that thing over there
The Associated Press ran an interesting headline this morning - Bush Sees No End to War on Terrorism. In the article, the President is quoted as saying…
The ‘100 percent of the time’ that the President is referring to cost the lives of 110 Iraqi civilians a day in the month of July alone, which now holds the record for being Iraq’s deadliest month. Ironically, pro-war pundits would argue that those deaths were the result of sectarian strife - despite the fact, of course, that Iraq was invaded under the pretense of having something to do with September 11th, among other ridiculous and now denied claims, and that the current state of civil war in the country is a direct product of the ineptitude and sheer arrogance of the Anglo-American invasion and occupation. I’ll not even bother getting into the war crimes that have been committed by US personnel, among them the premeditated and repeated rape and murder of a child, or their blatant disregard for the Geneva Conventions, the Universal Declaration Of Human Rights, and international law.
These days Iraq is back-page news. Give it another year and it’ll become ‘that thing’ that’s happening ‘over there’. We’ll talk about it over Starbucks, interspersed with pathetic diatribes about celebrity break-ups and the rest of the shite that seems far more important to us than actually discussing the very troublesome realities of living in an age in which a perpetual war is being waged against an ambiguous enemy that, despite our vast and menacing capabilities, cannot be subdued – forget the gross rise in global defense spending and decline of human rights standards.
Likewise, Afghanistan has become another convenient sinkhole that keeps the wheels greased and turning back in the land of domestic bravado. Speaking of which, despite the claims being made by military Grand Pubahs, many within the ranks of the Canadian Forces about to be deployed are anything but supportive of the mission. In the words of one anonymous officer…
Kids in school had best actually start paying attention to 1984 when it’s thrust upon them. After all, they may very well end up living, and dying, in a chapter of it. In the meantime, I’ll have a no-foam, double shot, latte with a side of who gives a flying fuck what the cock sucker (insert celeb name of your choice) did yesterday with his/her entourage, thank you.
"America is safer than it has been, yet it is not yet safe. The enemy has got an advantage when it comes to attacking our homeland: They got to be right one time and we’ve got to be right 100 percent of the time to protect the American people."
The ‘100 percent of the time’ that the President is referring to cost the lives of 110 Iraqi civilians a day in the month of July alone, which now holds the record for being Iraq’s deadliest month. Ironically, pro-war pundits would argue that those deaths were the result of sectarian strife - despite the fact, of course, that Iraq was invaded under the pretense of having something to do with September 11th, among other ridiculous and now denied claims, and that the current state of civil war in the country is a direct product of the ineptitude and sheer arrogance of the Anglo-American invasion and occupation. I’ll not even bother getting into the war crimes that have been committed by US personnel, among them the premeditated and repeated rape and murder of a child, or their blatant disregard for the Geneva Conventions, the Universal Declaration Of Human Rights, and international law.
These days Iraq is back-page news. Give it another year and it’ll become ‘that thing’ that’s happening ‘over there’. We’ll talk about it over Starbucks, interspersed with pathetic diatribes about celebrity break-ups and the rest of the shite that seems far more important to us than actually discussing the very troublesome realities of living in an age in which a perpetual war is being waged against an ambiguous enemy that, despite our vast and menacing capabilities, cannot be subdued – forget the gross rise in global defense spending and decline of human rights standards.
Likewise, Afghanistan has become another convenient sinkhole that keeps the wheels greased and turning back in the land of domestic bravado. Speaking of which, despite the claims being made by military Grand Pubahs, many within the ranks of the Canadian Forces about to be deployed are anything but supportive of the mission. In the words of one anonymous officer…
"…at first they told us that democracy was the goal. And now that there’s an elected government we’re just wandering around in the hills waiting to be shot at. We have fire superiority when we’re engaged – that’s true - but nowhere near the sort of belief or conviction of the guys we’re fighting. We’re not there trying to change anything. We’re just there now trying not to get killed."
Kids in school had best actually start paying attention to 1984 when it’s thrust upon them. After all, they may very well end up living, and dying, in a chapter of it. In the meantime, I’ll have a no-foam, double shot, latte with a side of who gives a flying fuck what the cock sucker (insert celeb name of your choice) did yesterday with his/her entourage, thank you.
posted by daneatkinson at 16.8.06
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