The first media report that I read came from the BBC News website. The article reported how an Iraqi priest, a Christian, was shot in a drive-by shooting in Baghdad. It goes on to mention how Christians in Iraq feel targeted by Islamic militants and how they are fleeing the country, and that Pope Benedict XVI called for an end to the bloodshed in Iraq. This article seems to be relatively fairly and concisely written. There is almost no distinguishable bias.
The second media report that I read came from the Daily Kos, one of the most popular blogs on the Internet. It quotes a NY Times article that talks about how the army is worried about the mental health of soldiers on multiple tours of Iraq. The author of the blog post then goes on to analyze that article, saying that there is almost no political progress in Iraq, and most of the important issues are not any closer to being resolved than they were several years ago. According to the author, the only difference is that the soldiers that we are sending to Iraq now are on their third and fourth tours and are having serious health issues because of it. This article has an obvious liberal bias, as does all of the Daily Kos, as it is severely critical of the war and the deployment of soldiers to Iraq for their third or fourth tours, which President Bush supports, according to the quoted NY Times article.
These media reports are very different from each other. In the first one, the BBC just reports the news and does not analyze it. However, in the second one, because it is a blog, the author of the blog post takes it upon himself to analyze the news and give his opinion of the situation, which creates an obvious bias.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7332339.stm
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/4/5/19267/67022/366/490863
Saturday, April 5, 2008
To be there or not to be there
This question may seem very obvious and one sided, but have a far more complex answer. The answer goes beyond politics and why the government says we should be there and that angry civilians say that we should not.
The face of war has endless sides since media coverage has come about. The media shows what the media wants the world to see of what is happening. Before media, what happens during war has not changed other than technologically giving us more capabilities and less casualties. The stress and damage to the civilians in the battlefield and the soldiers will occur regardless of any war; even the cold war left its scars upon the world.
Initially entering Iraq, the idea was to eliminate extremely dangerous weapons that now do not appear to either have never been there or are not there anymore. Everyone is still up in arms that we are there and no weapons were found. It would have been easier if we had, given what we did find. Who can argue that removing Saddam Hussein from power was a terrible this to bestow upon the world after finding the cruel deprivation and mistreating of his own people and the mass graves of his own people.
What would happen after the war that ended in thirty days, after the seizure of Saddam Hussein, may or may not have been expected. Thus begun a form of war more along a civil war. Half of the world will despise us for being there, the other half will despise us for leaving, so it is a no win situation.
Politics should have no matter in our involvement anymore. Our involvement from the start has been for the wellbeing of the people, both the Iraqis and the rest of the world. It is no longer shown by the media the good that has been done for the people in Iraq. Something does need to be done to end the situation or find some sort of resolution and create peace or at least some sort of stability. Those are the intentions. People think that it is as simple as "Okay guys you can come home now," and it is not that simple. These people need to watch the tributes that are made by soldiers for the soldiers, which paint a different picture than the general population sees and straight up say that the war is being portrayed the way the media wants it to be. I am not saying that horrible things are not happening in Iraq or that there is entirely no truth in what some people may say. It is not that they want to be there, they do not want to be there, they want more appreciation for what they are doing and support when they return for such victims of post traumatic stress and physical injuries.
The face of war has endless sides since media coverage has come about. The media shows what the media wants the world to see of what is happening. Before media, what happens during war has not changed other than technologically giving us more capabilities and less casualties. The stress and damage to the civilians in the battlefield and the soldiers will occur regardless of any war; even the cold war left its scars upon the world.
Initially entering Iraq, the idea was to eliminate extremely dangerous weapons that now do not appear to either have never been there or are not there anymore. Everyone is still up in arms that we are there and no weapons were found. It would have been easier if we had, given what we did find. Who can argue that removing Saddam Hussein from power was a terrible this to bestow upon the world after finding the cruel deprivation and mistreating of his own people and the mass graves of his own people.
What would happen after the war that ended in thirty days, after the seizure of Saddam Hussein, may or may not have been expected. Thus begun a form of war more along a civil war. Half of the world will despise us for being there, the other half will despise us for leaving, so it is a no win situation.
Politics should have no matter in our involvement anymore. Our involvement from the start has been for the wellbeing of the people, both the Iraqis and the rest of the world. It is no longer shown by the media the good that has been done for the people in Iraq. Something does need to be done to end the situation or find some sort of resolution and create peace or at least some sort of stability. Those are the intentions. People think that it is as simple as "Okay guys you can come home now," and it is not that simple. These people need to watch the tributes that are made by soldiers for the soldiers, which paint a different picture than the general population sees and straight up say that the war is being portrayed the way the media wants it to be. I am not saying that horrible things are not happening in Iraq or that there is entirely no truth in what some people may say. It is not that they want to be there, they do not want to be there, they want more appreciation for what they are doing and support when they return for such victims of post traumatic stress and physical injuries.
Even Professional Political Journalists Forget What's Important
The first of the two articles that I read discussed how John Yoo recently published a memorandum stating that, in a nutshell, harsh interrogations are acceptable. The writer from the New York Times highlights that Yoo’s memorandum gave very broad latitude as to harsh interrogations may be used. Other highlights include the reactions of legal scholars who were very surprised at the range that Yoo’s document. These scholars went on saying that while there were few limitations, those select limitations will most likely not be in effect overseas. The articles goes further to sum up that Yoo’s memorandum supported and defended harsh interrogations, by defining torture, and focusing on the CIA’s techniques.
Overall this article’s main point consists of telling about the memorandum being released and the reactions of selected people. The article also presents a bias. The author gives the impression that his is not in support of Yoo’s memorandum. Reading the document, I could tell this author thinks harsh interrogations are morally wrong, just by the tone of the article. As I stated in the summary of the article, the author uses quotes from legal scholars, who each had a negative spin on the memorandum. The author even talks about how President Bush could/would authorize harsh interrogations like waterboarding in emergencies. In discussing the negative views of others, the author implies that he feels the same way.
The second piece I chose was from a blog. The author was a constitutional law and civil rights litigator in New York, and is a bestselling author of two novels. He jumps into his blog by showing some highlights of the past two weeks in politics and events involving the war. He talks about how a Department of Justice released the harsh interrogations memo written by John Yoo, and how Obama went bowling and had a low score. He then goes on to a table of how often certain phrases have been used in the news: Yoo and torture – 102 times, Obama and bowling – 1,043. He goes on further saying that the news and accomplished political journalists are focusing on trivial events because that’s what “the regular folk” want to hear about. He quotes his own book “Great American Hypocrites” conferring that because political journalists incessantly gossip, it then becomes an important story, and because they think it’s important, then the rest of the public must think its important.
Blogs are nice and almost refreshing, because they are personally biased. This man Glenn Greenwald, is incredibly pissed that our nation and our political writers are forgetting about huge events to highlight trivial things. He even bashes our current president and is not afraid to really tell it like it is.
These articles definitely contrast in the way they show their bias. It is very apparent when you read something with great bias, and one without. The blog is very personal, and discussed how one individual feels about the situation, while a news paper article brings everything to the table, and shows a bias very subtly.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/02/washington/02terror.html?ei=5090&en=c4ef401cd0be0b11&ex=1364788800&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=print
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/04/05/media/index.html
Overall this article’s main point consists of telling about the memorandum being released and the reactions of selected people. The article also presents a bias. The author gives the impression that his is not in support of Yoo’s memorandum. Reading the document, I could tell this author thinks harsh interrogations are morally wrong, just by the tone of the article. As I stated in the summary of the article, the author uses quotes from legal scholars, who each had a negative spin on the memorandum. The author even talks about how President Bush could/would authorize harsh interrogations like waterboarding in emergencies. In discussing the negative views of others, the author implies that he feels the same way.
The second piece I chose was from a blog. The author was a constitutional law and civil rights litigator in New York, and is a bestselling author of two novels. He jumps into his blog by showing some highlights of the past two weeks in politics and events involving the war. He talks about how a Department of Justice released the harsh interrogations memo written by John Yoo, and how Obama went bowling and had a low score. He then goes on to a table of how often certain phrases have been used in the news: Yoo and torture – 102 times, Obama and bowling – 1,043. He goes on further saying that the news and accomplished political journalists are focusing on trivial events because that’s what “the regular folk” want to hear about. He quotes his own book “Great American Hypocrites” conferring that because political journalists incessantly gossip, it then becomes an important story, and because they think it’s important, then the rest of the public must think its important.
Blogs are nice and almost refreshing, because they are personally biased. This man Glenn Greenwald, is incredibly pissed that our nation and our political writers are forgetting about huge events to highlight trivial things. He even bashes our current president and is not afraid to really tell it like it is.
These articles definitely contrast in the way they show their bias. It is very apparent when you read something with great bias, and one without. The blog is very personal, and discussed how one individual feels about the situation, while a news paper article brings everything to the table, and shows a bias very subtly.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/02/washington/02terror.html?ei=5090&en=c4ef401cd0be0b11&ex=1364788800&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=print
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/04/05/media/index.html
Friday, April 4, 2008
Iraq or a wreck?
September 11th was a critical event that has left its scar on history for all time. I was only in my preteens when this horrible incident occurred. I remember sitting in class as kids were suddenly called aside by the principal and would come back in dismay and bewilderment. Most came back in tears, grabbed their stuff and left. My usually charismatic classmate returned in silence with no emotion on his face. Where there was usually a smile, it was replaced by a solemn frown that even without a single word we were able to understand the huge magnitude of the matter.
No one knew what was going on except those specific students and the teachers. As we sat there in confusion we were given busy work to hide the tension. We were told to sit quietly, but as the teachers left we whispered like a swarm of bees because we knew something terrible had happened. A few minutes later the 6th -8th graders were told to enter a room in a single filed line and sit Indian style on the cold hard floor of gymnasium. We waited impatiently until they suddenly turned the television on without explanation as we watched images of the world trade center crumbling, and the pentagon in flames.
I can understand why people would initially be engulfed in rage and feel the need to enter war at the time. Regardless of whether you had family members that were involved in this tragedy, you felt the immense pain as you saw news clips of people jumping off of buildings and groups of crying families. However, the US has been involved in this war long enough to the point where the citizens are tired of all this violence and anguish and are just ready to see our troops go home.
I can honestly say I do not know very much about the situation in Iraq but I know how great of an impact it has made on some people’s lives. My cousin, Raymond after years of service with the navy decided to have a “normal life.”He had graduated from RPI with a degree in business and worked for one of the leading companies in power Generac, as a business development manager. He did very well for himself and had a beautiful wife and kids. Raymond had to put his life on hold as he was part of the reserves and was summoned to Iraq. Understanding he needed to serve his country he left his family, quit his job, expected the worse, but hoped for the best. We just want the war to be over, so we can have him back, and I’m sure all families who are missing a loved one feel the same.
No one knew what was going on except those specific students and the teachers. As we sat there in confusion we were given busy work to hide the tension. We were told to sit quietly, but as the teachers left we whispered like a swarm of bees because we knew something terrible had happened. A few minutes later the 6th -8th graders were told to enter a room in a single filed line and sit Indian style on the cold hard floor of gymnasium. We waited impatiently until they suddenly turned the television on without explanation as we watched images of the world trade center crumbling, and the pentagon in flames.
I can understand why people would initially be engulfed in rage and feel the need to enter war at the time. Regardless of whether you had family members that were involved in this tragedy, you felt the immense pain as you saw news clips of people jumping off of buildings and groups of crying families. However, the US has been involved in this war long enough to the point where the citizens are tired of all this violence and anguish and are just ready to see our troops go home.
I can honestly say I do not know very much about the situation in Iraq but I know how great of an impact it has made on some people’s lives. My cousin, Raymond after years of service with the navy decided to have a “normal life.”He had graduated from RPI with a degree in business and worked for one of the leading companies in power Generac, as a business development manager. He did very well for himself and had a beautiful wife and kids. Raymond had to put his life on hold as he was part of the reserves and was summoned to Iraq. Understanding he needed to serve his country he left his family, quit his job, expected the worse, but hoped for the best. We just want the war to be over, so we can have him back, and I’m sure all families who are missing a loved one feel the same.
