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Jun. 26th, 2003 11:26 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
zana16Okay, this is a Zana-rants-about-the-state-of-current-politics post. Feel free to skip it if you aren't about that stuff.
Honestly, I never thought we'd get to this point. I mean, obviously there weren't WMDs in Iraq because they would have used them when we invaded. But I really didn't expect them not to find anything for weeks and weeks. Even before the war started, I said that I wasn't going to worry about WMDs showing up because with an intelligence system like the US's, it can't be that hard to fake evidence.
They have 5 of the top scientists in custody. They had offered them everything if they will talk--but their stories don't change. Newsweek keeps talking about theories why not, and doesn't even consider the possibility that the people are telling the truth. These guys have everything to gain--immunity, safety for their families, etc. Honestly, can't we just say maybe they weren't there in the first place?
I really hope either something real turns up or something fake. I prefer something real so that we can have a shred of credibility left in an unfriendly world. I may hate my country's politics, may dispise my president and his foreign policy, but I really don't enjoy being an American abroad when we're on everyone's shitlist. I've apologized for my cousin's idiocy so many times this last year. I didn't vote for him. It's not my fault. I'm sick of this.
In other news, we're turning into a fascist state. Really, when historians look back at 1930s Germany and say why didn't the Germans stop the Nazis? I see something similar happening. We're all saying, it's too big, we can't fight it, we just want to live in peace, while our rights are being taken away and people are dying. But they're always "other people". Not Americans. Just like the Jews were "not German".
But I don't think that anybody's going to look back and see America becoming fascist and ask why didn't we stop it. Because history is written by the victors. Our founding fathers would have been considered terrorists--except they won. Hitler would be a George Washington--except they lost.
Damnit, the world isn't that black and white. Hitler was evil, yes. And I'd like to think that George Bush isn't evil. But what he's doing is evil. Every day, it's "they got rid of Medicaid" and I'm just like shit, what about my grandparents? What're they going to do now? Or "let's destroy peoples' computers if they have pirated software". And now "sure the president lied to get us to go to war but it wasn't like he was lying about infidelity or anything, and really Saddam was a Bad Man so who really cares if Iraq has no infrastructure or government now? and no the people of the us don't the right to know whether bush lied or not cause we couldn't possibly have an open investigation that would be unpatriotic."
Am I the only one who loves my country enough to cry at what's being done to it?
Done now. So I'll be shallow and be excited about Harry Potter getting here tomorrow, and not think of the future generations (including my own) that are being screwed over as I speak, and certainly not do anything about it cause hey, it's too big, I can't fight it, why can't someone else take care of it, entitlement entitlement entitlement
Honestly, I never thought we'd get to this point. I mean, obviously there weren't WMDs in Iraq because they would have used them when we invaded. But I really didn't expect them not to find anything for weeks and weeks. Even before the war started, I said that I wasn't going to worry about WMDs showing up because with an intelligence system like the US's, it can't be that hard to fake evidence.
They have 5 of the top scientists in custody. They had offered them everything if they will talk--but their stories don't change. Newsweek keeps talking about theories why not, and doesn't even consider the possibility that the people are telling the truth. These guys have everything to gain--immunity, safety for their families, etc. Honestly, can't we just say maybe they weren't there in the first place?
I really hope either something real turns up or something fake. I prefer something real so that we can have a shred of credibility left in an unfriendly world. I may hate my country's politics, may dispise my president and his foreign policy, but I really don't enjoy being an American abroad when we're on everyone's shitlist. I've apologized for my cousin's idiocy so many times this last year. I didn't vote for him. It's not my fault. I'm sick of this.
In other news, we're turning into a fascist state. Really, when historians look back at 1930s Germany and say why didn't the Germans stop the Nazis? I see something similar happening. We're all saying, it's too big, we can't fight it, we just want to live in peace, while our rights are being taken away and people are dying. But they're always "other people". Not Americans. Just like the Jews were "not German".
But I don't think that anybody's going to look back and see America becoming fascist and ask why didn't we stop it. Because history is written by the victors. Our founding fathers would have been considered terrorists--except they won. Hitler would be a George Washington--except they lost.
Damnit, the world isn't that black and white. Hitler was evil, yes. And I'd like to think that George Bush isn't evil. But what he's doing is evil. Every day, it's "they got rid of Medicaid" and I'm just like shit, what about my grandparents? What're they going to do now? Or "let's destroy peoples' computers if they have pirated software". And now "sure the president lied to get us to go to war but it wasn't like he was lying about infidelity or anything, and really Saddam was a Bad Man so who really cares if Iraq has no infrastructure or government now? and no the people of the us don't the right to know whether bush lied or not cause we couldn't possibly have an open investigation that would be unpatriotic."
Am I the only one who loves my country enough to cry at what's being done to it?
Done now. So I'll be shallow and be excited about Harry Potter getting here tomorrow, and not think of the future generations (including my own) that are being screwed over as I speak, and certainly not do anything about it cause hey, it's too big, I can't fight it, why can't someone else take care of it, entitlement entitlement entitlement
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(no subject)
Date: 2003-06-26 06:10 am (UTC)When the Kosovo bombing was happening, it was Theo's brother dropping bombs on Kev's family. Ever since then, I have seen a face behind every statistic and never again could I put myself in the place of "us vs. them".
My friend Andy, a devout Marxist at the time, were sitting on the tram talking about Kosovo, when we realized the woman across from us was reading a Serbian newspaper. I tried to appologize, but she told us, in German, that she didn't speak English. I didn't speak German to any competent level at that point, so I turned to my friend and told him to tell her that we were sorry for what our country was doing. She turned back and said, in perfect English, "We shouldn't blame the children for what their country does." We spent the rest of the trip talking about our families.
I think that was why I had a sudden crisis when I turned 18. Because now I am implicated and responsible. I do all I can, but it doesn't matter because I don't have enough money or clout, I'm just a member of the common sense crowd who sees the parallels. I want to make a sanctuary of peace, and know that if I did it would be overrun by men in body armor. I made the mistake of turning on CNN the same day as my Economist came, and I proceeded to scream, cry and beat the schite out of my pillow. I don't have the energy any more. If humanity is really this dumb, they will die out, another failled evolutionary attempt. And there doesn't seem to be anything I can do.