Oh, and while I'm talking about things I watched last night, I made sure to watch the State of the Union. Once again, I was reminded that Bush is not exactly the most charismatic speaker, but string together lots of patriotic words and even I get goose bumps. I'm not convinced that any of his current plans are good ones, nor am I convinced that war with Iraq is a good idea. Not convinced, but definitely on the "kick ass and take names" side of the fence. See, one of the things I was taught growing up is that you may not agree with the war, but you're always supportive of the troops who are involved. Their lives are on the line, their families hearts are heavy, they need support, not dissent and arguing. I'm not sure where protesting fits in to that equation, but wherever it is I haven't decided to look yet. I may not be convinced that war in Iraq is a good thing, but the equation (world - saddam = good thing) seems to be true in my book.
Anyway, I'm interested in hearing what other people though, and even whether or not you watched. If you write about it on your own blog, feel free to trackback me, if not feel free to comment. Also, if you find links other places that are interesting, post them here. I'd be glad to read them. Thanks ahead of time.
http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=5410#c0013
That particular comment sums up some of the quotes I thought were particularly good as well.
Did I mention I taped it? I didn't get to watch the second hour, so I'll do that tonight.
I got to watch about the last half of it. I personnally don't really have a problem with Bush, and actually kind of enjoy listening to him speak. (Mostly for the entertainment. Listening to him fumble around for the correct pronunciation is always interesting.) I could have missed most of it and not cared, but I was interested to see what he had to say about Iraq. Although I don't think they we have anything resembling the "smoking gun", I think that the way he layed out the "evidence" that we do have will probably make a few people jump the fence and back the US. I also not a fan of going to war, but like Jay, I will always 100% support our troops if/when we do go to war.
Yeah, I'm not a fan of sending people over there simply because my best friend is in the 10th Mountain Division. Richard Watkins is an MLRS (Multiple Rocket Launcer System) commander and will most certainly be sent out soon. He's told me that they don't have deployment orders, but they've been doing double shifts on equipment maintenance and have loaded alot of their equipment onto the trains to be sent out to the shipyards. I'm all for getting rid of Saddam, like J said, a world without him is what I call "Addition by Subtraction". However, this is the first time I've actually had someone very close to me put in the line of fire. i'm not happy about it, his wife isn't happy about it. He's upset that we are upset, but knows that it's his job and his training means he's the best for the task. Do we need forward deployed troops this time? yes. We are in this for the long haul if it goes down. There will be US occupation in Baghdad. That's the only way it's going to end. US occupation means the same thing will happen to US troops and civilians that is happening to Israeli troops and civilians. I predict a 20 year occupation at the minimum. It's not gonna be pretty.
The more I think about it, the more I come to the conclusion that the best way to face your true feelings about a war in Iraq is to think about how you'd feel if the draft went into effect. It's one thing to say going to war is a good thing when you're safe and in the comfort of your own home. It's another thing completely when, like Dave, you have close friend's and loved ones in the line of fire or if it was you.
If the draft went into effect, I'd hope I didn't have to go. However, if my country asked me to serve, I would. As American citizens, we have to do our part. Many people made sacrifices before us in order to maintain freedom, and many may have to in the future. It's not fair to say you'd support a war unless you consider the chance that you may have to fight it.
As I said in my post, I have mixed feelings about it. Everytime I think it might not be necessary, I picture the footage of the second plane hitting the second WTC tower. I see the slow motion version where it went into the building and started to come out of the other side before blowing up. It makes me sick to my stomach, but reminds me that not everyone is open to discussion as a means to solving their problems, and not everyone warns their opponent before using deadly force. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
what are these 'nuculer' weapons that the President keeps talking about? are they as dangerous as nuclear weapons? perhaps even more so?
You know the president is Hooked On Phonics, right?
http://www.vaxcave.com/index.php3?story=104