Misunderstood Acceptance
Last Monday, a lifelong friend of mine was shipped off to Iraq. He is such a close friend that I am sure that had we not known each other and grown up together, neither of us would be the same person that we are today. Now that I think about it, he is probably the last friend that I have that has been there since my childhood; through high school, family conflicts, basically all of the unavoidable horse shit that comes along with being a teenager.
I've never been a supporter of the war. This opposition has never been a result of a fear of being drafted (which every adult who I've had an Iraqi-War related discussion with has assumed to be the reason). I strongly identify with the concept of anti-interventionism, which I realize is a foreign topic to try to relate to. Seeing as many, if not all depending on how analyze it, American wars have been based on the concept of intervening in the affairs of other people, it seems opposing this idea is almost opposing the very bedrock of our nation. And in our supposedly ideal society, we aren't supposed to question such things. If a civilization is founded upon a series of atrocities and injustices, questioning these events would essentially be questioning the society itself. I digress.
I've gotten into many arguments, mostly with my family, over the War in Iraq. However, the one person I've neglected to bring up the topic with is my friend, who at the moment, is probably still becoming acclimated to the 100 degree+ temperature and unimaginable conditions of being a soldier in the Iraqi War. On a strictly personal level, I'm not sure if this is because of a fear of jeopardizing our friendship or my natural tendency to be a pacifist. Step back and observe the situation from a societal standpoint. The War in Iraq is fought by our friends, our family, or people we have otherwise been associated with based on being citizens of the same country. It becomes difficult to oppose something that our culture has become so intertwined with. Many people support our troops because they identify with them on a personal level. In doing so, they neglect to question the reason that they are even supporting the troops in the first place, being the causes behind the war. And it is due to this misunderstanding, I believe, that the war itself has been so quietly accepted be the majority of America.
I've never been a supporter of the war. This opposition has never been a result of a fear of being drafted (which every adult who I've had an Iraqi-War related discussion with has assumed to be the reason). I strongly identify with the concept of anti-interventionism, which I realize is a foreign topic to try to relate to. Seeing as many, if not all depending on how analyze it, American wars have been based on the concept of intervening in the affairs of other people, it seems opposing this idea is almost opposing the very bedrock of our nation. And in our supposedly ideal society, we aren't supposed to question such things. If a civilization is founded upon a series of atrocities and injustices, questioning these events would essentially be questioning the society itself. I digress.
I've gotten into many arguments, mostly with my family, over the War in Iraq. However, the one person I've neglected to bring up the topic with is my friend, who at the moment, is probably still becoming acclimated to the 100 degree+ temperature and unimaginable conditions of being a soldier in the Iraqi War. On a strictly personal level, I'm not sure if this is because of a fear of jeopardizing our friendship or my natural tendency to be a pacifist. Step back and observe the situation from a societal standpoint. The War in Iraq is fought by our friends, our family, or people we have otherwise been associated with based on being citizens of the same country. It becomes difficult to oppose something that our culture has become so intertwined with. Many people support our troops because they identify with them on a personal level. In doing so, they neglect to question the reason that they are even supporting the troops in the first place, being the causes behind the war. And it is due to this misunderstanding, I believe, that the war itself has been so quietly accepted be the majority of America.
Could It Be For The Money?
The reason that we are in Iraq according to the government is the hazardous dictatorship of Saddam Hussein and WMD's also known as weapons of mass destruction. We invaded Iraq because there WERE weapons of mass destruction. The government knew Exactly where they were and they would dispose of the hazardous weapons immediately. But why did the United Nations forces have such a difficult time finding these WMD's. wouldnt the US government have a responibility of telling the peacekeepers where these were since they knew EXACTLY where they were. Considering these weapons could have wiped out most of the western hemisphere I feel so much safer that the US government did NOT tell the UN where these WMD's were. In addition to the two potential answers to this question we entered Iraq because they HAD something to do with the 9/11 attacks. Of course I am being sarcastic with all of the above with the exception of Saddam Hussein being a brutal dictator there were not weapons of mass destruction and there was no correlation with 9/11, al-quaeda and Iraq.
Now to get to the non-sarcastic points of my answer, Dick Cheney as I recall is CEO of Halliburton a Fortune 500 company in the energy field. Halliburton happens to have a 2.5 billion “Restore Iraqi Oil” contract. This was supposed to reconstruct the entire country and allow Iraq to export significantly more oil from its northern oil fields. They also failed when working on a pipeline that crosses the Tigris River in Iraq. To Halliburton’s surprise you cannot dig a tunnel through a geological fault zone. Halliburton invested 75.7 million dollars in this project for drill bits crew fee costing 100,000 dollars a day for broken machinery. After Halliburton spent these funds the US invested 66 million to the same cause.
Back to Dick Cheney. In 2000 he retired from Halliburton with a 34 million dollar severance package. Shortly after Cheney took office the war in Iraq started. Could this be a coincidence that the war is in a country that has massive amounts of oil production and exportation capabilities? Could it be a coincidence that in an address by Osama Bin-Laden he states, “this is a war that is benefiting major companies with billions of dollars.”? And could it be a coincidence that Halliburton is the only company mentioned in this address from an April 2004 videotape.
I feel that we entered Iraq because of oil. Could we have tapped into a billion dollar industry by killing? Some may disagree. But why haven’t we left if mission was already accomplished? Why are we still in the land that has so much potential for oil reform? Oil was the number one priority; second to this is the brutal dictatorship of Saddam Hussein and the non-existent WMD’s. I feel that these were just an excuse to get into Iraq. Unfortunately we are in the war and we entered the war without an exit strategy. As far as I know we do not have an exit strategy and that will be left up to the incoming president to worry about.
Now to get to the non-sarcastic points of my answer, Dick Cheney as I recall is CEO of Halliburton a Fortune 500 company in the energy field. Halliburton happens to have a 2.5 billion “Restore Iraqi Oil” contract. This was supposed to reconstruct the entire country and allow Iraq to export significantly more oil from its northern oil fields. They also failed when working on a pipeline that crosses the Tigris River in Iraq. To Halliburton’s surprise you cannot dig a tunnel through a geological fault zone. Halliburton invested 75.7 million dollars in this project for drill bits crew fee costing 100,000 dollars a day for broken machinery. After Halliburton spent these funds the US invested 66 million to the same cause.
Back to Dick Cheney. In 2000 he retired from Halliburton with a 34 million dollar severance package. Shortly after Cheney took office the war in Iraq started. Could this be a coincidence that the war is in a country that has massive amounts of oil production and exportation capabilities? Could it be a coincidence that in an address by Osama Bin-Laden he states, “this is a war that is benefiting major companies with billions of dollars.”? And could it be a coincidence that Halliburton is the only company mentioned in this address from an April 2004 videotape.
I feel that we entered Iraq because of oil. Could we have tapped into a billion dollar industry by killing? Some may disagree. But why haven’t we left if mission was already accomplished? Why are we still in the land that has so much potential for oil reform? Oil was the number one priority; second to this is the brutal dictatorship of Saddam Hussein and the non-existent WMD’s. I feel that these were just an excuse to get into Iraq. Unfortunately we are in the war and we entered the war without an exit strategy. As far as I know we do not have an exit strategy and that will be left up to the incoming president to worry about.
Different Views about Iraqi Forces
The two articles I considered were both about the recent military air assault by American and Iraqi forces last week in Basra, the second largest city in Iraq. It was the first time American forces were joined by Iraqi security forces in the city. The articles involve the same issue but take different views on the outcome of the U.S.'s involvement in the assault, and on the development of the Iraqi forces.
The first article, "U.S. military joins Iraqi Army in Basra assault" from the International Herald Tribune, discusses the strikes, and mentions numbers of casualties during them. Major Tom Holloway, a spokesman in Basra for the British Army, states that since Iraqi security forces didn't have aircraft for the strike, the Americans conducted the air attack. However he said that "the Iraqis are capable, they are strong and they have been engaging successfully." President Bush announced the offensive as a "defining moment" in the freedom of Iraq and said there has been a lot of progress. It was mentioned that in the future, the U.S. will help Iraqi forces if asked, but the Iraqis will be taking charge. The second article, "Basra Assault Exposed U.S., Iraqi Limits", from the Washington Post, talks more about the setbacks of the U.S. and Iraqi forces, instead of talking about the specifics of the assault. The Prime Minister of Iraq announced that the "unsuccessful gambit has exposed the shaky foundation upon which U.S. policy in Iraq rests after 5 years of war." It mentions that the U.S. has spent over $22 billion to help develop Iraq's security forces, but they were unable to defeat the militias, and many actually fled during the fighting.
Both articles agree to an extent that the Iraqi security forces aren't able to fight on their own yet without the U.S., but the first article seems to take a more optimistic view of the situation. The Iraqi forces are said to be "engaging successfully", while in the second article, they are said to have left the fighting, and the "shaky foundation of U.S. policy after 5 years of war" is referenced. The first article is more cut and dry about what exactly happened in the air strikes on Basra, while the second one has more emotion and carries a more pessimistic tone. Even the title of the article, "Basra Assault Exposed U.S., Iraqi Limits" seems like an announcement of defeat. The title of the first article sounds as if we are on the offensive. The content can be viewed very differently by the reader by looking at the word choice and the addition of quotes about the status of the assault. After reading both articles I feel the second article has more of an anti-war bias.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/03/28/mideast/iraq.php
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/03/AR2008040300309_pf.html
The first article, "U.S. military joins Iraqi Army in Basra assault" from the International Herald Tribune, discusses the strikes, and mentions numbers of casualties during them. Major Tom Holloway, a spokesman in Basra for the British Army, states that since Iraqi security forces didn't have aircraft for the strike, the Americans conducted the air attack. However he said that "the Iraqis are capable, they are strong and they have been engaging successfully." President Bush announced the offensive as a "defining moment" in the freedom of Iraq and said there has been a lot of progress. It was mentioned that in the future, the U.S. will help Iraqi forces if asked, but the Iraqis will be taking charge. The second article, "Basra Assault Exposed U.S., Iraqi Limits", from the Washington Post, talks more about the setbacks of the U.S. and Iraqi forces, instead of talking about the specifics of the assault. The Prime Minister of Iraq announced that the "unsuccessful gambit has exposed the shaky foundation upon which U.S. policy in Iraq rests after 5 years of war." It mentions that the U.S. has spent over $22 billion to help develop Iraq's security forces, but they were unable to defeat the militias, and many actually fled during the fighting.
Both articles agree to an extent that the Iraqi security forces aren't able to fight on their own yet without the U.S., but the first article seems to take a more optimistic view of the situation. The Iraqi forces are said to be "engaging successfully", while in the second article, they are said to have left the fighting, and the "shaky foundation of U.S. policy after 5 years of war" is referenced. The first article is more cut and dry about what exactly happened in the air strikes on Basra, while the second one has more emotion and carries a more pessimistic tone. Even the title of the article, "Basra Assault Exposed U.S., Iraqi Limits" seems like an announcement of defeat. The title of the first article sounds as if we are on the offensive. The content can be viewed very differently by the reader by looking at the word choice and the addition of quotes about the status of the assault. After reading both articles I feel the second article has more of an anti-war bias.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/03/28/mideast/iraq.php
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/03/AR2008040300309_pf.html
War in Iraq
The first article that I read was entitled "Al Qaeda No. 2 : We don't kill innocents."Ayman al-Zawahiri stated that Al Qaeda does not kill innocent civilians they only target threats. He also gave an update on Bin Laden's health, by saying that he is healthy and fine but there will be a day that he will die and someone new will take over. One would question his first statement for several reasons. The first thing that comes into my mind when I red that, was what happened to Daniel Pearl, the journalist who was beheaded by Al Qaeda for no reason.
