March 31, 2002

support

I'm a little reluctant to add an entry, because yesterday I wrote on something
very important to me so if you haven't read href="http://dichroic.diaryland.com/goodpart.html">yesterday's entry, go do
that first. I know it's a strange thing to be passionate about, but that feeling,
that mythos and magic and Dreamtime are still here, is to me one of the things
that absolutely literally make live worth living. As I've said before, blame it on
years of reading F&SF, but there has to be something to keep that moment of
transtion from magic on the page to mundanity when you close the book from causing
paralyzing depression. Now, on to today's bit of depression.

I was a bit distressed, earlier, to reading a blog in which I sometimes disagree
with the author but generally find her reasoning sound. (Disclaimer: Of course
it's her journal and she can say anything she wants. I'm only reporting its effect
on me, which is one reason I'm doing it here and not in her comments.) She made a
statement along the lines, "You do not really support our troops (no matter what
you say) unless you without hesitation would say....." The exact point raised is
almost irrelevant to my reaction. Establishing a condition for "support" somehow
rubs me in the same love-it-or-leave it way of the people who try to define
patriotism as consisting only of their particular brand of idolatry. In this case
that certainly was not the writer's intent, and in fact I suspect she'd say that
the fact I can't agree means that I don't understand her point. I do, I think, but
I can't make any logical statement about this war without hesitation because my
basic postulates on it are so unclear. No, wait, I can say one thing: I do think
Saddam is evil. But what do I think we should have done? Uh ... uh ... uh
...

I'm beginning to believe that we have no business being there
unless the majority of Iraqi citizens want us to be. The next question obviously
is, is that condition true? It is, according to Brig. Gen. Brooks. It is not,
according to Iraq's speakers. Of the two, I am far more inclined to believe our
generals, and I'm not weighing the opinions of 4000 suicide bombers from outside
Iraq at all. But is it true, or would we just like it to be true? Uh ... uh ... uh
...

I am also finding that the longer this goes on, the less
impressed I am with the current administrations, some of whose pecadillos are
nicely summarized by Teresa
Nielsen Hayden
. I keep hearing echoes of, "And it's 1, 2, 3, what are we
fighting for? DOn't ask me, I don't give a damn, Next's stop's Iraw and Iran..." I
was stunned to hear of a survey this morning that reported that 66% of Americans
think Mr. Bush is doing a good job. Where do they find these people? They're not
anyone I've spoken to, even in this conservative state.

But yes, I
support our troops. I especially support their right not to be in at risk unless
there's an overwhelmingly good reason for it, something worth dying for. And I
support their right to be managed in a way consistent with preserving their lives
whenever possible and allowing them to do their job effectively.

And
I really wish all those Viet Nam-era songs would quit playing in my head....

Posted by dichroic at March 31, 2002 04:59 PM
Comments

Hi Dichroic,

Did you know that you're a googlewhack?

Cheers, Sam

Posted by: Sam at February 5, 2005 04:52 AM
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