Iraq's Impact on my View of Politics

Waking up in a comfortable bed with the sun shining, birds chirping, and the view of my neighbors lounging by the pool in their backyard, I must admit that I feel as distant from the war as I do from Mars. The idea that hundreds of thousands of Americans are constantly fighting in Iraq seems almost unbelievable to me. How can life in America seem so peaceful to some and yet so horrific to others? Like so many other families, my family has no direct connection to the War in Iraq. The closest connection we have is the feeling of horror that invades our minds when we turn on the news and hear a new report of the daily casualties in Iraq. And yet, the war has still deeply affected me, not physically, emotionally, or mentally, but politically. From the start, I was a strong supporter of the war because I believed that by invading Iraq the United States would be able to overcome terrorism. At that time I was in 10^th grade, with little knowledge of current events and foreign relations. As I got older, and much more involved in politics, I began to wander from my initial opinion and question the reasons for entering Iraq. As I looked into this topic more deeply I realized that the war has affected my view of the government because in reality no one knows the concrete reason for entering the war. The possibility that we entered the war for oil or that George W. Bush wanted to get revenge for Hussein’s unsuccessful effort to kill Bush’s father, have left a taunting perception of the truthful government that I once believed in. It is understandable that the government is not supposed to inform the nation about every single action, for purposes of security, but I think that there is something wrong if the reasons for entering a major war are not clearly known or agreed upon. Just by flipping through the various news stations, one will find contrasting views on the war. Even facts are different from station to station. This instills a deep sense of uncertainly in my mind because the facts not being common among the stations means that the truth is unknown.

The impact of the war on my life can not be seen in wounds or tears, but in the thoughts that I have of current politics. The taxes going towards the war are also affecting me financially, but at this point in my life, my changed views of the world and politics greatly outnumber taxes. This war has made me question what the news say and not blankly believe everything like I used to when I was younger because now I understand that there is much information that the government chooses not to inform us about. It has also made me understand that there are flaws in even the greatest governments, and that sometimes the significances of actions can not be seen immediately.