The second article that I read was entitled "Admiral: Iraq has troops, Afghanistan has to wait." This article talks about there are too many troops in Iraq, so Afghanistan is put on the back burner. I think that this should maybe give President Bush a clue that we need to pull out of Iraq. We don't have enough troops to protect and serve elsewhere cause we have too many troops in Iraq. I want the war to be over.
Both these articles are posted on CNN.COM. I think that they showed two different sides of the pressing war. One is the aspect of having too many troops in Iraq and the other is the pressing problem of innocent people being targeted and killed for no reason.
View on the War
I cannot seem to find one person that was not shocked after 9/11. That event not only changed our world around us but it came at us unexpectedly. However, I do not know why we are still in Iraq. After seven years since 9/11 is it helping us to still be over in Iraq fighting? What are we even still fighting for? There might be a very good reason why we are there but I do not look for the answer. It get me upset when I turn on the television and see another death of a soldier has occurred. Someone's life taken away from their family for what? For what reason are these soldiers out there risking their lives for.
I do not know of anyone that is close to me that is serving in the war. Although, I do feel very close to everyone out there serving and how I am affected. I support the troops out there and what they are doing for us. I think however, that this war should finally be over and the troops should come home and cherish the time they might have left with there families.
Carnage
After reading articles from both of the links below, I gained insight into two very different perspectives on the war with Iraq. War Math uses the number of soldiers killed in the war, 4,000, to calculate the number of deaths that each of George Bush’s “lies” has cost. The website the article is posted on, Antiwar.com, makes it very clear that the author is strongly against the war. All of the language used in the article is persuasive and effectively convinces the audience that the war was a costly mistake. It also gain’s readers’ sympathy for Iraqi civilians by explaining the poor living conditions that they are now subject to.
The second article is also about the causalities from the Iraq war. However, this one has quite a different tone. It reports that “three suspected militants were killed in an airstrike” as though it is just another mundane piece of information. It plays down the number of lives that were lost. For example, it says that when a coalition returned fire “a number” of soldiers were killed. This makes it seem as though it was an insignificant amount of people and that the war is going well.
While both articles are about the exact same war, each clearly has a different regard for it. The first article used mostly exact statistics to make their point, but the second one only provided general figures. The first article was from an anti-war blogging website, yet the second one was from a website promoting global security. Not only were the views different between the two articles, but they were blatantly bias to their sides throughout their reports.
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/04/01/8013/
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2008/04/mil-080403-voa02.htm
Where in the world is Osama Bin Laden?
The other day I was given a free screening to the new Morgan Spurlock film “Where in The World Is Osama Bin Laden?”. It was a poor attempt to explain the current social climates of the middle east and other Islamic nations through humor. It’s not that the film wasn’t funny; it’s just that it hard to talk about this whole mess comically. Frankly the world is a scary place and the images that I was seeing on the screen startled me. In a Q&A session after the film, Spurlock said “the easiest way to deal with fear is to laugh at it”. The intentions of the film were unclear to me and I found the title quite deceiving. Spurlock seemed to used the search for Osama as a mean to guide him from location to location as he discussed the political and socio-economic standings of the country with it’s citizens. It seemed unanimous almost everyone involved in the world wishes it to be over. The film didn’t reveal anything unknown about the war to the audience, other than the citizens’ opinions. If both sides of the war want it to be over why can’t we end the war? It is because we don’t know who were fighting and that makes it impossible to negotiate a solution. The film just reinforced my fears that this war could continue infinitely. And there’s too much confusion to do anything right. We really just need to let the dust settle and wait to see if we can manage to put the pieces back together.
The need for a war
I was in the seventh grade on 9/11/01. I never would have thought that those terrorist acts would call for war, in any case, I imagined we would become focused on strengthening our defenses in our country. It still seems foolish that President Bush took an offensive approach towards solving the problem of terrorists. And after almost 7 years of searching and fighting, we have nothing solid to show for our country or our president's choice for initiating a war. This is really all my opinion, from what little I know of the US's and Iraq's conflict history.
I have no immediate family in the military, however, I do know of friends of friends who have joined the army and the marines. I am not very familiar with the system of recruiting or how they decide who joins what infantry or battalion. That would be interested in researching, just to understand and fulfil my curiosity. I once asked my mother how she felt about the war, expecting her to say something similar to the general public disapproval of the war. However, she surprised me by saying that our involvement is beneficial to our economy. A war fuels industry. Factories have a reason to produce, research is spurred, our economy is moving because people have a reason to work and provide - to be victorious in war. People need motivation to work towards a goal and generally, peace is a sought-after state.
I ought to watch more informational news about the war, because there is very little I understand about it. I have no interest inpolitics and many times every detail about the war or update is told with a bias, with the author leaning towards the war or against it. I'd also prefer that our govenment fully disclose all information to its people about what its doing, there shouldn't be any secrets. I can understand that the government says its for our national security to keeps things private but it causes its own citizens to live in fear and ignorance.
I have no immediate family in the military, however, I do know of friends of friends who have joined the army and the marines. I am not very familiar with the system of recruiting or how they decide who joins what infantry or battalion. That would be interested in researching, just to understand and fulfil my curiosity. I once asked my mother how she felt about the war, expecting her to say something similar to the general public disapproval of the war. However, she surprised me by saying that our involvement is beneficial to our economy. A war fuels industry. Factories have a reason to produce, research is spurred, our economy is moving because people have a reason to work and provide - to be victorious in war. People need motivation to work towards a goal and generally, peace is a sought-after state.
I ought to watch more informational news about the war, because there is very little I understand about it. I have no interest inpolitics and many times every detail about the war or update is told with a bias, with the author leaning towards the war or against it. I'd also prefer that our govenment fully disclose all information to its people about what its doing, there shouldn't be any secrets. I can understand that the government says its for our national security to keeps things private but it causes its own citizens to live in fear and ignorance.
A war that has no end.
I have not been influenced directly or indirectly by the war in Iraq or the aftermath of this issue. However, as a global citizen as well as a spectator of this controversial issue, I would strongly say that the war in Iraq does no good to any nation in this world. The present scenario in Iraq clearly shows any foreign national that US can intervene with its political system whenever the US government comes up with the idea of doing so.
The war was initiated with the prime intention of eradicating terrorism from the world. This approach was quite successful as it brought out results when they hanged the leader Saddam Hussain. However, his death indicated that war against the US will never come to an end as they will always retaliate. The US government still deploys armies on Iraq boundaries to ensure that the economical and political stability of Iraq will be looked after.
The aftermath of the war against Iraq has contributed greatly to many injustices within the community. One of the main problems that have occurred is the deprivation of things that determine the quality of life including shelter, food and drinking water. The suffering of the children in this area is not looked after. The immediate attention of the situation is mandatory. On the other hand, the forces that have been deployed do not get to visit their country for a long period of time. These forces suffer for no productive reason.
In conclusion, the war in Iraq has brought up many unexpected problems that have not been answered by any authority.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
The War's Impact On Me
I have not seen any positive impact of America’s war on Iraq except the end of the tyrannical regime of Saddam Hussein. Iraq political and economic conditions still remain in a state of permanent turmoil. I do not see any sense in the troops remaining in Iraq since the people have been liberated from Saddam Hussein’s regime which was the main aim of the war. Now Iraq should be given liberty to make its own government and take care of its affairs .The war has had a detrimental effect on American economy. Citizens have to pay more taxes so that the government can fund this senseless war. Clearly this war is not benefiting anyone. The families of soldiers in Iraq stay in constant fear and apprehension with daily reports of suicide bombings and attacks by terrorists.
As an Indian citizen, the immediate impact of the war on my family was the rise in oil prices. There has been a dramatic surge in oil prices ever since the war started. The war has not helped in improving America’s global image either. Reports of abuse to prisoners by soldiers has further fuelled the hatred of Muslims towards America and fundamentalist Muslim leaders use it as a weapon to instigate people against America. It is the people’s money that is being uselessly wasted in Iraq and troops should be called back. I do not think the war is going to end anytime soon with current state of affairs . George Bush continues to justify the war and convince American citizens the it is the right thing but clearly his war on “global terrorism” has not shown any results till yet. Terrorism has not diminished but continues to thrive .I have never been a proponent of war and this war has reinforced my belief no one gains anything in a war.
Some Lives Are More Equal Than Others
I am not a U.S. citizen. Most of my immediate family is not in this country, and are not affected by the Iraq war at all. I have a few friends in the Army that are in Iraq, and that is really the biggest way I am affected by the war. As for what news I watch, I watch shows with a more democratic lean, such as the Daily Show and Real Time with Bill Maher. I also pay attention to Russian news, which doesn't exactly love President Bush.
The majority of the people reading this already believe the invasion of Iraq was a mistake. The best thing you can do about mistakes is not to make them. But if you did, should you fix the mistake? Kind of seems obvious when you put it that way doesn't it? And there lies the rub, how do you fix something as big of a mistake as Iraq? You can't just pay to replace it, the problem is such that throwing money at it won't make it go away. So, does the U.S. pull completely out of Iraq? Does this turn the U.S. into runaway arsonists? Does the U.S. stay there and spend more time, resources, international reputation, and lives? Should the U.S. let more of it's own soldiers die? What do we prioritize? Are some lives more equal than others? The lives of this country's members or the lives of other country's members? If you pull out of Iraq, there is a chance (I can not honestly speculate how good of a chance, you can do your own guessing) that innocent people will die in Iraq. Without the armed U.S. soldiers there, there is a chance that those without the means to protect themselves will be hurt. Is it right to care more about the safety of those we might know personally, or those of our same country, over others? Is that the question? And if so, who answers?
The majority of the people reading this already believe the invasion of Iraq was a mistake. The best thing you can do about mistakes is not to make them. But if you did, should you fix the mistake? Kind of seems obvious when you put it that way doesn't it? And there lies the rub, how do you fix something as big of a mistake as Iraq? You can't just pay to replace it, the problem is such that throwing money at it won't make it go away. So, does the U.S. pull completely out of Iraq? Does this turn the U.S. into runaway arsonists? Does the U.S. stay there and spend more time, resources, international reputation, and lives? Should the U.S. let more of it's own soldiers die? What do we prioritize? Are some lives more equal than others? The lives of this country's members or the lives of other country's members? If you pull out of Iraq, there is a chance (I can not honestly speculate how good of a chance, you can do your own guessing) that innocent people will die in Iraq. Without the armed U.S. soldiers there, there is a chance that those without the means to protect themselves will be hurt. Is it right to care more about the safety of those we might know personally, or those of our same country, over others? Is that the question? And if so, who answers?
For our Country?
The war in Irag has of course impacted me very much, but it's hard to tell with my family because I rarely if not all, talk to them. I know for me that when it happened at first I was very concerned about what was going on and how we were doing over there because my country is fighting. I was kind of scared to tell the truth. Terrorists and people fighting again. I never experienced a time in my life when we were going through a war so when the september 11th attack happened I was shocked. I remember exacty what class I had when I first found out. It was family consumer science in my old middle school. Everyone came in the room and the teachers had us sit down and watch what was coming over the television. Yes this is very important and a big deal to me. I stayed with what was going on for a while because I wanted to know but now that I am off to college I find myself dealing with my everyday life and getting caught up in that. Of course if I was a soldier then that would be always on my mind, but school is the big thing for me now. Going to get an education is my top priority and I kind of went off in that direction and left some of what happened in the past and tended not to bring it up. The war has been going on pretty long now so I sometimes don't know what to make of it. I hear that we are doing very well and am second guessed because we are stil their. Then I have to listen to the poilitical debate now because it's closing in on the 2008 presidential election. The democratic canidates like Clinton and Obama claim to pull us out of Irag as soon as they get elected, but if were still fighting over their then we must not have everything solved. Now I raise the question of what good it is to pull out? What will happen? Our democratic canidates say they will pull our troops out of the war, but what will that lead to? What if they regroup and bring the fighting over to our country. I feel I don't know that much politically to make a great argument, but I do stand on the point I just made of how they will regroup because it is fear that drives my thought. I'm quite tired of all the politics to say the least. If I'm elected president I will do this and that. Are you really going to do that? Stop going after each other as canidates and start running for the people. The canidates shouldn't try and be better than each other but prove themselves to the people of this country and then they will see who is the best. Politics play to much role in this war in Iraq. I've decided to take what information I know and make my own conclusion. I want to raise questions and see how good I can get them answered. I will be truthful in the fact that I don't watch as much news and coverage on the war. Maybe its' because I'm not sure on what to believe. Is the government covering up our eyes from seeing what is really happening. I feel there is much more to it than I can understand at this time, so I will take it slowly and collect information from the news and newspapers , but make a smart conclusion.
