rebuttal to: who’s afraid of the big bad bear?
by Justin Roper
Published: April 4, 2008
Does anyone ever get tired of hearing about terrorist plots to take over the world, Russian imperialist conquests, Iranian nuclear progress or where Osama is believed to be hiding out? Truth be told, the answer to that question is no; American citizens love to be informed about who to watch over their shoulder for or figure out which colored flag Robert Gates decides to hold up each day. This curiosity, coupled with secret conversations in dark rooms across the capital, has given the American government the ability to lie and scare its very own constituents into believing anything that is good for big business.
Since our own civil destruction ended in 1865, we’ve been lucky enough to see all of the major wars we have fought (along with thousands of covert, capitalistic government operations) take place on foreign soil. I shouldn’t use the word lucky joined with war; that’s reserved for special CEOs who make millions off these entrepreneurial conflicts, as I like to call them. Out of respect for the fallen, I also can’t fail to mention the devastating attacks at Pearl Harbor and the slap in the face that took place in New York City on 9/11. However, with the amount of bullets and missiles we’ve sent flying in the past couple hundred years, I do deem our society fortunate to not have had major battles and bombings take place on our homeland. Too bad I can’t say the same for the rest of the world.
I dream of peace and prosperity for America and the world alike on a daily basis. Nevertheless, I’m also an advocate for self-defense if it is necessary. I can tolerate attacking Al Qaida and Taliban camps in Afghanistan after 9/11, if in fact Osama was really behind the entire plot (I obviously have my doubts). As long as we aren’t dropping smart bombs on innocent civilians, our operations in Afghanistan are self-defense for a blatant and planned attack on the Twin Towers.
But remember, self-defense is also the reason given by insurgents for fighting against an occupational force that bombs and destroys its way to hundreds of thousands of innocent casualties of men, women and BABIES alike, contributes to infrastructure ruin, issues total military control, and supports a pre-determined and fixed government. I’ll be the first to tell you that if America was invaded by an outside force, I’d be right up there in the good old Blue Ridge Mountains with as many thousand rounds of ammunition as I could get my hands on. I’m diplomatic in my thinking, and even though I can never truly grasp the emotions of another, I at least attempt to put myself in his or her shoes. The sad thing is that all of these dollars, that make sense/cents to big business, are being made at the expense of our honorable troops. People should never be used as a means to someone else’s ends. Our troops are not Halliburton mercenaries!
If Russia is using some sort of warped self-defense method to create the illusion that they are weak, only to once again rise and take over the world, then my name is Charlie Murphy (it’s Justin Roper). Before pointing fingers at anyone else, we must first cure our internal demons that plague our planet with propaganda and violent quests for economic gain.
Russia hasn’t had to pretend to do anything; their economy has been in shambles since before I was born, and they finally found a leader in Putin that could bring some economic stability to the nation. To say that anyone would intentionally send themselves into poverty is flat out ridiculous. Unlike others, I don’t wish anyone into financial or political turmoil. So the good folks of Moscow finally have a little change in their pockets? Good for them! I wish I had some too! Maybe I should have written in Putin four years ago!
There’s another concept that I don’t understand. America increases its military budget on an annual basis. Why is it so hard to fathom that anyone else would also like to do the same? Instead of griping about how much money Moscow is spending on its Air Force, let’s look at our wasted defense spending first. I shouldn’t use the word “wasted,” though. All the bombs we’re making are definitely being put to use, albeit not good use. Also, is Russia really opposing anti-missile defense systems in a country two nations down the way? The nerve of Putin, how crazy is that? I’m sure it will be fine with our administration if Russia sticks up a few missile silos and strategic weaponry in the Bahamas.
Winston Churchill once said, “The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.” After some of the stuff I’ve read, I couldn’t agree more.
—
(email this article or post to social network)
—
(11)
April 15th, 2008 at 4:26 pm
You don’t sound like a socialist all the time, but then that communistic brotherhood peaks it head out behind your shoulder. Of course you think Putin is great, he is the perfect example in every way of how you to take a socialist state like Russia and make the final tweeks to make it a smooth running communist machine again. You socialist are all the same, praise lennon, hate achievement, give money to the mediorce so they put you in office. Putin is dangerous, I don’t think his KGB name “the butcher” came because of his keen way of making socialism look like capitalims in better practice. Don’t get too excited that your old comrad may be gaining power, plenty of us have learned from the lessons of the past and though we may be silent for now we Americans are still here to fight social commies any day.