The Iraq War Comes Home
From: "Tombot"
To: "Erico"
Subject: Re: hi there
Date: Thu, 10 Apr 2003 11:54:15 -0400
Eric:
Sorry for my delay in writing. There's so much going on in the world - eh? So much to absorb and meditate upon. I'm sure your keeping tabs on the war and the various responses people have to it. I read something in National Review the other day by David Frum about the split it's causing among paleo- and neo- conservatives. Paleo's are against; neo-cons are for. I can't help but HOPE that we're doing something good for the people in Iraq, based on their response to the long-overdue demise of their Stalinist dictator. Others tend to believe (my brother for instance, my mother, my sister - various others in my family perhaps) that the notion of preemptive strikes, unilateralism by a sole superpower and the disregard for national sovereignty and/or world opinion will haunt us down the road. It appears that we've entered a new era of international relations - and I hope that someone's got it all figured out. I sure don't. As a domesticated suburbanite, I find myself beholden to various editorial opinions at the moment, but I'm leaning in the direction of the U.S. doing something positive with its power - i.e. proceeding down the path we have chosen for ourselves. What say you?
- T. S.
To: "Erico"
Subject: Re: hi there
Date: Thu, 10 Apr 2003 11:54:15 -0400
Eric:
Sorry for my delay in writing. There's so much going on in the world - eh? So much to absorb and meditate upon. I'm sure your keeping tabs on the war and the various responses people have to it. I read something in National Review the other day by David Frum about the split it's causing among paleo- and neo- conservatives. Paleo's are against; neo-cons are for. I can't help but HOPE that we're doing something good for the people in Iraq, based on their response to the long-overdue demise of their Stalinist dictator. Others tend to believe (my brother for instance, my mother, my sister - various others in my family perhaps) that the notion of preemptive strikes, unilateralism by a sole superpower and the disregard for national sovereignty and/or world opinion will haunt us down the road. It appears that we've entered a new era of international relations - and I hope that someone's got it all figured out. I sure don't. As a domesticated suburbanite, I find myself beholden to various editorial opinions at the moment, but I'm leaning in the direction of the U.S. doing something positive with its power - i.e. proceeding down the path we have chosen for ourselves. What say you?
- T. S.
posted by erico at 4:32 PM
2 Comments:
Date: Thu, 10 Apr 2003 13:44:29 -0700 (PDT)
From: "Erico"
Subject: Re: hi there
To: "Tombot"
Thomas,
I have just acted as a door attendant/media bouncer at the church I work at, for the commemoration service for one Army Cpl, 1st Class, Randy Rehn, who died in action near the Baghdad Airport. So, the war has come home, so to speak, as close as it could without my having known the deceased.
In sheer terms of an event, the governor of Colorado spoke, our Pastor spoke, the family was presented with the American flag, the American Legion gave a 21 gun salute, and played Taps. I heard sobs from my position in the lobby. Bikers with flags waving from the back of their bikes pulled in, a police and fireman detail attended, security men with sunglasses and earpieces stood at attention. Camera crews set up equipment in the parking lot.
It is indeed a time for reflection, hearing about the man who gave his life, about his character, his friends and family. Just thinking about losing my own boys tears me up. What a trial of faith I think that would be. Just to go on.
I do not know that all alliances last forever, nor that they should. A realignment is taking place among nations. For better or worse. I heard this morning about radiation being detected by troops at levels unsafe for humans. I heard about missiles with chemical agents in the warheads, days ago, but nothing further on that. And the unkown substances in the barrels. You've undoubtedly heard of them. If a smoking gun is needed. I don't have a problem with going against world opinion. They are no wiser than us. They have their own interests, hence alliances do not always last. But pre-emption is troubling. On the other hand, you do have to discount the truce Saddam signed agreeing to disarm, and the umpteen U.N. resolutions flouted, and the incidental evidence of terrorist ties, plus the bald fact of the evil of the regime, if you want to call this war truly unprovoked.
One day our President woke up and it came to him in a flash of light, with conviction, that he was going to do something about Saddam Hussein's non-compliance with the U.N. resolutions, one way or another. The U.N. didn't agree to the either/or proposition. They convinced themselves that not acting militarily on their own resolutions did not mean they were letting Saddam off the hook. Bush decided it did.
I support the war.
Eric
From: "Tombot"
To: "Erico"
Subject: Re: hi there
Date: Mon, 14 Apr 2003 15:51:12 -0400
Eric:
Thanks for the email. It's very moving to hear about people making the ultimate sacrifice as well as the amazing resonance or ripple effects that one person's life can have. I wonder if some kind of social-cultural-political-spiritual re-alignment is taking place in view of the war or had already begun to occur with 9/11. I must confess to being exhausted/disgusted with the various "enlightened moods" that are so in vogue these days - some of which I am still prone to now and then - i.e. ambivalence - disengagement - detachment - ironic mockery & incredulity - lukewarm neutrality -- sophisticated ennui -- hyper-sensitivity and resentment masquerading as "peacemaking" -- all of which serve as pathetic pseudo-virtues among the educated elites. A nation that doesn't belief it has the actual capacity or inclination to DO something GOOD in the world is somewhat doomed - isn't it? I've thought about it for a while - and it doesn't appear at this juncture that we (as Americans) ARE in a position to dis-engage from the world - even if we thought that by isolating ourselves we could help everyone else. So I guess we're on the same wavelength here. What's frustrating is to have a gesture of good will rebuffed as "bully tactics"...I've also been trying to understand the Vatican's position on the war. On the one hand, I can see how it might look like a new crusade for the Pope to call for western intervention in the middle east. On the other hand - I would like people in Europe and elsewhere to take notice of the sheer brutality of the regime that has now fallen. It's true that we can't topple every tyranny that exists - but we can send a clear message that there is a bar below which a government should fear to sink - such flagrant examples of political debauchery are unacceptable by western standards. Or am I thinking like an imperialist again? I ask you - my fellow American(s)! What would Girard say?
T. S.
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