You First!
I have not been influenced by the war in Iraq what so ever. I don’t even personally know anyone, who was involved in the war or that was directly effected by it. Hell, I was not even in the US when the war started and the first four years of the fighting. Outside of the US, I have never seen any media coverage or news paper articles discussing the war in Iraq. Now that I have been in the US for some months and I thought that would change dramatically. Yet I still hardly see any media coverage or hear any conversations concerning the war in Iraq. It feels like the entire war is swift under the rug. However, now I have a chance to explore what is happening in Iraq and how other students feel about it with the help of English 103 and this blog.
The war in Iraq is not a popular topic outside of the US and Iraq. It really doesn’t concern any other nation expect the two that are involved in it. Here and there I hear people say that the rest world should care about what is happening in Iraq. However why should any other nations even give a damn? When the majority of the American public does not care. From the news and the media in the US, I think Americans seem to care more about the lives of celebrities than the lives of the soldiers fighting in Iraq. The evening news and the popular networks hardly have any coverage of what are happening in Iraq. Therefore Americans should start caring about the war in Iraq, and then they can expect other nations to care...
Iraq
I’ve heard so many stories of soldiers coming back from war with permanent problems because of it. I’m not only talking physical but mental as well and I don’t understand why they aren’t being taking care of. People obviously know that there is a problem or these stories wouldn’t exist but no one is doing anything about it. One story I remember specifically was about a soldier who had a cancerous birth mark that was looked at when he first had his physical to enter the military and suspected to be potential melanoma but it was kept out of his records and never made known to the soldier himself. Doesn’t the soldier at least deserve to know that he could have cancer? Once someone enlists, they are treated differently than others, usually with respect. They shouldn’t be treated different in the way that they lose some of their rights. In this story, the man had seen multiple doctors all of which said the same thing that it could be harmful but never told him or set up any follow up examinations to check on his progress to see if it was developing. What disturbed me the most is that if they had done something about it when they first recognized the risk; they would have been able to save his life. When he was finally home again (he was released due to his “illness”) he didn’t look anything like himself. He lost a lot of weight and his hair. He used to be muscular and handsome and you would never guess that it was the same person if you looked at the images.
I feel like the issues of why we are in war aren’t as important as the outcome. Are we really accomplishing our goal? And, if not, what are we still doing there? I don’t think people realize the effects of war, myself included. I feel like there is a lot more going on than what we actually know about because we aren’t over there experiencing it ourselves. Even hearing stories of what’s going on doesn’t suffice in my mind because things are left out and we can’t really understand it. I think people try to keep some stories hidden so that people won’t be against the war. It’s also the individuals’ fault because they aren’t taking the time to learn about the war and listen to the stories that are being told. I don’t know why we are in Iraq anymore. I also don’t know why there soldiers coming back with problems that aren’t being dealt with. I think that there is a lot I don’t know but I think that is true for a good portion of people in the U.S. I don’t really have any solutions at this point either because I don’t think that there’s really one thing we can do to change things. I think that it will take a series of events to improve the understanding of war in general and deal with the flaws in our system.
I feel like the issues of why we are in war aren’t as important as the outcome. Are we really accomplishing our goal? And, if not, what are we still doing there? I don’t think people realize the effects of war, myself included. I feel like there is a lot more going on than what we actually know about because we aren’t over there experiencing it ourselves. Even hearing stories of what’s going on doesn’t suffice in my mind because things are left out and we can’t really understand it. I think people try to keep some stories hidden so that people won’t be against the war. It’s also the individuals’ fault because they aren’t taking the time to learn about the war and listen to the stories that are being told. I don’t know why we are in Iraq anymore. I also don’t know why there soldiers coming back with problems that aren’t being dealt with. I think that there is a lot I don’t know but I think that is true for a good portion of people in the U.S. I don’t really have any solutions at this point either because I don’t think that there’s really one thing we can do to change things. I think that it will take a series of events to improve the understanding of war in general and deal with the flaws in our system.
iraq????
Jasmine Singh
The War in Iraq has been going on for the last five years. However, how much progress has there been made in the last five years? None. Yes, it is true that the Saddam Hussein was executed, but what happened? Terrorism hasn’t really come to an end and in addition there is no stability in Iraq in terms of the economy and the government. First of all, the war was on terrorism, but it seems as if the war is just targeted toward Iraq. In addition, many nations are beginning to hate the United States since the problems in Iraq have begun to just get worse.
In terms of culture, the war has negatively affected the American culture. Many people are beginning in other nations, such as Iraq, hate the American culture since we are blamed for causing the war. Since our President doesn’t have a positive image, that gives more of a reason for outsiders to hate the American culture.
The War in Iraq has been going on for the last five years. However, how much progress has there been made in the last five years? None. Yes, it is true that the Saddam Hussein was executed, but what happened? Terrorism hasn’t really come to an end and in addition there is no stability in Iraq in terms of the economy and the government. First of all, the war was on terrorism, but it seems as if the war is just targeted toward Iraq. In addition, many nations are beginning to hate the United States since the problems in Iraq have begun to just get worse.
In terms of culture, the war has negatively affected the American culture. Many people are beginning in other nations, such as Iraq, hate the American culture since we are blamed for causing the war. Since our President doesn’t have a positive image, that gives more of a reason for outsiders to hate the American culture.
US Digging a Deep Hole...for Itself?
The impact on the war in
The media is mostly concerned with visits made by high-ranking officials and attacks that are on a larger scale. The government, on the other hand, has its own secrets and will obviously report only successful attacks and accomplishments. As a result, American citizens only know what the media and government report, unless they choose to research the war on their own.
Additionally, theMedia taking sides in Iraq War?
There have been lots of rumors that media only presents new on Iraq that are against the War in Iraq. In some cases if those news are not found then media tries to force their way out. Their have been recent accusation towards BBC news that they presented some false news on Iraq war. There are reports that people working in BBC are anti-Iraq war. Basically, its being accused of being biased in terms of Iraq war news. BBC news is not the only news thats been accused of being biased, "Sun" news organizations has also been accused of doing that. I personally thing that this is ridiculous. I am pretty sure these are not the only news organization that are being biased. We the people rely on news channel to inform us with truth and fair information. Their haven't been lots of people who are with Iraq war in this country. That doesn't necessarily make those people right. It doesn't give them rights to convince their opposer with injustice. I also personally have noticed some sort of biased during news. I have noticed that whenever bad new is presented, its given more time and importance during the news. While, news that are for Iraq war are not really being presented in same manner. Basically, those news are given less importance.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2003/apr/22/iraqandthemedia.politicsandthemedia
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2003/apr/22/iraqandthemedia.politicsandthemedia
War on Terror
The War in Iraq should not be just the United States against terrorists. If we really want to solve the problem, we need other countries to contribute to the fight. The United States is relied on too much to be the “police” of the world and expected to help anyone. I feel that if we really want to put an end to terrorism in the fastest way possible, we are going to need a strong effort from other countries. The United States military is always there to help everyone else, and now it’s time for them to help the U.S. The stronger the presence we have in the Middle East, the more terrorism we will be able to put down. The world needs to take the war more seriously. For too long it has been just the U.S.
Why we are in Iraq
I'm pretty sure the question "Why are we in Iraq?" has been asked at least once by every citizen in America, not to mention by many who are not. I think the answer depends on your point of view, because truthfully, there are many reasons why we are in Iraq. Our commander-in-chief claims we are there to help liberate its people from the oppressive rule of a vicious dictator, and bring democracy to a land that has seen more than its share of turmoil. Many critics of the war will tell anyone who will listen that this war was started simply out of greed for the natural resources of the Middle East. Others state that it was simply a ploy by the President to make himself look better internationally, though I do not see how this war has made him look much better, so I do not think this is the case. I believe we are in Iraq for a combination of reasons, some selfish, some altruistic.
I generally do not like arguing on a topic that I do not know much about, and I hate to admit it, but I have not been keeping up with news on the war as well as I should have. Still, I can easily say that while I do not fully support the idea of the war itself, I am completely behind our troops. I understand how hypocritical this sounds, but in the end, they are still the defenders of our nation. They fight for us, even though they may not support the war themselves. That shows great loyalty to the country, and I feel that we owe them the same loyalty back.
I have never really been a big proponent of the war, because it always seemed to me like too big of a risk, especially when most of the world was not behind us. But at this point, with the Iraqi people freed, and the tyrant gone, I feel it is too late to pull back. We have already put so much into this war, it would be a bad idea not to go all the way through with it, no matter the reason it was initially started. If we leave now, it is unlikely that the Iraqi democracy will be able to stand on its own shaky legs, resulting in a loss of all we fought for. We would have essentially brought these people out of a dictatorship only to put them into a state of anarchy, which would likely be remedied only by the rising of another dictator Many have paid with their lives to bring these people democracy, and to leave before it is fully established and their people self-sufficient, would make their sacrifice worthless and be an insult to their memory.
I generally do not like arguing on a topic that I do not know much about, and I hate to admit it, but I have not been keeping up with news on the war as well as I should have. Still, I can easily say that while I do not fully support the idea of the war itself, I am completely behind our troops. I understand how hypocritical this sounds, but in the end, they are still the defenders of our nation. They fight for us, even though they may not support the war themselves. That shows great loyalty to the country, and I feel that we owe them the same loyalty back.
I have never really been a big proponent of the war, because it always seemed to me like too big of a risk, especially when most of the world was not behind us. But at this point, with the Iraqi people freed, and the tyrant gone, I feel it is too late to pull back. We have already put so much into this war, it would be a bad idea not to go all the way through with it, no matter the reason it was initially started. If we leave now, it is unlikely that the Iraqi democracy will be able to stand on its own shaky legs, resulting in a loss of all we fought for. We would have essentially brought these people out of a dictatorship only to put them into a state of anarchy, which would likely be remedied only by the rising of another dictator Many have paid with their lives to bring these people democracy, and to leave before it is fully established and their people self-sufficient, would make their sacrifice worthless and be an insult to their memory.
Media and the War
Although my no one in my immediate family is serving in Iraq, I definitely think that I have been affected by the war. My father was in the Marines and is now in the Marine Corps Reserve, but he is also a FBI agent, so he cannot be pulled to go to war. Last year however, my dad mentioned a few times that he may be going over to different places in the middle east to work. I pretty much told him that I did not want him to go, because I would constantly worry about him. I watch the news and hear about bombings of federal buildings in the middle east and people dying, and I just think about how it could be my dad. He decided not to go this year, and I really hope that he will decide not to go at all. Just recently, 4 FBI agents were injured after a bomb was thrown at a restaurant in Pakistan, one of which my dad knows. They were just eating lunch at an outdoor café, and someone throws a bomb. I think about how that could be my dad over there, and it is scary.
