Out of my nearly 25 regular reads, only three of them are writers who support the war. The rest think it is a downright, god awful idea.
Personally, I've avoided expressing my feelings and opinions here. I've never intended this to be a warblog, or a political platform blog. I like the friends I have made, the acquaintances I have grown to know and feel that whatever their/my political feelings we could be friends in meat space. Some of you may not agree with me... but hopefully you'll still love me...
I think the effort that is now being undertaken by the collaboration of friends (UK/US and many others) is the right thing to do. It is unfortunate, and I think as a nation the majority of people who back the action feel reluctant that it has to happen at all, and feel badly. I know very few true "hawks" who are screaming for blood at any costs.
All this should have been over and done with in 1991. I think that the Iraq situation is apart from the terrorist hunt (Osama et al), and that we cannot drop that in any way shape or form. I believe deeply that North Korea is a bigger and scarier threat, but we have to pick and choose which battles we fight and when.
On the humanitarian front, I feel we need to affect change in some of the actions of our "allies" (cough, Saudi Arabia, cough) and many other nations (cough, China) as well as some things within our own borders.
I am not sure how anyone can say "we support the troops" but they don't support the government and the war. The troops are executing the war. They are doing what the government wants. I think that as a nation a lot of folks who are anti-war don't want to see the same treatment the troops received during/after Vietnam, so they're taking a very "Hate the sin, love the sinner" kind of stance...
I will also say that I do hope above everything else that all the proper conventions of war are followed. There are proper conventions of war, even though in a very perfect world there would be no war at all.
Freedom Fries/Freedom Toast/Freedom Kissing was funny, cute and campy in that Simpsonsesque rag-on-the-French way that we have as a nation. But I think that the jerks running around trying to pass actual laws to change French to freedom need to find something more productive to do with their damn time. The Florida congresswoman who was pushing for this change needs to go figure out how to make it so people aren't losing friggin' foster kids in her damn state. Missing and dead foster kids are more important than whether or not we ever utter the word French again. Oh, and lady, FRENCH FRENCH FRENCH FRENCH I'll say it all I want.
Gah. Get a real fucking LIFE!
I still like the Dixie Chicks, even though they've spoken out against the war. I have never cared for Sheryl Crow, so whatever she says doesn't sway me at all. I'm proud of Janeanne Garafalo for speaking her mind and for being educated instead of knee-jerky. I'm especially proud of her for going and standing up for what she thinks on the O'Reilly Factor... and I'm very proud of her for saying that if she is wrong about her thoughts and opinions after all this is said and done that she will crawl across broken glass to say she's sorry.
There are other things I think and feel, but I won't get into them right now. And I won't get into any blahdy blah about why and wherefore, you've heard arguments for and against ad nauseum. So I don't need to dance down that path.
Today's entry is about how I went to WalMart and almost puked in the aisle.
I went to buy my kids some new underwear.
I went to get away from the TV and from the world. WalMart is a great place to go do that. I went hoping to hear some really bad musak broadcasting of long forgotten and favorite 70s hits... England Dan and John Ford Coley, Debbie Boone. I wanted to hear "Attention WalMart Shoppers..."
Instead, they were broadcasting audio of FoxNews. Live. Over the loudspeakers. At WalMart.
The voices of Geraldo Rivera and Paula Zahn followed me through the boy's boxer shorts. Followed me over to the women's unmentionables. Followed me over to the toy and toiletries aisles. Followed me over to the pets area where I picked up some new chew toys and then some practice tennis balls in the sporting goods area.
I couldn't stand it. I had budgeted an hour to just linger and loaf... shop and browse. Perhaps look at shower curtains. Perhaps the CDs (I could use some new music to listen to in the truck). But I got what I needed and got the hell out of dodge before my brain could implode.
My stomach hurt. I was at the checkout in less than 10 minutes. I had to get out of there.
For crying out loud, all I wanted was a few minutes of being an American shopping, instead of an American shopping during a war. Do we have to be reminded every ten seconds of what is happening, or as the case was at 10am NOT happening. There was no news to report. Nothing was going on that people weren't already aware of. Why broadcast the shit?
I had to complain at someone, so I said something to the grandma-esque greeter lady on my way out. I asked her if she'd be so kind as to pass on my winge and complaint to the manager of the store... that I came to shop and get away from the blathering, not to be drowned by it in public. I told her what I told you at the top of the page, that I support the war effort, but I don't need it shoved down my throat every two seconds of the day.
She patted me on the shoulder and sighed "I know darlin," looking up at the loud speaker "we've all voiced our complaints. Imagine standin here all day trying to be friendly and listening to this. I'll let him know for you, and trust me, you're not the first one to say something."
They should give her one of those hand held people-counter things so she can click off yet another perturbed customer.
I had budgeted time to loaf in the Valhalla of consumerism, and instead I ended up bolting back to my son's school to hang out and play... because I knew that'd be a refuge of silence.
In Baghdad they broadcast the same thing on all the radio stations. You have the glorious news of wonderful Saddam shoved up your nose, in your face, down your throat and sideways up your ass 24/7. Truth or lies, it's all about how wonderful Saddam is. All Saddam... all the time. Are we to expect the same here? Is there anyplace people can go to not be reminded we're at war and stuff is getting bombed?
Amy voiced her irritation with our news media the other day -- the ongoing non-news coverage of the war. Really now, I would rather watch American Idol. And at WalMart, I never thought I'd have my inner voice begging to hear Celine Dion.
I'm home now. The TV is off. The radio is off. Silence is a beautiful thing. Here I can control what I let into my head and when. If I want to listen to a CD, I can pop the Allman Brothers in, they're sitting right here on the scanner looking at me. If I want to check out what Brit Hume or Aaron Brown have to say, I can do that.
Or I can relish the silence and avoid overload. Unfortunately I can never go shopping again at WalMart, at least not until all this crap finishes up.
I have three print projects that I'm working on right now, which is cool. I got a copy of Microsoft Publisher and am enjoying playing with it and creating things which are causing lots of ooohs and aaaahs to be uttered by my clients. That's sweet.
Geoff is having a sleep over friend tonight (as I mentioned) and it should be fun. His first sleep over friend, and the friend's first sleep over. I'll let you know how it goes. I chaperoned a field trip for his school to McDonalds. It was a lot of fun and the kids were well behaved. I never realized how cool the machine is that they have to grill the burgers.
My Bonnie emailed me the other day and mentioned that an old entry I'd written about her was like a "personality mirror," and that it was weird to read what someone else thought of her.
"It is always amazing to read what someone else writes about you. It's like a personality mirror - which would really be a lot more useful at times than a reflective mirror. You know, you'd pass by it in the hallway and say "oh, wow, look at me, I'm being a complete jerk today!" and you'd straighten yourself up. Yes, this would be a good invention."
That's something to chew on for a while. Bonnie -- ever the astute woman. "Burt Reynolds -- class act."
After she said this, in the back of my mind I suddenly heard Michael Jackson singing "Man in the Mirror." Gah. It took me a whole day to get rid of that, and now I've got it back again.
Alright. I've got dishes to do, a floor to mop, and a six year old's room to clean so he and his friend can sleep on the floor camp-style and have a great time. There's a great, brand new episode of Spongebob on tonight. I hope we all can stay awake until 9:30 to watch it. I know Jessie will... perhaps we'll end up taping it. And I won't be going back to WalMart until further notice. I won't tell anyone what they should or shouldn't be doing/thinking, you can make your own decisions as to whether or not you should watch the news or shop at WalMart... That's what this space is all about to me. Keep it cool out there kiddies. Much love.
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