October 12, 2007
Food, Or Should I Say MRE, For Thought
I've been catching up on old Thomas Friedman columns and getting nice and angry about what is taking place in the good old USA. Here is the last part of his recent Charge It To My Kids column:
Previous American generations connected with our troops by making sacrifices at home — we’ve never passed on the entire cost of a war to the next generation, said Robert Hormats, vice chairman of Goldman Sachs International, who has written a history — “The Price of Liberty” — about how America has paid for its wars since 1776.“In every major war we have fought in the 19th and 20th centuries,” said Mr. Hormats, “Americans have been asked to pay higher taxes — and nonessential programs have been cut — to support the military effort. Yet during this Iraq war, taxes have been lowered and domestic spending has climbed. In contrast to World War I, World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam, for most Americans this conflict has entailed no economic sacrifice. The only people really sacrificing for this war are the troops and their families.”
In his celebrated Farewell Address, Mr. Hormats noted, George Washington warned against “ungenerously throwing upon posterity the burdens we ourselves ought to bear.”
I once again have started to day dream about moving to Canada...
Posted by Jefe at 12:53 PM, filed under politicsYeah this article pissed me off pretty bad too. And the thing is I could almost support this war, I did say almost, if the administration would ask for some real shared sacrifice from the American People. My biggest complaint about the war in Iraq, and the one in Afghanistan for that mater, is the disconnect between those fighting the war and the nation that sent them there to fight. Supporting our troops means more than putting a yellow ribbon bumper sticker on your car.
What I mean about where I could almost support the war is that if the nation were being asked to sacrifice, like the military families have, then I have a belief that this conflict could be resolved. Now I don’t think that this could happen without a massive change in strategy, both diplomatic and militarily. But the non military citizenship would demand accountability if they were being asked to sacrifice even a modicum of the amount that those fighting the war and their families have. I’m not so naive to think that we can win (ala Mission Accomplished), but I think we could find a solution that would stop the further destabilization of the Middle East and develop relationships that can truly develop democracy and tolerance of others (religious, ethnic, national) in the region (and the rest of the world for that matter) through diplomacy or at the end of a barrel of a gun if necessary as a last resort. It’s like the classic adage nothing can stop a good idea whose time has come.
But as long as those of us who aren’t fighting can keep living as though we are at peace the outrage necessary to find an end to this conflict and find a path to real peace will never be found.
Though I’m not even close to ready to move to Canada, because I’m not giving up on this nation without a fight.