I try to watch the news, although it can be difficult to trust the media. I feel like we as Americans are not really getting all the information. There are few independent newspapers left, and Rupert Murdoch pretty much controls a large part of the media. He owns huge newspapers in Britain and the United States and Fox News, so all of our information is generally coming from the same place. He even owns the company that owns Myspace, so he is even controlling what young people see and read. So it is difficult to trust the media when you know that your information is coming from a select few people, who could possibly twist and bend it any way they want.
Is There a Reason?
It is so strange to say that I am growing up in a time of war. I never would have thought when I was a little girl that I would see “war” in big bold letters on the news. Yet, even though it is such a huge part of our world today, I still do not know much about the War in Iraq. Being in college and having a very tight schedule I rarely have time to watch the news or read about the situation in Iraq. However, because I am an American, it greatly affects me.
After reading some of the previous blogs, I realize even more now than before how much this war has hit the hearts of so many people. It is devastating hearing about another soldier that has lost their life overseas. There is a total death count of 4013 soldiers. This number is an extreme number that, in my opinion, should be zero. I do not feel that the war is at all necessary. What are we accomplishing or helping by being in Iraq? Why are we there? There truly is no answer anymore. We started this with a reason, but now we have been there so long accomplishing nothing that there is no reason. But, I often times think about what situation we would be in if we did not declare war. It is a scary question that we will never know the answer to.
Even though I do not personally know someone that is in the war, it saddens me to know that there are husbands, wives, sons, daughters, etc. overseas. I do not think I could imagine losing someone to a war that I am so against. The men and women that are fighting for our country will be forever honored because of their courage.
After reading some of the previous blogs, I realize even more now than before how much this war has hit the hearts of so many people. It is devastating hearing about another soldier that has lost their life overseas. There is a total death count of 4013 soldiers. This number is an extreme number that, in my opinion, should be zero. I do not feel that the war is at all necessary. What are we accomplishing or helping by being in Iraq? Why are we there? There truly is no answer anymore. We started this with a reason, but now we have been there so long accomplishing nothing that there is no reason. But, I often times think about what situation we would be in if we did not declare war. It is a scary question that we will never know the answer to.
Even though I do not personally know someone that is in the war, it saddens me to know that there are husbands, wives, sons, daughters, etc. overseas. I do not think I could imagine losing someone to a war that I am so against. The men and women that are fighting for our country will be forever honored because of their courage.
Apart from the World
When asked in english class whether or not the war in Iraq has affected me, all I could answer was "not personally". After listening to my class talk about the war and our country, I began to think about it some more. The war does affect me, just as it affects everyone. Not only in ways like a raise in taxes to pay for the war and acquaintances from home leaving to fight, but emotionally as well. It is stressful.
It makes me uncomfortable knowing that the rest of the world frowns upon my country's being in Iraq. My mother's side of the family lives in Hungary and the relative that I am closest to is my great uncle. He's more like a grandfather to me because my real granddad passed away when I was pretty young. My uncle is a smart man and has very strong, negative opinions about the United States and the war that we have caused. I feel as though my country's decisions reflect badly on me. I would never want him to lump me into the same category as the politicians who have started this war. He personally would not do this, but I believe that other foreigners would easily do so. There is a reason why many Europeans have bad feelings towards Americans and this war does nothing but give them more justification in feeling this way. I think the war is in a way separating us from the rest of the world.
It makes me uncomfortable knowing that the rest of the world frowns upon my country's being in Iraq. My mother's side of the family lives in Hungary and the relative that I am closest to is my great uncle. He's more like a grandfather to me because my real granddad passed away when I was pretty young. My uncle is a smart man and has very strong, negative opinions about the United States and the war that we have caused. I feel as though my country's decisions reflect badly on me. I would never want him to lump me into the same category as the politicians who have started this war. He personally would not do this, but I believe that other foreigners would easily do so. There is a reason why many Europeans have bad feelings towards Americans and this war does nothing but give them more justification in feeling this way. I think the war is in a way separating us from the rest of the world.
War, what war?
To be totally honest I don't even pay attention to the war, even though I should be. I have to cousins that serve in the army and they have been to Iraq I believe at least a couple of times. I still don't understand why were even at war. Oh that's right it's to stop the terrorist. I still don't see it. The only coverage of the war I actually get is from shows like The Daily Show and Colbert Report. The only other place I get it from is from the spanish news channels. The thing is I want to bw far away fro mthe war as possible.
Impact of The War
First there was war on terrorism in Afghanistan now there is war in Iraq. I can understand the reason of the war in Afghanistan but the war on Iraq left me clueless. I remember when I was still a freshmen in high school, my World History teacher often started discussions on war in Afghanistan and the casualties. In my opinion, the increasing casualties is a hint that we should pack up our troops and leave MiddleEast. Instead, Bush moves on in to Iraq. It is not a wise decision at all. The war did not just have impact on the life of our fighters but the civilians in USA as well. A visible scar Iraq war left on US is obviously the drastic climb in our gas price. From personal experience, I can not afford to drive often now since filling the tank full usually costs me around fourty dollars.
Iraq War was a well-covered story among media such as news, newspapers, and magazines. They were on first page for most of the time. I was often updated and informed about Iraq War through news on MyPHL-17 which I seldomly watch. I think it can be implied that I am not too well informed, but when I am it was mostly about casualties of war. I personally think that these news are generally more bias towards the Democrats. The news always inform the mass of our soldiers getting hurt and how many were killed but very little news on the our triumphs. Based on the article "Liberal Media Bias in the Iraq War Coverage? Here's the Proof " negative stories on Iraq war are said to be published or broad four times more than the positive ones. The article is pretty old but I think it still holds true today.
This year's presidential run will be important regarding the war in Iraq. I think if a president like George W. Bush is able to drag us into a meaningless ongoing war then it is definitely possible for another president to pull us out it.
Reference
Bowers, Steve. "Liberal Media Bias in the Iraq War Coverage? Here's the Proof ". Political Gateway. April 3rd, 2008
http://www.politicalgateway.com/main/columns/read.html?col=486
Iraq War was a well-covered story among media such as news, newspapers, and magazines. They were on first page for most of the time. I was often updated and informed about Iraq War through news on MyPHL-17 which I seldomly watch. I think it can be implied that I am not too well informed, but when I am it was mostly about casualties of war. I personally think that these news are generally more bias towards the Democrats. The news always inform the mass of our soldiers getting hurt and how many were killed but very little news on the our triumphs. Based on the article "Liberal Media Bias in the Iraq War Coverage? Here's the Proof " negative stories on Iraq war are said to be published or broad four times more than the positive ones. The article is pretty old but I think it still holds true today.
This year's presidential run will be important regarding the war in Iraq. I think if a president like George W. Bush is able to drag us into a meaningless ongoing war then it is definitely possible for another president to pull us out it.
Reference
Bowers, Steve. "Liberal Media Bias in the Iraq War Coverage? Here's the Proof ". Political Gateway. April 3rd, 2008
http://www.politicalgateway.com/main/columns/read.html?col=486
Personal Views.
Personally, I have not been greatly affected by the war in Iraq. Fortunately, I have not had any family members or friends that have gone overseas to defend our country. All I know about the war is basically what I hear on TV or in the news. I am sympathetic for all those who have lost loved ones in war, but cannot truly feel how they do since I haven’t gone through it personally. It saddens me when I see the clips and pictures of those men and women that have lost their lives in war, and I can’t even begin to imagine the loss that their families must be going through.
I am not really knowledgeable about the war as much as a should be, and therefore cannot really hold an argument on my opinion since I do not have much information on our current position. I know that many people are opposed to it, and I myself also feel that there could be other ways to solve this issue. When the war first started, I was too young to really be informed on what was going on. Even today, although I am more mature and old enough to form my own opinion, I still don’t really know the details of the war.
I plan on voting in the upcoming presidential election, and know that the war is a hot topic for debate between candidates. To make a decision on whom I would like to vote for, I am interested on their views of the war and plan to keep myself informed by the time election day comes.
I am not really knowledgeable about the war as much as a should be, and therefore cannot really hold an argument on my opinion since I do not have much information on our current position. I know that many people are opposed to it, and I myself also feel that there could be other ways to solve this issue. When the war first started, I was too young to really be informed on what was going on. Even today, although I am more mature and old enough to form my own opinion, I still don’t really know the details of the war.
I plan on voting in the upcoming presidential election, and know that the war is a hot topic for debate between candidates. To make a decision on whom I would like to vote for, I am interested on their views of the war and plan to keep myself informed by the time election day comes.
Tissue In One Hand and A Bracelet on the Other
For the first time in my life it is a normal occurrence to see a man or woman in uniform walk down the street. In my hometown the closest one would get to a military connection would be the story on the five o’clock news. At Drexel University every Wednesday all members of the ROTC program will go to class in full uniform. Making their presence know on campus. But still this does not really impact my life per say or have deeper meaning sine we are at war.
This September, other than coming to Drexel, my best friend finally matured in her relationships. Since diapers we have be running around together trying to make our “dent” in the world. My dear friend Sara was never lucky in the men department though. Although she kept a boyfriend for almost two and a half years it was a very, interesting one. I think we all realized her boyfriends “unique” personality when he punch her father in the face during her graduation party for no good reason. After a few months are figuring out her life in walks the man of her dreams, shipping out to Iraq in 5 months. You know someone is family when you sit their with them after they have said goodbye to their loved ones once shipping off to Iraq and have a shoulder that will absorb their tears for hours on end and at the end, after no words are spoken, feel as if you have been talking for hours. To see someone run the gamma of emotions: from pure blissful love to painstaking distance makes you think twice on your opinion of sending a soldier with a separate set of loved ones off to war. Sara is a different person now, sporting a promise ring on one hand and in the other a tissue. Although it has already been over a month I see her crying herself to sleep, worrying about her other half overseas. Three days ago she showed me a letter stating that he plans to remain over in Iraq for an extended stay. After showing me those paper she showed me registration papers for her own enlistment. She believes that even though they will not be right next to each other in Iraq, they will be close enough. Now I will be the one with the tissue in one hand and our best friend bracelet on the other.
Since the second semester of college I have been putting a bigger attempt into learning more about what is happening around us. In college you are in your own mini-world, which is impervious to everything around it almost. Most of my news comes from FOX news. Before doing any research on the topic I considered it to be a fairly balanced network. But after reading countless articles it looks as if the norm I have been hearing is very conservative. Surprise to me!
This September, other than coming to Drexel, my best friend finally matured in her relationships. Since diapers we have be running around together trying to make our “dent” in the world. My dear friend Sara was never lucky in the men department though. Although she kept a boyfriend for almost two and a half years it was a very, interesting one. I think we all realized her boyfriends “unique” personality when he punch her father in the face during her graduation party for no good reason. After a few months are figuring out her life in walks the man of her dreams, shipping out to Iraq in 5 months. You know someone is family when you sit their with them after they have said goodbye to their loved ones once shipping off to Iraq and have a shoulder that will absorb their tears for hours on end and at the end, after no words are spoken, feel as if you have been talking for hours. To see someone run the gamma of emotions: from pure blissful love to painstaking distance makes you think twice on your opinion of sending a soldier with a separate set of loved ones off to war. Sara is a different person now, sporting a promise ring on one hand and in the other a tissue. Although it has already been over a month I see her crying herself to sleep, worrying about her other half overseas. Three days ago she showed me a letter stating that he plans to remain over in Iraq for an extended stay. After showing me those paper she showed me registration papers for her own enlistment. She believes that even though they will not be right next to each other in Iraq, they will be close enough. Now I will be the one with the tissue in one hand and our best friend bracelet on the other.
Since the second semester of college I have been putting a bigger attempt into learning more about what is happening around us. In college you are in your own mini-world, which is impervious to everything around it almost. Most of my news comes from FOX news. Before doing any research on the topic I considered it to be a fairly balanced network. But after reading countless articles it looks as if the norm I have been hearing is very conservative. Surprise to me!
