01-11-2003, 03:02 AM
Lately I've been reading up on history and talking to various people and doing some thinking and whatnot and I've come to the conclusion that I really don't support the American government and its foreign policy. I also don't support the "war on terrorism", any potential conflicts in N Korea and Iraq, and domestic policies related to these matters. Not that I don't feel bad for the people who died on 9/11 or anything like that, but it was almost inevitable. It would be nice if our government would basically take a "live and let live" stance regarding foreign affairs, but the reality as I see it is it's more like a "live and make sure everyone else lives by our rules" stance.
Not that this is anything new, really - Nicaragua is still suffering from the aftereffects of our "help" in the 80's during the Reagan era, where we violated international law and ignored the World Court as we ransacked a reasonably prosperous and democratic nation for no real discernable reason other than they didn't play by our rules. They are now one of the two most impoverished nations in the western hemisphere, along with Haiti. Is it any coincidence that the two nations in need of the most help are also the two nations that have seen the most interference by the United States?
And speaking of Haiti, I find it almost amusing that at the same time as we're fighting this war on terrorism, we continue to harbor a known terrorist in our own country. Emmanuel Constant, one of the leaders of the Front for Advancement of Progress in Haiti (FRAPH), a paramilitary political organization allied with the army group that has been implicated in the widespread torture and rape of supporters of Haitian President Jean Bertrand Aristide during his period of forced exile, is living free within our own borders, despite numerous attempts by the Haitian government to have him extradited and brought to trial. Are all terrorists not created equal?
And what exactly is terrorism anyway? Could our starving of Afgani and Iraqui civilians be considered terrorism? Could the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki be considered terrorism (think before you answer...it's not as simple as "they started it with Pearl Harbor")? Could the Vietnam War be considered U.S. terrorism? And going back further, could forcing natives off their own land, practically wiping out their entire population, and taking their land as our own, be considered terrorism?
I have a ton of shit on my mind and a lot more to say, but that's enough for now I guess. Reading up on history and government as told through more unbiased sources, rather than the jingoist American media, really paints an ugly picture, one that not many people want to know. Sort of like how the father of a criminal is so blinded by love for his son that he can't accept the fact that he's not exactly the angel he thought he raised. I know this is somewhat of a Dent-esque topic that will likely get a bunch of "this thread sux" replies and a bunch of oh-so-witty smilies in lieu of well thought out responses. Whatever. If you do care, what do you think? What are the goals of the war on terrorism? Who does our foreign policy benefit, besides ourselves?
Not that this is anything new, really - Nicaragua is still suffering from the aftereffects of our "help" in the 80's during the Reagan era, where we violated international law and ignored the World Court as we ransacked a reasonably prosperous and democratic nation for no real discernable reason other than they didn't play by our rules. They are now one of the two most impoverished nations in the western hemisphere, along with Haiti. Is it any coincidence that the two nations in need of the most help are also the two nations that have seen the most interference by the United States?
And speaking of Haiti, I find it almost amusing that at the same time as we're fighting this war on terrorism, we continue to harbor a known terrorist in our own country. Emmanuel Constant, one of the leaders of the Front for Advancement of Progress in Haiti (FRAPH), a paramilitary political organization allied with the army group that has been implicated in the widespread torture and rape of supporters of Haitian President Jean Bertrand Aristide during his period of forced exile, is living free within our own borders, despite numerous attempts by the Haitian government to have him extradited and brought to trial. Are all terrorists not created equal?
And what exactly is terrorism anyway? Could our starving of Afgani and Iraqui civilians be considered terrorism? Could the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki be considered terrorism (think before you answer...it's not as simple as "they started it with Pearl Harbor")? Could the Vietnam War be considered U.S. terrorism? And going back further, could forcing natives off their own land, practically wiping out their entire population, and taking their land as our own, be considered terrorism?
I have a ton of shit on my mind and a lot more to say, but that's enough for now I guess. Reading up on history and government as told through more unbiased sources, rather than the jingoist American media, really paints an ugly picture, one that not many people want to know. Sort of like how the father of a criminal is so blinded by love for his son that he can't accept the fact that he's not exactly the angel he thought he raised. I know this is somewhat of a Dent-esque topic that will likely get a bunch of "this thread sux" replies and a bunch of oh-so-witty smilies in lieu of well thought out responses. Whatever. If you do care, what do you think? What are the goals of the war on terrorism? Who does our foreign policy benefit, besides ourselves?