much "intelligence" do you really need for that?). I think the deeper question is how withholding information from citizens deters them from getting a full picture of their government, enough that they have difficulty even making an informed decision as to whether they agree with their policies or not. To withhold information or present disinformation, is simply cloud-cover for governments to do what they want to without having their authority questioned/threatened by the public.
Preserving the staus quo is the objective and doing this requires keeping the population ignorant of those things (however morally reprehensible) that help achieve this goal. However, in a country like ours (free and popular) you can't just kill oppostion off, you need to mainipulate the information (media, etc.) the public has access to to make sure the world-view they get doesn't offer anything that deters from their vision.
*As far as Bush-bashing goes....
I don't think it's so much distaste for the man (although he's yet to say/do anything that appeals to my tastes) as it is what he stands for. He is the figurehead of power in this country, making him the embodiment of all the horrible stuff I just wrote about. Obviously there are other people who are equally, if not more, responsible for the state of this country, but because he is one that national policy flows out of he receives the brunt of the ridicule for the country's actions. |
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Xar666
Yak Addict
USA
546 Posts |
Posted - 02/12/2003 : 12:08:17 PM
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I have very strong opinions about this and other similar issues. However, I try to refrain from political debates on messageboards unless said board is dedicated to political topics only. Also, the majority of members here swing to the extreme left and it could get ugly very quickly. If I do post about politics they go here:
http://nutkinland.d20boards.net/viewforum.php?f=20
I will say that I agree with Silky's thoughts. I too would like a perfect peaceful world, but it is just not possible.
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Head for the mountains of Bush...