A Change of Heart
The war basically meant nothing to me until my best friend joined the army my sophomore year of high school. He was a freshman in college and a recruiter from the army came and spoke to his history class. His attention was immediately caught and he felt that the school scene wasn't for him anymore and decided to join. Therefore, from talking to him on the phone and receiving emails every once in a while, I basically had my heart attached to the war. Everytime I heard that more soldiers died my heart would drop hoping that my friend was still alive. I would anxiously await until the next time I heard from him just to be reassured that he was okay. He would tell me so many crazy stories, one being how he was shot in the neck by a person standing a foot away from him, but he was okay. He told me what it was like being a soldier, what it was like in Iraq, what the people around him were like and so forth, it was just all so interesting. He was a military police officer and patrolled the area at night and by day sat on top of tanks with guns scoping out the place. He was there for three years and just got out of the army a month ago. He mentions nothing about the war now, almost as if he has left all his baggage there and no longer wants to think of the things he saw and the things that were done. A lot has changed about him, some for the better, some for the worst, which I won't explain further. However, the war really opened my eyes. We were supposed to be in Iraq with intentions of finding weapons of mass destruction and nothing has happened except soldiers lives being taken away from us. I have so many friends whose brothers have gone to Iraq and left unharmed, some that never had a chance to come back home and others that have gone back to Iraq for a second time. I just think it is such a shame and has really taken a toll on families.
Since I hardly watch TV at school, my knowledge of the war is very limited through the media, however, whenever I watch the news all I see is updates of how many lives have been taken and other updates here and there. Whenever I see recordings where families are reunited with their soliders, I cry because I think it is such a joyous and grateful moment and those that do come back are so lucky. I think what would have only taken a few months has gone too far. Now I feel like people are dying for no reason. There is more talk on Britney Spears and her sister Jamie Lynn than there is about the war, almost as if it doesn't exist or it is just unimportant now. I just wish there was a way we could bring all the soliders back right now, so hopefully with the new presidential elections that possibility can turn into a reality.
My views
As a freshman in college, i have been exposed to a lot to the war in Iraq through the media and in class discussions. When i would walk into my father's room nine times out of ten he would have the news on and a newspaper in his hand learning about current events in the world. He would always watch about the war and listen to opinions but i know he always had his own opinion. If i asked a question he would respond with a question of his own which would sound something like, "don't you pay attention to what goes on in this world?" He always stressed how important it was to read and listen to the news, which was something that I was never really interested in throughout high school. When I went away to college I learned to surf news websites to find out what is going on in the world each day. The war in Iraq is a huge issue that is very controversial. I feel like we should find a way to put the war to end and come up with a solution. At the end of the day I think to myself that there must be a solution to this war and we just have to find it. I support the fact that terrorism is horrible and that it needs to end, but the war is going on still. Maybe after the new presidential election something will be altered with our overseas actions. Although I am new to learning the news on a regular basis, it makes sense to me the importance of being an informed citizen.
Feelings of Hopelessness and Distance
As I went to the Vista page and clicked through the introduction to this class, the PowerPoint presentation, the article, and the assignment for our first blog, I thought about four guys I went to high school with who weren’t particularly good students and were generally trouble makers since as long as I can remember. These four guys all had plans to or had already enlisted in the Armed Services last I heard from them, which was around graduation time. Although I wasn’t friends with these guys, I had known some of them since third grade.
At the time, I didn’t give the situation much thought. After all, I was graduating high school in a week and had plans of my own to worry about. Plus, I would probably never see or talk to these guys again, even if they weren’t enlisting. Now, however, I realize that I can still name those four guys. It has taken a while, but the seriousness and weight of the situation, of what they promised to do when they signed those papers, has finally really hit me. These people are my age – 18 and 19 years old – and I could never imagine being in war. I never heard what happened to them, and for all I know they could be anywhere in the US or even in the world right now.
Another guy I know, a very close friend of mine, has recently signed up for the Navy. He’s leaving for boot camp in August. I still can’t believe – or I don’t want to believe – that he’s really leaving. His decision, while I respect it, is something I don’t think I’ll ever understand.
While it’s true I don’t know anyone who is in or has been in Afghanistan or Iraq (or at least I don’t think I do), something I’m very thankful for, knowing my close friend will be in the Navy soon enough is too close for comfort to me.
Up until my friend informed me he joined the Navy, I felt no connection to the war. Even now, I worry about my friend, and about his safety, but him actually being shipped off seems like a ‘that would never happen to me, that happens to other people I don’t know’ situation. One of those things you only hear about on the news. I suppose that’s called ‘denial.’
Not that I watch the news, or read the newspaper. I have little interest in current events, including this war, simply because I don’t know enough to be able to say I can defend a position. Most of the time it doesn’t bother me, though. Like many of my peers, I feel like I can’t change what’s going on anyway, so why bother. I have my own life, with my own problems and situations that are directly affecting me. Things I can’t avoid or forget about obviously seem more urgent than the war that seems to be stuck in limbo – with each side being too stubborn to come to an agreement – while the death toll rises.
Who knows what’s really going on with the war, anyway? Between the stuff that never gets reported, the stuff that the media covers up, and the stuff that the government covers up, how can anyone? How can Americans ever know if they are being lied to or not? What’s the likelihood any average person could find out the whole story? Basically everything we hear is bias towards our side, whether it’s on purpose or not.
So yes I hope my friend is never put in the extremely dangerous situation that so many soldiers have had to face and will continue to face, and yes I feel terrible when I think about how many people have died because of this war, and yes I wish we weren't in a war right now, but I still feel ultimately hopeless and rather distant from it, as well. Maybe I’ll feel differently when or if someone that I know gets shipped off to Iraq or Afghanistan.
At the time, I didn’t give the situation much thought. After all, I was graduating high school in a week and had plans of my own to worry about. Plus, I would probably never see or talk to these guys again, even if they weren’t enlisting. Now, however, I realize that I can still name those four guys. It has taken a while, but the seriousness and weight of the situation, of what they promised to do when they signed those papers, has finally really hit me. These people are my age – 18 and 19 years old – and I could never imagine being in war. I never heard what happened to them, and for all I know they could be anywhere in the US or even in the world right now.
Another guy I know, a very close friend of mine, has recently signed up for the Navy. He’s leaving for boot camp in August. I still can’t believe – or I don’t want to believe – that he’s really leaving. His decision, while I respect it, is something I don’t think I’ll ever understand.
While it’s true I don’t know anyone who is in or has been in Afghanistan or Iraq (or at least I don’t think I do), something I’m very thankful for, knowing my close friend will be in the Navy soon enough is too close for comfort to me.
Up until my friend informed me he joined the Navy, I felt no connection to the war. Even now, I worry about my friend, and about his safety, but him actually being shipped off seems like a ‘that would never happen to me, that happens to other people I don’t know’ situation. One of those things you only hear about on the news. I suppose that’s called ‘denial.’
Not that I watch the news, or read the newspaper. I have little interest in current events, including this war, simply because I don’t know enough to be able to say I can defend a position. Most of the time it doesn’t bother me, though. Like many of my peers, I feel like I can’t change what’s going on anyway, so why bother. I have my own life, with my own problems and situations that are directly affecting me. Things I can’t avoid or forget about obviously seem more urgent than the war that seems to be stuck in limbo – with each side being too stubborn to come to an agreement – while the death toll rises.
Who knows what’s really going on with the war, anyway? Between the stuff that never gets reported, the stuff that the media covers up, and the stuff that the government covers up, how can anyone? How can Americans ever know if they are being lied to or not? What’s the likelihood any average person could find out the whole story? Basically everything we hear is bias towards our side, whether it’s on purpose or not.
So yes I hope my friend is never put in the extremely dangerous situation that so many soldiers have had to face and will continue to face, and yes I feel terrible when I think about how many people have died because of this war, and yes I wish we weren't in a war right now, but I still feel ultimately hopeless and rather distant from it, as well. Maybe I’ll feel differently when or if someone that I know gets shipped off to Iraq or Afghanistan.
January 20, 2009
I was just curious as to what some of you, not necessarily hope for, but think will happen when the next president goes into office as far as dealing with the war in Iraq. It is one thing to hope for what we want the president to do...but is that realistic with what the president can do?
Views on Iraqi War
I was in Ms. Fulton's Language Art's class when I heard about the terroristic attacks on the United States of America on September 11th, 2001. I remember watching all the reports, the replayed clips, the vigil held at ground zero, and the numerous amounts of people making their opinions heard on national television. I remember when we first took action and dropped bombs on Iraq. I was so elated and I thought that the problem was solved. The US then deployed troops into Iraq. Ever since troops have been deployed, I feel the war has been forgotten. They barely mention the deaths on the news anymore. Plus, more troops keep going over to Iraq, even though we are apparently "withdrawing." I do not know anybody on a personal level that is in Iraq now, has ever been, or is affected by a family member in Iraq. I feel that I don't know anybody in the war is due to the fact of where I was brought up. Most kids in my town care more about what is right for them instead of their country. One could say that I am one of those kids because I am just as guilty as them by not going over to serve. I chose not to serve for two reasons. The first, and main reason, was due to the fact that I thought that I could be of better use to my country by going to school for what I perceived to be dentistry, because I thought I was going to take over my dad's practice. I decided to change my major to business though. The second reason that I decided not to go over and serve, was the fact that I cant stand President Bush and would refuse to represent him.
Just Keep Feeding that Fire...
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/03/19/cheney-poll-iraq/
(This is slightly old news...but it still pisses me off).
Everyone is Affected
The war in Iraq, as much as people may try to deny the truth or simply turn a blind eye, truly has an affect on each and every one of us, directly or indirectly. Raised under very liberal parents, I have developed an entirely unbiased view on world events (or at least I like to believe so). On a direct level, I have seen my closest friend enlist in the Air Force not too long ago. Even though he still has yet to be deployed for his assignment, he still feeds me startling information about our military and the war we are fighting. This close contact is perhaps the main source I have for receiving information about what is going on.
On an indirect level, I, as well as all Americans, are paying for this war. Everyday, the price for gas seems to climb gradually yet steadily, reaching record breaking highs. Even though I do not have true proof that this is caused by the war, I have reasonable suspicion to believe that it indeed is (I could being talking about why I believe so but that would warrant an essay within itself). Aside from gas prices, Americans are paying for our war in our tax dollars. This is the biggest problem I have with our nation. Why should I, as well as many other Americans, be paying for a war that I do not believe in? My generation is going to be the one that pays the price for entering Iraq. But perhaps we are in Iraq with completely good intentions? This is not the case at all. The main reason I feel we are in Iraq is because good old George Bush felt he needed to finish what his daddy started. George Bush Senior had quite a hatred for Osama Bin Laden and promised to bring him to justice. Thus, I think that it is reasonable to believe that baby Bush just wants to make his father proud (great reason for putting our nation in trillion dollars of debt and killing countless soldiers eh?).
So naturally, one may ask me where I get news from. Well, as mentioned previously, I get a large chunk of the news fed to me by my Air Force buddy. We talk fairly often and he talks about what he sees first handedly. Secondly, I get much of my information from the internet. I try to read many different news sites (such as CNN, the New York Times, etc.) to help destroy any bias that is associated with news sites (FOX). However, I receive the majority of my information about what is going on by simply talking to involved friends. A large amount of my friends enjoy engaging in political debates with each other, and as a result, I am fed much information from people directly.
Overall, I feel as if we need to firmly leave Iraq as soon as possible. This is a pointless war that has countless repercussions. I feel as if this war is perhaps one of the most embarrassing and shameful events in our nations history, aside from Vietnam.
