War Blogging

Where is Raed? He hasn't posted in a couple of days. Is the power out, the telephone lines down, or is he dead? Who knows. We'll have to wait.
By the way, if you are not getting at least some of your opinion coverage on the war from slate.com, you are missing out - especially if you are a &*$@ liberal.

Quick Link

Good stuff from Will Saletan at Slate about why staying out of Baghdad was the right thing to do.
I still wish that we had killed Saddam by "accident" the first time.

What would you do if you were God?

You know what nobody has said, (that I know of) is that the justification for war could be reduced to "Because we can". There exists a giant power vacuum and the United States is slowly realizing the implications. The US can use this moment in history to shape the future as it pleases. Honestly, given the power it is ridiculous to not expect America to use it. If you had the ability to make the world a better place could you resist the urge to try? If you were Superman could you resist becoming a vigilante? If you were Superman would you have any moral course of action other than vigilantism? What would you say if Superman sat idly by while evil men caused havok and destruction in the world? What have people said about God for allegedly doing the same?
The danger should be obvious by now. America is powerful but not invulnerable. America is intelligent but not all-knowing. America is well-intentioned but not infallible. How can we be sure that the US will always be guided by the better nature of its leaders, especially since America has been governed by convenience in the past. This is where international law should step in and provide guidance. Unfortunately, leadership at the international level has been lacking. Ask yourself why a powerful nation should trust an organization to protect it's interests and the interest of smaller nations - because it is effective, benevolent and fair. The United Nations is none of these things. The United Nations is powerless to govern its member nations (witness the number of nations with alleged civil rights violations on the Security Council for instance) and unwilling to enforce it own rules. The UN is the problem. War isn't the solution but I have yet to see a better alternative.

What do you do

When your down or a little depressed what do you do? Eat? Sleep? Watch TV? I do something you have to be 21 and older to do in most states. I have talked to other people about this and you would be surprised at the extreme things people do when they are depressed. I am just thankful that the vice I picked up doesn't result in immediate physical harm - well at least it shouldn't.
I was in a little bit of a tailspin from the conversation I had with my Dad the other day until my Dad called me and told me he loved me regardless of whether he agreed with me. I couldn't ask for more.

Kissing Halle

Adrien Brody is a smart man. His actions also mean beautiful women will be on their guard at award shows. Oh Well...

Father-Son Chats

Why can't I be like other people?
I had a chat with my Dad today about joining the Army. He was not pleased, and will remain ill-pleased with me quite some time. One of his protests was that I was throwing away my college education. I beg to differ but I also didn't feel like wasting my breath trying to convince him otherwise. My dad is an opinionated person and the best adjective to describe his disposition during an argument is "implacable". I just don't like the feeling that I am wasting my breath talking to somebody about as yielding as a brick wall.

War News

I continue to monitor the war with a kind of sick fascination. I actually hate hearing about it now but curiousity won't let me rest. The reports of Iraqi troops executing US POWS and using civillians to provide cover anger me. I found an excellent war blog called The Command Post. Very up to the minute and more than you could ever want to know about the new War in Iraq. I also found a link to further evidence that the French suck. I actually think we should let them have some role in post-war Iraq, despite my anger at them. At least that way, America doesn't have to pay for everything.

In a happier note, how about those Mavericks!

Racism and Sexism in Education

I was guilty of bigotry today in the classroom. A big athletic black kid walked into the classroom for the eighth period of the class I was substituting for. As a substitute, you learn to identify troublemakers and this boy fit the stereotype to a T. The children I have the most discipline problems with in the classroom are usually black, male, athletic or all three. At first he did nothing to allay my suspicions, talking and laughing fairly loudly. However, when class started, I forgot all about him. I got so tied up dealing with the other students that I didn't notice him, which is a good thing. (at least from my standpoint since I don't know what his grades are like) Toward the end of class I realized how well behaved he had been and was a little surprised. I even commended him on it. Of course, it could easily have been a fluke, and the kid could be a perfect monster.
The situation does illuminate certain things that have been said to me in the past and an opportunity that exists for me. People expect young black men to be irresponsible, disrespectful, and dumb. Any black male who is responsible, respectful, or intelligent is a rare find. I understand now why people have congratulated me for (apparently anyway) being all three. In fact, I am told the Army still operates according to a de facto quota system so I can expect to move up since my superiors will be desperately searching for qualified black men to fill positions. It is a little awkward but I intend to take advantage of it. I could be ashamed I gained advantage due to my race, but children of wealthy family gain advantage due to their social standing, so why not me? Oh well, whatever, race is always awkward for me to deal with.

Continued War Coverage!

I don't like watching the war on television. There is a surreal quality to watching explosions and realizing that unlike the movies, people actually die when you watch explosions on live television. Hearing the report of how the Iraqis executed several of our soldiers after taking them hostage nearly incited me to willful acts of violence. Only, I can't revenge myself against the perpetrators. War is a maddening thing and now it's closer to me than it has ever been before. Facing the reality of war is like staring at a horrible unblinking eye of death. I don't want to see but I can't look away and I keep getting closer and closer... Only when I get close I can see that the eye is really a gaping maw with curved, predatory teeth. Can't you imagine it - bloody gums and teeth dripping saliva, the remains of past victims, and present victims struggling to escape what cannot be escaped?
Did I ever mention that I have a vivid overactive imagination? I am sure that nothing can be as horrible as what I can conjure in my head and I am hoping that if I ever participate in combat that I'll be able to lose myself in the adrenalin rush and the chaos. I don't want time to think. I do however want time to sleep...