~Drew Clearfield
The War
Just as many of the posts I have read. I do not have any close connection to the war. The closest I have is a friend who is currently becoming a Marine and is going for intelligence. He completed boot camp this summer and now is doing his I guess you can say schooling of becoming a Marine intelligence personnel. He has not gone anywhere yet and has not done any fighting. He occasionally needs the booster just stick with it you've been wanting to do this since you where little but everyone needs that sometimes when things get tough. As far as the war goes I don't really follow it at all. I hear about it on the local news sometimes when I go home like this happen here, another suicide bomb happened there, but other then that I tend to not follow it. I hear about it on The Daily Show with John Stewart and the Colbert Report with Steven Colbert when they are making fun of the people that said it was only going to last a few months but really its been going on for five years.
http://www.abcnews.go.com/International/Story?id=4600258&page=1
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/washington/06military.html?_r=1&ref=world&oref=slogin
http://www.abcnews.go.com/International/Story?id=4600258&page=1
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/washington/06military.html?_r=1&ref=world&oref=slogin
What War?
After reading the article, and looking over a few of the other posts, I've come to the conclusion that I really haven't paid attention to this war in Iraq, nor do I know much about it. However, I'm not embarrassed or ashamed of not keeping up with it. The truth is, the majority of us college students - spending four or five years in classes getting ready to begin forty-an-hour weeks - aren't being affected by this war. Sure we have friends or family there and even the ROTC that goes to college and might end up getting shipped over there, but we've seen no real changes in our culture since our country invaded Iraq. The only real thing that's changed is some security procedures used to combat terrorism. I can honestly say that I've gone a lot of days without thinking once about the war in Iraq. I have no opinion at all on this war or politics in general, because there's nothing I can do to influence any of what's going on now. All I worry about is getting to my classes, having something to eat, and having a roof over my head at the end of the day. I don't even really watch the news to look for updates on the war. The only news I've seen lately is sports coverage, and the homicide rate being down a little since Nutter became mayor. Other then NBC10, I try to stay away from news channels because they're way too biased, and again, I have no opinions on politics or any preference for any candidates. I'll vote for the president that can lower gas prices.
Hostages in Iraq
Five years after its onset, the war in
Being from
Shortly after the end of the crisis, there were many voices claiming that the whole operation was a hoax organized by the Romanian president himself, who experienced a significant increase in popularity after the release of the hostages. There where also rumors about a large ransom paid to the hostage takers, but government officials denied any disbursement. There certainly is political bias in this story and I believe that the people behind the kidnapping have strong connections with the Romanian leading party. I think that a large sum of money was spent in this operation, but the president didn’t want to make that public, fearing that other Romanians working or fighting in
I will share other stories about the way
An Effect on the Everybody
I don't really have a direct connection, to those fighting overseas in Iraq. My closest connections are that of friend's of my friends, or a relative of one of my relatives. I also know some people from my school who have siblings overseas. So I guess I'm lucky in a way, to not have anyone very close to me risking their lives, but it doesn't really exclude me from being affected. I do however, know of a many who are being affected from this war. I see it hurt other people and this has always made me wonder, "Why are we over there just wasting lives, anyway?"
So even from a person, who doesn't have anyone close overseas, I still see other people upset, and seeing this isn't necessarily making me happy. When I went home for spring break a few weeks ago I remember seeing a very interesting bumper sticker. I was riding home in my parents' car after having a tasteful dinner at one of our favorite local restaurants and I noticed a bumpersticker on the vehicle in front of ours. It was a heart with half of it filled in with an American Flag, and the other half that of Iraq's. The sticker said "Half of my heart is in Iraq." This got me thinking a lot. About the people of my town, how they're loved ones could be dead or missing. I couldn't imagine being devoted to someone and losing them while still very young. I think a lot about the future, and what i'll enjoy doing. Happiness is best enjoyed when shared, and if you get married and within a couple of years lose that person, it's got to be the most horrible feeling in the world.
This War has been going on for a very long time, and when the news broadcasts our President, George W. Bush in front of a sign with big white letters saying "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" I think about all the people who were lied too.
So even from a person, who doesn't have anyone close overseas, I still see other people upset, and seeing this isn't necessarily making me happy. When I went home for spring break a few weeks ago I remember seeing a very interesting bumper sticker. I was riding home in my parents' car after having a tasteful dinner at one of our favorite local restaurants and I noticed a bumpersticker on the vehicle in front of ours. It was a heart with half of it filled in with an American Flag, and the other half that of Iraq's. The sticker said "Half of my heart is in Iraq." This got me thinking a lot. About the people of my town, how they're loved ones could be dead or missing. I couldn't imagine being devoted to someone and losing them while still very young. I think a lot about the future, and what i'll enjoy doing. Happiness is best enjoyed when shared, and if you get married and within a couple of years lose that person, it's got to be the most horrible feeling in the world.
This War has been going on for a very long time, and when the news broadcasts our President, George W. Bush in front of a sign with big white letters saying "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" I think about all the people who were lied too.
Cold Reality of War
I feel as if this war has not affected me directly, but I have seen it take its toll on others around me. My best friend’s family has been greatly affected. Her soon to be brother in-law has been shipped to Iraq two times before and is going back at the end of July this year. I’ve seen her sister when he was located in Iraq, and she was in a constant state of concern. The fact of never knowing what could happen to her fiancé left her very distraught. Their wedding is not planned until May of next year, so she is going to have to endure one more lapse of absence till their wedding day. I could not imagine how much stress and anxiety her sister is going to bear until he returns home once again. Moreover, my best friend’s brother has also been in the navy for a few years. Although he is not in the crossfire of the Iraq War, he is still serving his country and is far away from home. Leaving room for his family and friends to wonder and worry. I noticed from a few of my friends that have come back from Iraq for a break or for good, seem to have changed. They have a different outlook towards the world and their personalities have changed dramatically. This could have resulted for many reasons. They were put into a real-life video game, where their lives are put on the line every day. Today, there are countless games that try to illustrate warfare. With each game that comes out, they become more intense and realistic, but yet I don’t think this allows one to grasp the real nature of war. In reality, these soldiers are thrown into a world that nothing could prepare them for. These soldiers witness death and destruction and when someone experiences such traumatic events, there is no doubt that there would be a lasting impression. Soldiers of any war have seen numerous things that most civilians have not and they are haunted by these experiences on daily basis. War has many lasting affects that linger long after the conflicts.
The media coverage of this war, I feel has been minimally or perhaps it hasn’t caught my attention often. As a country, I feel that we are out of the loop. We are in fact aware that we are in a war, but not necessary aware of what we’re fighting for. The United States main purpose to engage in this war was to find weapons of mass destruction. We have yet to find these so called weapons of mass destruction and yet our troops are stuck living in a far away country risking their lives every day. This war has been heavily criticized since the beginning. Many argue that the U.S. rushed into this war and even after 5 years of ongoing battle we have yet to reach our objectives. This may because our objectives are unrealistic or based on false information. I support our troops to the fullest, and I praise them for efforts. I wish everything would come together peacefully, so we could have our soldiers sent home and the Iraqi people could begin to operate their society in a positive direction. But the harsh truth that I face is that optimism does not necessary go hand in hand with the cold reality of war.
American's wars
Personally I have never been affected by the war in Iraq. I am not American so I have never deeply thought about the consequences it has. However, I want to say a thing about something about USA and the wars they have always fought.
First of all, besides the civil war, Americans have never felt the consequences of a war in their own country. They have always fought “they’re” wars in other countries territories. They have always been in a force position, showing their strength to the whole world. The first time American territory got attacked was 9/11/2001, and everybody saw what happened. That was the first time Americans felt fear, got scared. That is the most normal thing in the world (to get scared), but still, what happened is not comparable to what happened (and still happens) to people in Afghanistan and Iraq. Everybody in those countries, live in the fear that a bomb might drop in their house or a kamikaze might blow up the building they work in. Personally I do not remember those things happening (especially in Iraq) before the American Government decided fight the presumable terrorists in Iraq’s territory. As I recall, the motive for the attack was that Iraq was in posses of technologies that could produce biological-mass destruction weapons and certainly, the target was USA. That fact was never proved! The scientists sent there to investigate never find anything close to a biological weapon. However, USA continued their mission of fighting terrorism in the world and attacked Iraq. I don’t want to go deep into the real reasons (I believe) that led to that war but, probably they felt that a second 9/11 might have happened so they decided to go and invade Iraq.
However, there is one thing that comes up to my mind when I think about USA and its wars, and the Iraq’s war enforces my idea: They always fight they’re wars away from home because that is more comfortable, because that’s what they are used to do! Yeah…right! Who wouldn’t want to do that if they had the chance to!
First of all, besides the civil war, Americans have never felt the consequences of a war in their own country. They have always fought “they’re” wars in other countries territories. They have always been in a force position, showing their strength to the whole world. The first time American territory got attacked was 9/11/2001, and everybody saw what happened. That was the first time Americans felt fear, got scared. That is the most normal thing in the world (to get scared), but still, what happened is not comparable to what happened (and still happens) to people in Afghanistan and Iraq. Everybody in those countries, live in the fear that a bomb might drop in their house or a kamikaze might blow up the building they work in. Personally I do not remember those things happening (especially in Iraq) before the American Government decided fight the presumable terrorists in Iraq’s territory. As I recall, the motive for the attack was that Iraq was in posses of technologies that could produce biological-mass destruction weapons and certainly, the target was USA. That fact was never proved! The scientists sent there to investigate never find anything close to a biological weapon. However, USA continued their mission of fighting terrorism in the world and attacked Iraq. I don’t want to go deep into the real reasons (I believe) that led to that war but, probably they felt that a second 9/11 might have happened so they decided to go and invade Iraq.
However, there is one thing that comes up to my mind when I think about USA and its wars, and the Iraq’s war enforces my idea: They always fight they’re wars away from home because that is more comfortable, because that’s what they are used to do! Yeah…right! Who wouldn’t want to do that if they had the chance to!
This War is no longer a war.
Iraq, as the United States has deemed it, is the model that they want the Middle East to follow once the Iraqi government establishes itself as an autonomous entity. The war was waged with a basis that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. A basis that was backed up with intelligence gathered by the different agencies and departments. As president, George W. Bush took the intelligence, consulted, and acted as he saw fit. The war was waged and has been declared over. What is left is the occupation of a Middle Eastern country. The view of a democratic state within the confines of such a religious and cultural haven has in fact enraged and infuriated the neighboring states (Iranian produced weapons etc.). The dissent comes from those who believe that Saddam Hussein was wrongly removed from power and that The United States is destroying their country. With that said, with the events of September 11, 2001 and the threat of a radical dictator having control of weapons of mass destruction, the intentions of the war were to preserve and protect the United States. Now, while people go quick to point the finger at all the deaths endured on both sides of the conflict, many disregard the abundance of terrorist activity in other countries and only focus on the negative aspects of this conflict that is publicized. There are US military personnel installations around the world, the Iraqi conflict is just one part of the war on terror. Islamic extremist regimes, for example, in the Philippines have long been monitored due to the contact with Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda. And people will say, "why haven't we captured Osama?" and the fact remains we will not capture Osama until the mentality of terrorism is eliminated from the world. The United States removed a leader who used biological weapons on his own people. "Iraqis don't want us there" many will also say, but my high school history teacher, a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Marine Corps, who is a military historian that was deployed in Iraq brought in and showed us the Iraqi ballots for elections, elections with more than one person on it, not just the Saddam-led Baath party, but parties that represented all walks of life within the Iraqi cultural community. Terrorism sees Iraq as a valuable possession as the US troops are still there, so that they can inflict more attacks on the US-backed government. Terrorism isn't just Al Qaeda, it isn't one certain goup of people, it is an idea that by placing terror in the enemies mind they will inevitably lead the enemy to destroy itself. Iraq is no longer the site of a war, it is an occupation that only history will be able to examine as the right or wrong choice for America.
The War They Don't Want Us To Know About
For years, the United States has been at war in Iraq. And yet, everyday Americans ask themselves: What has changed since Bush sent troops to Iraq? Sure, positive results have come from this war. Saddam is no longer in power and the Iraqi people have been liberated. Yet, do the positives of this war outweigh the negative effects? Surely, if all the details of the war were released, that answer from all Americans would be simply “No.” However, due to the fact that the United States government has done so much to cover up the truths of this war, the American people have no idea what is really happening over in the Middle East. The American people also have no knowledge of the effects of the war in Iraq on the American soldiers and the detrimental outcomes in their daily lives. The American government claims that the presence of American troops in Iraq is essential for the improvement of Iraq. Yet, the effects of the war on Americans troops is never talked about. The government hides horrifying information like this from the American public in hopes of keeping American support for the war. In reality, an extremely large amount of American troops suffer from PTSD after coming home from war. Studies have shown the PTSD is the cause to many abnormal activates. It is well know that many veterans become heavy drinkers and offer find themselves behind bars just months after returning home and yet the government does little to help these soldiers struggling with this disorder. In my eyes, the government is only looking out for themselves and they are doing little to help the people who deserve it most: the American soldiers. So in reality, teh government is hiding the internal war that soldiers must endure within themselves after returning home from war.
Person Views on the Iraqi War
Personal Views on the Iraqi War
When the war in Iraq first began I was a mix of emotions. I remember feeling like there had been a shift in the world. I think I was more attuned to what was going on than most because my brother’s best friend, Nick, was going to fight in Iraq. He had told us before the war started that if we went to Iraq his company was going. I had never been aware of our military fighting before so I tried to think of past wars, especially from WWII, because to most that was considered a “noble” war. I wanted to justify why we were going and understand why someone I cared for might die.
I thought and still think that taking Saddam Hussein out of power was a good thing. Maybe it wasn’t necessary for America’s immediate well being, but he was a sadistic violent man who tortured and killed his people and I don’t see much difference between him and Hitler. He didn’t gain as much power as Hitler, but what I do think would have had as much power as Mussolini. I think the true “Hitler” esque character in this war is the president of Iran, Ahmadinejad. But Mussolini was a great help to Hitler so maybe we hindered the “enemy” in a different way. Now I use the term “enemy” loosely because I am aware the “enemy” is terrorism, but terrorism has to be funded by someone.
As far as pulling out of Iraq I am torn. I would love to say, “Our troops should go home right now!” But I don’t think that would be responsible or realistic. I think that we should be making more of an effort to put Iraqi’s in power and training more Iraqi’s to defend themselves. I know that’s what we’re supposedly doing but I think that should be focused upon more.
When the war in Iraq first began I was a mix of emotions. I remember feeling like there had been a shift in the world. I think I was more attuned to what was going on than most because my brother’s best friend, Nick, was going to fight in Iraq. He had told us before the war started that if we went to Iraq his company was going. I had never been aware of our military fighting before so I tried to think of past wars, especially from WWII, because to most that was considered a “noble” war. I wanted to justify why we were going and understand why someone I cared for might die.
I thought and still think that taking Saddam Hussein out of power was a good thing. Maybe it wasn’t necessary for America’s immediate well being, but he was a sadistic violent man who tortured and killed his people and I don’t see much difference between him and Hitler. He didn’t gain as much power as Hitler, but what I do think would have had as much power as Mussolini. I think the true “Hitler” esque character in this war is the president of Iran, Ahmadinejad. But Mussolini was a great help to Hitler so maybe we hindered the “enemy” in a different way. Now I use the term “enemy” loosely because I am aware the “enemy” is terrorism, but terrorism has to be funded by someone.
As far as pulling out of Iraq I am torn. I would love to say, “Our troops should go home right now!” But I don’t think that would be responsible or realistic. I think that we should be making more of an effort to put Iraqi’s in power and training more Iraqi’s to defend themselves. I know that’s what we’re supposedly doing but I think that should be focused upon more.
Ignorance is Bliss
When the war in Iraq started, I cannot say I was shocked. After the September 11 attacks, it was plainly obvious that America was not going to take these attacks lightly. However, if you had asked me my opinions on the war 5 years ago I probably would have given you the same answer if you asked me today. I don't care much for the war in Iraq. I steer clear of it as much as possibly. I do not have any family members involved directly or indirectly in the war and none of my friends or their families are involved in the war. I suppose we are all mostly cut off from it. Most of the members of my family do not follow the war in anyway, shape or form. For my family, it is not that odd, but for me, it can be seen as almost idiotic for me to not be following the war. The reason I say that is because I am currently enrolled at Drexel in the Education program and I want to teach History. One would think that I would be eating all of this information about the war up, but sadly, I'm not. The War in Iraq does not interest me in the slightest from an educational or historic standpoint. With all of the media exposure the war gets, it almost feels like the war is being crammed down our throats. Reports come out everyday saying, "X Soldiers Die in Roadside Explosion" or something similar. My disregard for the war could be due to the fact that I do not know anybody who serves in the war but I doubt it. The war to me is not interesting. No real advances are made from day to day, week to week, or month to month. Yes, we caught Saddam, but not much has happened since then. Our efforts to set up a government are not working as well as we planned because most of the people who live in Iraq and the Middle East in general want nothing to do with us.
As the title of my post suggests, I am blissfully ignorant of the war. I avoid the war as much as possible for no real specific reason other than the fact that it does not have any impact on me nor does it interest me in the least. I highly doubt that when a new president is elected that the war will cease immediately. What we got ourselves into in Iraq is very similar to what happened in Vietnam. We are fighting a war we cannot win in multiple ways.
As the title of my post suggests, I am blissfully ignorant of the war. I avoid the war as much as possible for no real specific reason other than the fact that it does not have any impact on me nor does it interest me in the least. I highly doubt that when a new president is elected that the war will cease immediately. What we got ourselves into in Iraq is very similar to what happened in Vietnam. We are fighting a war we cannot win in multiple ways.
the impact of the war.
Like most of the other posts that I have read, I do not know have any family members or friends in the war. I don't even know of any of my friends being associated with someone in the war. I can honestly say that I don't really follow news about the war that closely. I know the big facts about it, and from what I do know I think it is just a waste of time, and the soldiers that are over there dying shouldn't even be there at all. Maybe it was okay for the US to be in Iraq in the beginning, but after five years it is getting to be kind of ridiculous. Bush should realize that he isn't really accomplishing anything by being over there still except for killing innocent US citizens. I should probably watch the news about it or read newspapers about the war just to educate myself more on it, but for now I really feel as if it is a waste.
Orders to Leave
I do not come straight from a military family, but my girlfriend does. Her father has been in the Air Force for twenty plus years now, and is currently in the reserves. I have been with her for over three years now, so I know all bout his military experience, and how much it affects their family. He is currently 54 years old, a father of two, and a grandfather of my two year old daughter Madison. Last August, he received orders stating that he would be deployed the day after Christmas. He could not discuss details abbout where he was going, just that it was a four month tour. My girlfriend and her family were completely distraught; how could a 54 year old man receive orders to go overseas. It was clear just from his expressions after that that he was not happy going over for a war theat he personally did not believe in. However, he knew his duties and was ready to accept the orders, his family was not. My girlfriend was very upset and was having trouble comprehending the idea of him leaving. Good news came in November when he found out that he would not be leaving due to a physical. A doctor determined that he needed to have hip replacement, and this is probably the only case in which you will find someone happy to have hip replacement. He had the surgery at Thanksgiving time, and when his group left to be sent overseas, he remained home. He never had to go, but can you believe they were going to send a 54 year old man over there. We are supposed to be decreasing troops, and instead they want to send grandfathers over there. Also, now that he is medically cleared again, he may receive orders to leave again. Ultimately it is not his decision to make.
From what I have seen in the news, I do not feel that this war is justified or necessary. I don't know if it is the information presented to me in the news, or my beliefs, but I jst feel that there is nothing we can do over there. I will always support the troops currently serving, but I will not support the government that put them there.
I will however be the first to admit, at the beginning of the war, I felt it was justified. I was like every other citizen in this country. We were brutally attacked in NYC, and we were led to believe from our government that Iraq had weapons capable of attacking us worse than 9/11. I felt that we succeeded in removing Saddam Hussein from power, but since then I have seen no progress. All of his followers still have their beliefs, and will always hate us, we just can't do anything about that. I believe that it is time to bring our troops home.
From what I have seen in the news, I do not feel that this war is justified or necessary. I don't know if it is the information presented to me in the news, or my beliefs, but I jst feel that there is nothing we can do over there. I will always support the troops currently serving, but I will not support the government that put them there.
I will however be the first to admit, at the beginning of the war, I felt it was justified. I was like every other citizen in this country. We were brutally attacked in NYC, and we were led to believe from our government that Iraq had weapons capable of attacking us worse than 9/11. I felt that we succeeded in removing Saddam Hussein from power, but since then I have seen no progress. All of his followers still have their beliefs, and will always hate us, we just can't do anything about that. I believe that it is time to bring our troops home.
Friends Affected
Personally, no one from my immediate or extended family has been directly affected by the war. But to say we haven't been affected at all would be a lie. Any war, in any country, affects the citizens along with the economy. The fact that about 4000 soldiers and over a million Iraqis have died makes me sick to my stomach . Several of my friends from high school were in Iraq, a few are still there. One of friends after returning said, "It's a place you never want to go". One of my close friends recently dropped out of college and enlisted in the army. Since he's still in training, he hasn't seen first hand what it's like. It's scary to think about how at any given moment, anything could happen. Although I'm worried about something happening to him, I have a lot of respect him and his decision to join. He said school wasn't for him, and this way he could do something worthwhile and help our country. I never once thought about joining because I never felt any urgency to. I never felt like there was anything worth fighting for. Every time Bush speaks about the war there's a new excuse for why we're still there. We're losing our friends and family because all they are to Bush are pawns in this game. And though over half the country dislikes him, and even more disagree with the war, he is still commander in chief.
The Number Twenty-Seven
Twenty-Seven. The number might seem ordinary to most people, but at my high school, it bears great meaning and significance. Father Judge High School lost 27 graduates in the Vietnam War, more than any other private or parochial school in the country. It was something that was very sad for many in my school community, but it was also something that we were proud about. Years later, we still honor those 27 men with a memorial mass. We mediated on war, especially the war in Iraq, and listened to family members of the fallen 27. It was really moving to hear about how these adolescent men, with so much to offer to the world, were killed in their prime. One thing a father of one the deceased really angered me. He described how no one really honored or stood by the soldiers back when we were in the Vietnam War. He remembered that his son’s friends came home to be rejected and despised, and he was sad while his son laid his life down for his country, and thousands of others risked theirs, no one at home really appreciated it. He was glad that the school was honoring their memory that day.
It truly is amazing how things and people can change over time. Just over 35 years ago, people were against the war and the soldiers who fought in it. Once they returned home, soldiers were disrespected for their service. It’s a lot different, in my opinion, nowadays. Soldiers have the respect of many Americans, even if they feel that the war is wrong. Even after the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib was exposed, the support for the soldiers by the American people did not seem to waiver. I know that the 27, who lost their lives many years ago, would be glad to know that people care about the soldiers who are risking their lives for their country every day. Unfortunately, while Americans still sow their support, I feel that they aren’t receiving the correct information from the media, who seems to be biased to support political interests and financial gain rather than troops. If the American people continue to receive skewed and biased information, then who knows how much longer the troops will have the support of the American public.
It truly is amazing how things and people can change over time. Just over 35 years ago, people were against the war and the soldiers who fought in it. Once they returned home, soldiers were disrespected for their service. It’s a lot different, in my opinion, nowadays. Soldiers have the respect of many Americans, even if they feel that the war is wrong. Even after the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib was exposed, the support for the soldiers by the American people did not seem to waiver. I know that the 27, who lost their lives many years ago, would be glad to know that people care about the soldiers who are risking their lives for their country every day. Unfortunately, while Americans still sow their support, I feel that they aren’t receiving the correct information from the media, who seems to be biased to support political interests and financial gain rather than troops. If the American people continue to receive skewed and biased information, then who knows how much longer the troops will have the support of the American public.
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